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Thursday, July 20, 2006

News Hurray for Annoying, Elitist White Liberals. Seriously.

Posted by JOSH FEIT on July 20 at 12:18 PM

In my article on the Sonics sale, I said Seattle was the 2nd whitest city in the U.S. About 70% of the population is white.

A reader e-mailed this morning wanting to know what the whitest city was.

It’s Portland, Oregon, where about 77% of the population is white. (This is for cities w/ populations over half-a-million.)

Oklahoma City: 68% white.

*This info is culled from a service called areaConnect, which got its numbers from 2000 U.S. Census Bureau data.

I know the implication of my “analysis”—that the NBA is dominated by black athletes—is a little upside down. While I am right that the league is dominated by black players, the league is actually marketed to an upscale, white crowd. So really, white Seattle should be a perfect market for the NBA.

Ha. I think it’s kind of cool that our city and our politicians said no to massive subsidies and rejected the NBA’s business model. Let Red state turf like Oklahoma City screw over its tax payers.

Ironically, it’s working class whites who might be most pissed about losing the Sonics—even though, the league isn’t marketed to them. More important, they’re the ones who get screwed most by tax hikes.

This is all pretty heady/complicated race & class stuff I’m getting into here, but I say: Score one for our elitist liberal white city for saying no to a convoluted form of racism and corporate subsidies. Sometimes annoying white liberals, as much as I can’t stand KUOW, get it right.

Anyway: Steve Nash? MVP? Please.

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1

I LOVE KUOW! But then again I am one of those latte drinking (SBUX) white liberals and I could care LESS about mens pro basketball. I would rather spend my tax money on transit service, sidewalks, and public open space. (I will miss you Lauren, Sue, Betty, Janell, Iziane, Tanisha, etc. -- sorry you have to go to Okie City with the boys team). Life goes on..

Posted by Indifferent | July 20, 2006 12:45 PM

2

KUOW rocks! And the Sonics can go free in Oklahoma. I'll miss the Storm too.

Posted by Will in Seattle | July 20, 2006 12:55 PM

3

Professional sports is not really part of the entertainment industry, it's a wing of the branding/marketing industry. What one subsidizes is thus not a form of entertainment. That would be much cheaper. What one is subsidizing is the high cost of maintaining a viable brand, and then the marketing establishment that it supports.
If you want to understand the demographics, you need to look beyond who plays the game and who attends the game. The more significant inquiry is to ask to whom it is that the brand is valuable. How many minority owned business found the Sonics to be an integral part of their marketing strategy? I don't know the answer to that question, but I would be surprised if the answer were greater than 0.

Posted by kinaidos | July 20, 2006 1:23 PM

4

Does anyone seriously think that Deborah Brandt is EVER FUNNY? My fucking God. She's got a half-hour headlock/noogie coming from me if I ever see her.

Posted by Lloyd Clydesdale | July 20, 2006 1:27 PM

5

No wonder Josh is never on KUOW.

Posted by DOUG. | July 20, 2006 1:38 PM

6

Josh, I would be as happy as anybody too see the NBA not subsidized in Seattle (although it isn't yet clear that that's how this will play out). But that post has got to be the most incoherent rant I've read in a long time. This is related to racism how?! To KUOW how?! Is there a thread of logic running though that mess of a rant somewhere?

Posted by David Wright | July 20, 2006 1:45 PM

7

Josh and Deborah could swap jobs? Imagine the keystroke hilarity of Deborah's "Column O' Quips" and Josh's aurrrghdio "Poke In The Eye Hour". Not a bad idea (for KUOW).

Sorry for the drift...Fuck The $onics!

Posted by Lloyd Clydesdale | July 20, 2006 1:47 PM

8

Fuck the Sonics

Lets bring a Major Indoor Lacrosse team to seattle (a much cooler sport imo.) They've got one in Portland and they draw about 10,000 per game.

Posted by neo-realist | July 20, 2006 1:59 PM

9

First off, I have to say that I will dearly miss the Storm. They are a hard-working, fun-to-watch team. They manage to fit all of the players AND their egos onto the court, unlike the over-inflated, over-paid men's team.

That being said, good riddance NBA!

Let's play a game: what will they call the teams once they move?

the ThunderStorms? what about the Sonics?
Let's make fun of Oklahoma!

Posted by socialarsonist | July 20, 2006 2:35 PM

10

Can't stand KUOW?!? What?!

Pfft. Whatever.

Posted by Violet_DaGrinder | July 20, 2006 3:08 PM

11

In odly perfect timing from The Onion, here's a little levity to the situation.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/50814

Posted by Enigma | July 20, 2006 3:34 PM

12

Socialarsonist wrote: "Let's play a game: what will they call the teams once they move?"

Well, I guess if the Storm moved, they would be the Dust Storm. (Thunderstorm is good too. ;-) )

Seriously though, while I'm sure the Sonics are as good as gone, I'm not so sure about the Storm. Obviously, the Oklahoma City group bought the teams to bring NBA basketball there; WNBA basketball was just part of the package. Besides, if Schultz et al had sold the Sonics without the Storm, that would have immediately told the lie to the current farce about the new ownership wanting to stay here.

It just doesn't make sense to me that the Storm would leave one of the largest and most devoted fan bases in the league for a market where the franchise would just wither and die. What does make sense to me is for a local ownership group to emerge and make it worth the new owners' while to part with the Storm. I'm hearing that would take $10-$15 million.

Full disclosure: I'm a Sonics fan but an even bigger Storm fan, and a Storm season ticket holder.

Posted by cressona | July 20, 2006 3:38 PM

13

I agree. I bet the Storm stay and the Sonics move in 1-4 years.

Good link to the Onion, Enigma.

Posted by him | July 20, 2006 3:41 PM

14

David Wright,
My point in a nut shell is that for once, elitist liberal values carried the day...for the good. The NBA markets to an upscale white audience. In Seattle, that audience is progressive & doesn't support tax subsidies for wealthy sports team owners. And so, I'm saying: Whitey done good.

Posted by Josh Feit | July 20, 2006 4:27 PM

15

Yay whitey!

I think it's hilarious that i have read far more laments about losing the Storm than losing the Sonics, ha ha!

Posted by Longball | July 20, 2006 5:50 PM

16

Yeah, because the Storm has the goods to bring home a championship.

Posted by keshmeshi | July 21, 2006 12:44 AM

17

It's always about race with you, Josh. Damn.

Posted by Smells Like Shwarzenegger | July 21, 2006 5:34 AM

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