Homo Sonics Reportedly Sold
From the Seattle Times:
The Sonics have been sold to a group from Oklahoma City led by businessman Clay Bennett, according to multiple sources. A news conference to announce the sale has been scheduled for 3 p.m. today.
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From the Seattle Times:
The Sonics have been sold to a group from Oklahoma City led by businessman Clay Bennett, according to multiple sources. A news conference to announce the sale has been scheduled for 3 p.m. today.
Woot! One major sports team down, two to go!
What about Squatch (name?). I don't think Sasquatche lore exists in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Twisters!
Great. They're made for each other. The Sonics want a city that will shower them with money like pimps, and Oklahoma City wants a basketball team.
I guess those I-92 sig collectors can leave us alone now, eh?
The flying militias?
Yep, theyre outa here. Take the Storm with overrated Sue Bird with you. Leave Lauren Jackson.
I like the Sonics, but their decision to share the dial with Rush LImbaugh and Bill Bennett (KTTH AM) rendered them irrelevant to me.
Way to go Seattle. You lost a pro-sports team. Do you know how that makes our city look? Like sh-t. I know all you hipsters think it's cool but it really sucks and the city council and stranger readers are to blame. Hoops is a huge economic engine for the city. Now it looks to the world like Oklahoma city is a bigger player than Seattle. Bad move. Licatta: voters will be pissed at you.
Seattle will never be a World-Class City until it shits brand new sports stadiums out of its taxpayers' collective ass on cue.
Is Kevin Calabro going with them? I don't see him as an Oklahoman. Perhaps he now just makes the jump to national broadcasts, like he looked he was poised to do.
Supposedly, they've bought both the Sonics and the Storm, but don't plan to move them. Stay tuned.
kinaidos: Ouch. That was rough.
I do like the Joads suggestion. Although sadly, the reference will be lost on most.
If The Joads isn't already a band name, it should be.
I'll be interested in seeing what happens at the press conference. I wish the Storm could have been sold to a different owner. They have no say in anything that will happen with both teams.
I know there's a long history of teams being bought and sold, but I'm not a sports fan, so I have what is perhaps a naive, but sincere question.
What is it that the purchaser is actually buying? What real value does a team like the Sonics have? Especially when their home town doesn't even want them.
I mean, isn't the true value of any team based purely on the love and loyalty of its fanbase? Without that, what is there? It's like a diamond - no true value at all but for the common perception that it's pretty.
Change the name and move the team, and you don't even have the original diamond anymore. So what's left?
Having said that... the Oklahoma Bombers was my first thought, too.
this is sad. sports are awesome. try it, you'll like it.
The Bible Bangers. Jesus should be their mascot.
You're buying an NBA franchise, Ivan. If one city doesn't want them, another will. Like Oklahoma City. Though Seattle has no demand for NBA, other cities may have huge demand. And many do.
Also, "Hoopster", a group in Oklahoma City, which has clamored for a team for a little while, wouldn't buy a team and just not move it to their city.
Grow Up! There is NO "economic benefit" to hosting an NBA franchise. What the Sonics do is take public tax money & give it the owners & the players.
So what if the Sonics leave town? It won't be the first franchise to do so, and it won't be the last: get used to it. The Oklahoma Sonics isn't as weird as the Utah Jazz (originally from New Orleans) or the LA Lakers (originally from Minneapolis/St Paul).
Sports franchises are essentially cities' bling bling. They do nothing for the city except fuel it's ego & vanity. Accusing people who don't care about the Sonics as "hipsters" is ridiculous, for no one is more aware of how they look than hipsters.
"Supposedly, they've bought both the Sonics and the Storm, but don't plan to move them. Stay tuned"
Let's see, a guy from Oklahoma bought the team, there's already a brand new arena in Oklahoma for the team to play in, and the New Orleans Hornets played in Oklahoma last season to sell-out crowds.
The Sonics are as good as gone to OK.
Hopefully, Kevin Calabro will stay in town and take over the Mariners broadcasts when Dave Niehaus retires. He's filled in a few times and does a great job.
