We try to avoid politics here at Sports Nut central, drawing the line on brutality at mixed martial arts and Brett Favre’s texts. So let’s leave the political rhetoric to Murphy’s Law.
But barely a half-hour after word broke that Milwaukee Bucks owner Sen. Herb Kohl would not seek re-election, a reader emailed me with the subject line of “Kiss the Bucks Goodbye.” And my Twitter feed started filling up with speculation on who would buy the Milwaukee Bucks.
My take on the future of the Bucks has always started with one underlying premise: Kohl loves the franchise like a child, the same way he loves Wisconsin, and he’ll do everything in his power to keep the two loves together.
At the same time, we’ve known for a few years that Kohl’s tenure as Bucks owner wouldn’t last forever. He’d tried to sell the club before, and would someday have to do so again. Now that he’s leaving behind politics, it’s natural to wonder just how soon “someday” will be.
Understand that Kohl’s political retirement does not mean he has to leave behind the Bucks as well. In fact, dropping his political duties should, in theory, leave him with more time and energy for his other gig.
But if Kohl’s political retirement indeed speeds his athletic retirement, then what? Do we indeed give the Bucks that farewell kiss?
You have to admit it’s a possibility. You don’t have to agree it’s a necessity. It largely depends on two factors.
First, who will he sell to? Second, will Milwaukee build a replacement for the Bradley Center?
The favorite to succeed Kohl has long been Craig Leipold, the Racine man who once owned the NHL’s Nashville Predators, now owns the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, and has spent a decade of being touted as next owner of the Bucks.
“There are always rumors that Craig Leipold wants to own the Bucks,” former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist told Murphy’s Law as far back as 2003. If Leipold becomes the next owner, surely his focus would be on keeping the franchise here, not moving it elsewhere. And if that’s not his focus, then he wouldn’t be the next owner, as Kohl has always said he’ll only sell to someone committed to keeping the Bucks here.
Which brings us to question No. 2. In order for the Bucks to remain viable in Milwaukee, they’ll need a new arena. And in the current economic and political environment, it’s hard to imagine a new one being fully funded with taxpayer dollars. But does that mean one can’t be built?
Read Milwaukee Magazine’s in-depth profile of Kohl from 2010. He is a very wealthy man who does not fit the stereotype of a very wealthy man. How many multimillionaires do you imagine enjoying peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? So is it so hard to imagine this man writing a large check to help fund the new Bucks arena, thereby ensuring its legacy long after he’s gone? Perhaps a check funded by the very proceeds from selling the team?
Look, I understand that the immediate reaction to surprising news like today’s is to fear the worst. And if anyone but Kohl owned the Bucks, I might share that reaction.
But for every reason there is to worry about the Bucks future, I see counterarguments for cautious optimism. In short, nothing is certain.
So I go back to my original premise. And if Kohl thinks of the Bucks and Wisconsin as he would his children, then he wants only the best for them both.
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