Grand Rapids * Social Diary

January 27, 2010 - Grand Rapids, Michigan

The Grand Rapids Pistons? posted by Douglas Dooley

Beneath the low rumble of mid-season announcements of all-star selections and player personnel moves by teams throughout the NBA, Karen Davidson, the owner of the Detroit Pistons, following the recent passing of her husband, William Davidson, has floated the idea of selling the team her family has owned for the past several decades. Possibilities run wild, including the exit of the Pistons from Detroit to a different market, potentially in another state, such as Columbus or Kansas City.

While this may be a painful possibility for many, if not most, Piston fans, it also raises the stakes of the state of Michigan to raise the funds necessary to keep the Pistons here, and that includes the mere mention of moving the team, franchise, ownership, and management to the West side of the state, in Grand Rapids. Though a long shot, this scenario is not as far-fetched as it may seem.

I have attended two of the pre-season games played by the Pistons at the Van Andel Arena in recent years, and Meijer, as a company has been a prominent sponsor of this annual event. There is no way to know how the founders and kin of Meijer could raise the approximate one billion dollars it would take to even get in the conversation for one of the more valued franchises, not even counting the cost that it would take to dust off the plans of adding on the southern wing of the Arena to accommodate professional basketball. But it is not impossible.

Clearly, Meijer has a wide presence in the markets that the Pistons cater to, throughout Michigan, and even extending to fans throughout the midwest, where Meijer does business. Based here, the company would be making an investment larger than the Botanical Gardens, to bring a legitimate challenger to any mid-market franchise throughout the country. It is difficult to imagine, with attendance and player salaries going in opposite directions at the moment, and competing with larger market venues like the Forum in Los Angeles and Madison Square Garden in New York would be formidable, the Grand Rapids Pistons would face enormous challenges to break-even.

With that said, the region is hungry for something to support, and with attendance stable for Griffins games, and considering the strong basketball heritage of the West side of Michigan, it is not inconceivable, that a joint Meijer/Van Andel partnership, with revenue and cost sharing, that a move from Detroit to the new epicenter of Michigan business in Grand Rapids is possible. Some may see it even as a defensive move at first to keep professional basketball within the state, as it continues to be just as popular as the Tigers and Lions, and second only to the Red Wings in statewide support.

Much would have to be considered in making such a billion dollar investment, but I would be thrilled and I think a lot of young professionals throughout the region would come to see a Pistons game as a natural starting point to a night out. Right now, there is lots going on in the art world, but very little for the presently non-family oriented athletics supporter to do. Even with the Griffins and the Whitecaps, the Grand Rapids Pistons would significantly up the ante on what is possible with some money, and a lot of coordination.

I would personally hate to see the Pistons move out of state, and though they enjoy the luxury of the Palace of Auburn Hills as their homecourt, it seems only a matter of time before the Davidson family looks to cash in on their appreciation of investment in the Pistons. In short, a public-private partnership, like the one that originally built the Van Andel Arena could help convince a majority buyer, like the Meijer family, in to making the purchase, and securing Grand Rapids as a destination for professional sports. Perhaps the time has come to begin to vet out such an idea.....

Doug lives in Grand Rapids and has been back for the past 6 years, following eight years spent in Virginia and San Francisco. He works at Riverview Athletic Club, and is the Director of Customer Service for Gemma Redux (www.gemmaredux.com), a Manhattan based couture jewelry company. His interests include tennis and basketball, as well as keeping up with the blogosphere of high technology. He writes four topical blogs under his Blogger profile.

Find him on Twitter @douglasdooley

"cirque" ~ photography by Tim Motley, motleycatstudio.com

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