Sad to see the Sonics go. I have been a fan since I was a kid. Too bad Wally Walker and Schultz ruined the team, and too bad the City and the owners messed up the lease agreement so bad. I am super proud of The City Council and especially Licata. This will be a trend around cities now. Second rate cities like Oklahoma City will be overpaying for the financial burdens of an atiquated NBA financing scheme from 1st rate cities like Seattle and Portland. If the Sonics can make you ignore having bad schools and no public transportation and living in Oklahoma for a minute, then maybe they are worth the hundreds of millions the City will lose on them.
Now let's see the Mayor focus his attention on the schools and transportation for the rest of the year, as well as a plan for what to do with Key Arena and the Seattle Center.
Of course they're saying they plan to stay. But the Sonics will now play Seattle and OK City against each other to get the better deal from the public trough. OK City will "win" and overpay.
Maybe the Blazers can play half their season in Portland and half in Seattle. Or the whole year in Centralia.
This story is an oldie but a goodie: City Slicker sells worthless trinket to wide eyed rubes. That they really are from Oklahoma is perfect. "Look what I bought maw."
the anti-oklahoma stuff is SO snotty!!!!!!
SEATTLE = SNOBS?
Damn. Now all the businesses are going to move to Oklahoma, and our economy will go into the toilet. If only we could have prevented this calamity...
Seattle should try to be more like San Francisco than Cleveland. So Cleveland has one of every sports team, but so what? Cleveland fucking sucks.
San Francisco has a couple of sports teams, the Giants and the 49ers, but what it's more famous for are museums, parks, and other displays of culture. Sports are nice, and everyone loves a winner, if the city is going to spend a few hundred million, how about fixing the viaduct or building a better museum or building a new university or something like that?
Does this mean we can get a pro hockey team now?
god i hope they take wally walker with them. that guy is a total shit stain. schultz' owner ship team has overseen the worst performance in team history and made it damn near impossible to be a fan. yes, that was some five year plan. thanks for doing such a bang up job, ya douche bags.
But the Sonics will now play Seattle and OK City against each other to get the better deal from the public trough.
Probably not, honestly. Oklahoma City already spent the money to build the Ford Center as part of the MAPS project. All they have to do is negotiate the lease. Seattle starts $200M in the hole, since they'd have to redo the Key or start from scratch. Ditto Renton.
The Sonics are gone. The Key is about to get very vacant, at least until Ken Hutcherson shows up. And the Seattle Center will probably be parceled up for more fugly condos.
Of course, this wouldn't have been a problem if the people of this city had the vision to think big and long-term about its built environment. Instead, it's this "what's in it for me" attitude crossed with this knee-jerk "sock it to The Man" thing with initiatives. If we did think big, we could lose the Sonics and still have a solvent Seattle Center. Now, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ken Hutcherson taking over the Key (like Lakewood Church did with the Summit in Houston) and preaching his anti-gay agenda on city property, because he has the money and I-91 will effectively block any attempts to rebuild the Key or re-invigorate the Center.
BTW, Oklahoma City may be one giant suburb, but they've done a good job in actually making that place into a livable built environment with MAPS. And the Flaming Lips still live there. "Bombers" is bullcrap, pea-brained stereotyping.
Yeah, DW, Houston & Seattle have really similar views toward mega-churches. That will definitely happen.
Can we keep the Storm? They still play team basketball, not this showboat crap the NBA plays.
That being said, I truly could not care any less about this. If this makes Seattle less of a world-class city, please, not the briar patch! As far as I'm concerned (yes, a card-carrying member of the Lesser Seattle movement - I'm a native and have lived here my entire life), Seattle could stand to be a bit less of a magnet city.
What's come with all this "most livable city" "world class city" stuff? Some of the worst traffic in the country. Ghastly housing-cost inflation. Hordes of overprivileged yuppies. Proliferation of malls like cockroaches. Suburban sprawl. Wall-to-wall skyscraper condos.
Yeah, sorry, but I'm all for Seattle being a bit less world-class for awhile.
Take the Storm. Enough with this PC crap about how they play team ball and how theyre really community oriented. They suck and Sue Bird is overrated.
Well, we saw this coming, right? There was no way Seattle voters were going to pony up more $ for what is already a decent facility in the Key.
The NBA business model is broken. But the reality is that there are plenty of second-tier cities in the U.S. that want pro teams for any league and are willing to pay the cost.
Trail Blazers are next to move.
