Yes, we know that the Anschutz Entertainment Group hasn't made good on its promise to lure an NBA or NHL team to play in that giant glass radial tire that opened last October. And, yes, we're still a little sore about that. We want to see Kobe Bryant eat the Kansas City Whatever-They'll-Call-'Ems alive like a "Black Mamba." Screw it — we'd even take a hockey team. But even without an anchor sports attraction, the Sprint Center has been an undeniable asset, bringing people back to the city's previously flatlined downtown. The Big 12 men's and women's basketball tournaments would never have returned to the city in which they belong without the Sprint Center. In July, the live-music magazine Pollstar ranked the new arena 30th out of the top 100 venues worldwide and 14th in the country. Tina Turner chose our town to kick off her out-of-retirement tour (announced on Oprah), and without the Sprint Center, tours by Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Van Halen, Garth Brooks and Elton John likely would have passed us by. Thanks, AEG! Now how about a team?
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