Here come the moving vans.
After 41 years in Seattle, the Sonics are moving to Oklahoma City.
The City of Seattle settled its Key Arena lease dispute with the Sonics and its Oklahoma City ownership group led by Clay Bennett. The deal lets the Sonics out of the remaining 2 years of their arena lease for $45 million. The figure could reach as high as $70 million should Seattle fail to obtain another NBA franchise within the next 5 years.
I really don't have too much to say about the matter other than I feel sad for Sonics fans. I know what it's like to lose your team, my Raiders left us high and dry in Oakland back in 1982.
There still remains an outside chance the Sonics could come back to Seattle as former Sonics owner and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who sold the team to Bennett's group, has a pending lawsuit against Bennett claiming that he and the OKC ownership failed to make a "good faith" effort to build a new arena that was written into the sale of the Sonics by Schultz to Bennett. Bennett was unable to secure public financing to help build a new arena in the Puget Sound area during his nearly two-year ownership of the team.
Naturally, many Sonics fans think Bennett is Darth Vadar for moving the team to OKC. However, according to a recent poll (sorry, just overheard it on sports radio here this morning, so no link), Schultz is viewed as the real evil incarnate. And I agree with that.
Did Schultz, who sold the team to Bennett, honestly believe a group from OKC, which had been looking for a NBA franchise for years and was the temporary home of the New Orleans Hornets after Hurricane Katrina, really wanted to keep the Sonics in Seattle? That's laughable. Schultz knew damn well Bennett had no intention of ever keeping the Sonics in Seattle. And Schultz's "good faith" lawsuit has about as much chance of surviving as does a fart in a stiff wind.
Schultz, not Bennett, is the real asshat in all this.
So that's that. Seattle loses a beloved sports team, but gets a few bucks in return that will likely be blown on Mayor Greg Nickels' vacuous "green" programs.
I'm sorry Sonics fans. I really am.
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NBA, Oklahoma City SuperSonics
Comments (3)
I just hope that no Wizb... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Dodo David | July 3, 2008 8:49 PM | Score: 0 (2 votes cast)
I just hope that no Wizbang Sports writer responds to this story by insulting either the state of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City or Okies in general.
In a previous post about the Sonics controversy, a writer for this website insinuated that Seattle was superior to Oklahoma City and that Seattle's residents were superior to Oklahoma City's residents. That particular writer (the name of whom I do not recall) behaved in a childish manner. I hope that it doesn't happen again.
1. Posted by Dodo David | July 3, 2008 8:49 PM |
Score: 0 (2 votes cast)
Posted on July 3, 2008 20:49
2. Posted by Peter F. | July 4, 2008 1:00 AM | Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
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2. Posted by Peter F. | July 4, 2008 1:00 AM |
Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on July 4, 2008 01:00
3. Posted by Paul Hooson | July 4, 2008 2:29 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
This makes me absolutely heartsick. I live in Portland and the Trailblazers have years and years of a great ongoing sports rivalry with our bigger sister city to the North, Seattle. Some of my favorite games have been Blazers vs. Sonics ones.
Some years ago for some stupid reason the Sonics bagan playing in a smaller arena because they felt that too many Portland fans were buying seats and attending the Portland vs. Seattle games, which of course cut into revenue. But sports is foremost a business, and selling tickets is the name of the game. Look at all the absurd things professional wrestling does to sell tickets for arranged events and outcomes for example.
Life just won't be the same without the Sonics as a Seattle team. Even the name was inspired by Boeing's influence in the state. Sometimes life just stinks.
I bet Paul Allen who owns the Trailblazers and is a Seattle resident just hates this as well. I belive that he was one of only a few team owners who really worked hard to urge the Sonics to stay.
3. Posted by Paul Hooson | July 4, 2008 2:29 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 4, 2008 14:29