Yeah, DW, Houston & Seattle have really similar views toward mega-churches. That will definitely happen.
Yup, especially when you think about how much more conservative Houston is about strip clubs compared to Seattle. Er....
Seattle actually has mega-churches. And a church like Hutcherson's would see the Key as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I mean, how often do large arena opportunities like this open up? And you're right in the Heart Of The Beast. And the Center is going to be a skeleton crew.
They're probably counting their money right now. Ditto Casey Treat.
I am damn proud to live in a city that refused to have its budget hijacked by a beligerent and arrogant sports franchise. Good riddence to the not-so-Super Sonics. After buidling up all that excitement 2 years ago during their great playoff run- they have since: allowed their beloved coach to go to their rivals, been the laughing stock doormat of their league with almost the same team that went deep in the playoffs previously, and asked for even more tax payer money after not even coming close to fulfilling their end of the bargain on prevous hand-outs. Get the hell out of our town you bums.
You know what Lance, i think this makes our city look pretty damn smart. Sports teams don't make a city. If you think they do, i am sure you'd be happy in Phoenix, or Houston, or some similar hell hole. Enjoy.
Oh yeah, and one major gridlcok problem just got solved. No more Lower Queen Anne Sonics game gridlock. BONUS!
Bombers? Bible Beaters? wow, some people love to show their class off. um...lets see here. Since we are on the topic of stereotypes: Seattle..land of gloomy weather and hoards of latte drinkin yuppie computer programmers. how can we uneducated okies ever compete? Seriously though, don't get mad at us if you cant keep your team. You guys couldn't even keep Boeing. Besides, we've already shown the world with the Hornets that pro-sports can thrive in the least expected places.
VICTORY! I'm gonna dance in the Streets!
Thank god, now I've got even more venues for music events!
" Since we are on the topic of stereotypes: Seattle..land of gloomy weather and hoards of latte drinkin yuppie computer programmers"
Damn those HORDES of yuppie latte-drink hackers! We need more good god-fearin' cow-pokes in seattle.
With Jesus Shuttlesworth playing guard, I think "Bible Beaters" is perfect. And maybe Steve Largent's son can sit courtside with his 12-year-old girlfriend -- like Woody and Soon Yi.
Thank god, now I've got even more venues for music events!
Calm down... you've got one, a large one, for 41 extra days a year. It's a good loss, addition by subtraction, but still.
"Supposedly, they've bought both the Sonics and the Storm, but don't plan to move them. Stay tuned."
Hoopster may be correct. If the Sonics lease agreement with the city includes any sort of "successor clause", the new owners may be legally obligated to keep the team in the Coliseum (I know, I know, but that's how I still think of it - corporate naming rights be damned!) until the lease expires, which is in what? - 2009? 2010?
OKcrocks (and I hope that extra C was a typo), we're not mad at you because we can't keep a parasitic franchise in town. In case you didn't notice, most everyone who's posted is telling you that you are welcome to the Sonics. Best wishes! Enjoy! We'll even toss in the EMP if you want!
""There is NO "economic benefit" to hosting an NBA franchise""
Fred, you are either stupid or crazed by ideology! How about all the restaurants and bars around the Key, there is 40 games worth of revenue from them gone; not to mention sales tax revenue lost therein....Ditto for the revenue and sales tax lost from the two dozen overpaid players that will not be spending their money in town (visiting players too!). Tack on sales tax revenue lost from the overpriced ticket sales, and how can you say that there is no impact?!?!?!?
Oklahoma City Bombers. Hah, that's really fucking funny. I suppose if they moved to New York you'd call them the NYC Terrorists.
Well, maybe it's time to do something cool with Seattle Center, then.
Josh from B-Town, you're about half right. Most of the economic loss will be from people who are now coming from out of town to see sonics games and otherwise wouldn't. The people in Seattle will probably spend their money in the city anyway.
Some more news out of OKC... the Hornets, who got displaced from new Orleans due to Katrina and played most of the year in OKC... may apply to stay there permanently, which would mean the new owners would keep the Sonics in Seattle.
There's an economic study that concludes that the presence of professional sports does not improve the local economies.
http://www.news.uiuc.edu/news/04/1117stadiums.html
Here's a juicy quote from the study's authors:
“The net economic impact of professional sports in Washington, D.C., and the 36 other cities that hosted professional sports teams over nearly 30 years, was a reduction in real per capita income over the entire metropolitan area.”
