"There's a reason why most sports teams are in a downtown core," Gilbert said. Then, even if the team performs poorly, which the Pistons have in recent years, at least the games bring people into the city center, Gilbert said. He made the comments after also speaking about the "Catch 22" the downtown Detroit area faces in terms of retail: Retailers are interested in coming in only after more people are downtown, but more people are likely to move downtown only after more retail and housing options are offered.