Let the Roy Al debacle be a lesson for the Kings. Some things fade with the past | Opinion
.jpg "The Sacramento Kings on Nov. 14, 2024, unveiled their Nike “City Edition” retro uniforms designed to pay homage to their days as the Cincinnati Royals from 1957 to 1972, modeled here by new mascot Roy Al.")
The rejection of the King’s demon-possessed, clown-looking mascot Roy AI speaks to a larger identity struggle within Sacramento’s NBA team.
In case you missed it, Roy Al was so horrendous, it even startled the most elite player on the team, superstar guard De’Aaron Fox,’
“What the f--- is that?” Fox said late last week in pure confusion. “it looks like he’d work at a fast food restaurant.”
Yeah if that restaurant were in the Netflix Sci-Fi series, Stranger Things.
The Kings have a lot better options than reaching back to the 1950s when the franchise was based in Cincinnati and was known as the Royals. Get it Roy Al?
Keep the culture about the Kings
The first time I went to a Kings game earlier this year I expected the famed Royal purple with black and white. These are the colors I remember seeing the likes of Chris Webber, Mike Bibby and Peja Stojakovic wear. Instead, I saw red white and blue. It took me by surprise. After the game, I learned that these were the colors of the Royals in the 1960s. They left Cincinnati in 1972 and became the Kings in Kansas City before relocating to Sacramento in 1985.
As much as the Royals are a part of the King’s legacy, and throwback jerseys are about sales and commerce, the point of these type of jerseys called “City Connect” is to have the jerseys connect to the culture of the city of each team.
These colors don’t say anything about the Kings from 1985 to now, which is the longest stretch this franchise has played in any city.
The Kings have created a legacy all on their own in Sacramento. Why reach back to Cincinnati, which is two homes ago for the Kings?
I’m a fan of the Tennessee Titans. They played in Houston as the Oilers from 1960 to 1997 and wore powder blue home uniforms that the Titans have donned occasionally, but rarely. Those colors don’t fit in Tennessee where fans have built an entirely different fan culture.
The Kings must remember that to create a culture, there needs to be a focus on the present.
I’m a 90s kid, a new Kings fan, so I have no idea what Roy Al means to the community. It’s irrelevant to who the Kings are in Sacramento.
There are more ways to spark excitement than designs that leave people of you’re own team with one response.
“What the f— was that?”