ARENA FOOTBALL!!!
Um, Seattle is either the 12th or 13th largest media market in the country. I don't know where OK City comes in, but it sure ain't in the low teens.
The NBA doesn't have revenue sharing like the NFL, and teams make more money from TV than from ticket sales/concessions stands/etc.
Good thing the whole NBA is fucked and unwatchable, or I might care more.
Whoa, whoa, I think the entire 'economic benefit' from a professional team is a total red herring. In context you are arguing that a city should only invest or spend tax dollars on interests that have economic value. That would be condos and strip malls. I know that the sports team/ economic benefit is always used as the 'common sense' argument. An Okalahoma City business group didn't buy the Sonics for the city's economic benefit nor is it why the Schultz group bought it before that. A sports team is of cultural benefit. It is similar to museums, zoos, theaters, parks etc. I am sure bulldozing Woodland park and turning it into a housing development and business park would have more economic benefit than the zoo.
Make no mistake though, it wasn't community effort, outrage or greed or incompetence that made the Sonics leave. It was the Seahawks and the Mariners. Had the Sonics beaten football or baseball to the punch we would be talking about L.A. getting the Hawks or Portland getting the Mariners. Don't forget about 4 years ago the Sonics offered to buy Key Area from the city and assume all costs. The city would have eaten a one time cost of 50 million bucks and no more tax dollars would be spend on the Sonics. The city said no because it didn't want to loose the tax revenue even though the city was far more than that.
The handwriting on the wall was written years ago.
Thank you for that link, Yak. I was going to site the same study. As for the Sonics and Storm leaving, worse things could happen to a city like Seattle. Maybe we should focus on real problems like housing costs (only 1 area in Seattle left that is affordable to the middle-class?! WTF?!), traffic, and on and on...
So long, Sonics! Good luck in OKC!
The Sonics DID beat the M's and Hawks to the punch. The Coliseum was remodeled in the mid-90s to the world class facility it is today.
The net economic impact of professional sports in Washington, D.C., and the 36 other cities that hosted professional sports teams over nearly 30 years, was a reduction in real per capita income over the entire metropolitan area.
The total gay and lesbian population in those 36 metro areas also rose during that period. So, you can also blame THE EEVL HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA for destroying economic opportunity in these cities.
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc.
Also, Josh if the Schultz & Co. had had their way, the "renovations" to the Coliseum they were demanding would have had the effect of siphoning off a lot of the business those establishments currently enjoy, and would have made them pay for the privilege to boot.
Just another of the many reasons why it would have been stupid for the City to give in to their blackmail.
lets face it. no one buys a professional sports franchise to get rich. you buy one because you ARE rich. does anyone think cuban bought the mav's to make a couple extra bucks? what about the maloof brothers? did they buy the kings to keep themselves out of the poor house? fuck no. professional sports franchises are strictly for flossing only. schultz and the other 38, or however many it is, people that bought the sonics obviously weren't rich enough to opperate that franchise successfuly. perhaps they should have looked into the aquasox, or the spokane indians first, before getting into the ring with the big boys. steinbrenner hasn't won all those world series by being frugal. schultz et al. simply were not willing to spend the money, preferring instead to always hold out for the bargain.
I will never buy coffee from starbucks again. I am now a loyal Tulley's customer. I hope Howard drowns in his coffee. Thanks for ruining a grand tradition of basketball in Seattle Howard Dultz.....
"no one buys a professional sports franchise to get rich. " Schultz et al made a $150mm profit buying and selling the sonics. Not a bad return on a $200mm investment over just a few years!
I love the Sonics, and will be very sad to see them go (and they are going, make no mistake). But there's too big a fan base and too much basketball history for the NBA not to be intensely interested in relocating another franchise here, or starting a new one. One way or another there will be NBA basketball in Seattle, Sonics or no Sonics.
Thank God! Mr Bennett, can i help you leave tommorow? My car has a big trunk, and please let me know when the new shirts for the OKC team goes on sale ill wear it once a week here. That is if i havent escaped this dungeon by then.
