Want to go to a Sacramento Kings game in person? Here’s everything you need to know
Kings fans shuffled numbly into the night as they left Golden 1 Center with fear and confusion on March 11, 2020, when the NBA made the stunning decision to postpone the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The bars and restaurants in the Downtown Commons corridor were still bustling with activity as ticketholders exited the arena into a changing world, but soon they would be vacated as well. Fans have not been permitted inside the arena since that eerie and fateful night, but they will begin to return when the Kings admit a select group of 1,600 frontline workers to Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Kings held a media walkthrough Friday to demonstrate the new fan experience as the team prepares to open its doors for the first time in more than a year. Only those who are fully vaccinated or have proof of a negative COVID-19 test will be allowed to attend games for now, but it’s a start for a franchise that has incurred huge financial losses due to the pandemic.
In an interview with The Sacramento Bee, Kings President of Business Operations John Rinehart said the organization has taken every precaution to ensure the safety of spectators.
“We are thrilled to welcome fans back,” Rinehart said. “We are really excited to have them back in the building where they kind of belong and where they love to be. When they get here, they’re going to come into a very safe and enjoyable environment. We’ve been preparing for this since March 11 of last year. All we’ve been doing is trying to prepare to make sure we can welcome fans back here safely.”
Health and safety protocols
State officials recently announced new guidelines that allow sports fans to return to arenas, ballparks and stadiums with strict COVID-19 protocols and capacity restrictions in place. The California Department of Public Health updated the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy reopening plan to allow live-audience sporting events and other activities to resume with modifications to reduce risk.
Under red-tier restrictions, the Kings can admit up to about 3,500 fans, but all ticketholders must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR or Antigen test completed within 72 hours of the event. The Kings said they are partnering with a testing facility in West Sacramento that will offer day-of-game testing at a discounted price for anyone with a ticket.
Rinehart said the Kings will limit crowds to 1,600 in the lower bowl for their three remaining home games in April — about 2,000 counting suite and loft holders — but they hope to gradually expand attendance in May.
“We’re going to start with this capacity,” Rinehart said. “We have a little bit of room in future games to expand in this red tier, but we’ll just wait to see when those guidelines expand and we’re excited to do it when that happens.”
The Kings demonstrated their contactless entry and payment methods Thursday. The team said fans will enter the arena via mobile ticketing and contactless entry. Pods of two and four seats will be scattered throughout the lower bowl, socially distanced and separated by cardboard cutouts of players, coaches, fans and other Kings personalities.
“You can sit next to Jerry Reynolds,” Rinehart quipped. “That’s a dream that we all have.”
In addition, all food, beverage and retail kiosks will be cashless and contactless. Fans will not be allowed to take food or drinks to their seats, but they can eat in designated areas along the concourse or outside in the plaza, where they can watch the game on an LED screen.
“We’re so fortunate to have this beautiful plaza outside so that fans will also be able to go outside to eat their food out there,” Rinehart said. “We have a large LED screen where they’ll be able to continue to watch the game and then once they’re done eating, they can come on back into the game.”
The arena will also adhere to a no-bags policy, although medical and infant bags will be permitted.
Fan reaction
Some fans on social media have expressed some reluctance to attend games under such strict health and safety provisions. Others say they are eager to return after completing their vaccinations.
Rinehart said the response the team has received from fans has been overwhelmingly positive.
“The demand has been strong and our engagement with our fans has been great,” he said. “Even throughout the pandemic, when they weren’t allowed in the building, we stayed engaged with all our fans and the season ticketholders throughout, with special nights, sometimes Zoom wine tastings, and things like that. I think fans are really, really waiting to get back in the building and excited to do that, and we can’t wait to welcome them back.”
Single-game tickets for the next three games were made available via pre-sale opportunities for season ticket members on Wednesday. Remaining seats were made available to the general public Thursday. Tickets are available at Kings.com.
“We started with a pre-sale with our season ticketholders the last couple days and there’s been a tremendous amount of excitement,” Rinehart said. “They’re ready to come back and I think the people are willing to do what they need to. As we’ve seen throughout the pandemic, the people of Sacramento have been great in really just following the health and safety protocols in order to keep themselves safe, to keep the people next to them safe, their family and their friends.
“I think everyone’s willing to do that as long as they can come in and really have an enjoyable time. We’re going to try to make it as seamless as possible for them. They’re going to have the protocols, but we’re going to try to make it so they can still come in very quickly, very easily, and get to enjoy the game.”
Business of basketball
On the night the NBA postponed the 2019-20 season, Golden 1 Center was buzzing with anticipation as the Kings prepared to play a nationally televised game against the New Orleans Pelicans with playoff implications for both teams.
Ticketholders were instructed to leave moments before tipoff. In the days and weeks to come, other businesses in the area and throughout the region were forced to close their doors due to public health orders.
In March, The Bee reported the owners of the Kings, Golden 1 Center and Downtown Commons are suing their insurance provider. The lawsuit alleges Factory Mutual Insurance Co. of Rhode Island failed to cover losses incurred due to canceled arena events and business closures.
The Kings were forced to cut staff through layoffs and furloughs over the past year. According to a recent report from The Athletic, the team has lost approximately $100 million over the past year due to the pandemic. Surrounding businesses, including the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel and other associated bars and restaurants also owned by the Kings, saw their profits “vanish,” according to the lawsuit.
Rinehart said reopening the arena is vital to the Kings organization and all businesses in the DoCo district.
“We look forward to getting back to business for all of Sacramento,” Rinehart said. “Just getting our businesses back open, getting downtown back to a place where it was prior to the pandemic, where it was a vibrant place, where people came no longer just to work.
“They came here to live. They came here to dine. They came here to see the arts. We want to get back there and we know that Golden 1 Center and what we do here from an entertainment standpoint and a community engagement standpoint is key to that, so having fans coming back is that step that we’re all waiting for.”