The most evil, most declining of interest ( The 06' World cup was rated higher than the NBA Finals), of all pro sports leagues is leaving and what will all the money chasing basketball jocking prostitutes that kids have to look at them in thier trashy outfits promoted by the vile KUBE 93 lifestyle do know?! Maybe they will start dating real men for a change , or just move to another NBA city spreading thier STD's and thier fucked up ideology's and lifestyles.This is one of the worst unknowledgeable fan bases in the USA anyway. Hope we can get a real sport like Major League Soccer or English Premeirship team!
Thank God! Mr Bennett, can i help you leave tommorow? My car has a big trunk, and please let me know when the new shirts for the OKC team goes on sale ill wear it once a week here. That is if i havent escaped this dungeon by then.
The most evil, most declining of interest ( The 06' World cup was rated higher than the NBA Finals), of all pro sports leagues is leaving and what will all the money chasing, basketball jocking prostitutes, that kids have to look at the games in thier trashy outfits, promoted by the vile KUBE 93 lifestyle do now?! Maybe they will start dating real men for a change , or just move to another NBA city spreading thier STD's and thier fucked up ideology's and lifestyles.This is one of the worst unknowledgeable fan bases in the USA anyway. Hope we can get a real sport like Major League Soccer or English Premeirship team!
Key Arena? Roller Derby!
I think Earl is a racist, so it makes sense that he is a soccer fan. The sonics were a great part of the city and since probably most of you peopele posting are not from Seattle,(Olympia, Auburn, humptulallipqillumsquamishnook) but moved here to live on the hill and pretened like you are from the city. I don' care what you think. All real Seattlelites will miss the sonics and the memories.
National Hockey League and Disney on Ice trump the NBA.
I can't believe the low level of appreciation for the NBA and its phenomenal athletes. Has anyone see Labron James play? The Sonics are obviously managed poorly, and Earl is obviously a racist, but aside from that, there are good (amazing!) aspects to the NBA and its athletes.
If you have any opinions for Schultz, share them at www.screwschultz.com
We're going to try to print out everybody's opinion and make sure he gets a copy.
You go, Seattle! Now, if you could just find someone to buy that stupid football team ...
I think NBA players should get an automatic membership in the Crips or Bloods or the Aryan Brotherhood (based on player preference) when they sign with a team. They're mostly criminals anyway, aren't they?
Recommended reading for basketball fans (the seven of you who can read): Tom Wolfe, "I Am Charlotte Simmons," about big-time college basketball, among other things.
The Socialist Republic of Seattle looks like joke this today. I'm sure non sports fans don't want to pay a tax. From my understanding they would probably tax tourist with hotel and rental car taxes (seriously how many of you tree huggers even have a credit card to get a hotel or rental car). Paying taxes on things you don't approve sucks. I don't approve of paying taxes to support welfare mothers, daycare for single mothers, Drug Rehab, Food Stamps ect.., but I do ...Seattle will miss the economic and social impact of the Sonics.
BULLSHIT!!!!! I am devastated that they actually went through with it. Did we see it coming? Maybe. I guess I had faith that Seattle and the "bigs" in the Sonics office woudl come through. Here are my thoughts: http://www.lisawood.blogspot.com
Joe and "Dunk me",you are desperate. That's the typical, pc, northwest pea brained race card mechanism. Where in my statement did i say anything about race? Because i dissed KUBE 93? Sour grapes over your stupid money grubbing team has no connection to race! You seem more race biased and leave the beautiful game out of this moron.
As a matter fact your city shouldn't be allowed to own a sports team. The only way to you fans get into the games is having a prompter telling you to cheer. All you need to do is not pay attention to the mariners and seahawks
You can tell Howard how you feel here: http://www.screwschultz.com
What people are forgetting is that our local gov has dumped and I mean DUMPED hundreds of thousands of dollars into projects like the monorail and the tunnel that will never see the light of day and will never get a return on their investment.
At least local sports (when good on the court/field) spurs an economic windfall all over the city and especially during games, just as the Seahawks.
The collective gasp your hearing from Seattle sports fans is a combination of incredulity that the Sonics are leaving and relief that they will no longer have to see WNBA news in their local sports page. I still haven't decided which side outweighs the other.
Glad to see them go. About time. If the Sonics produced a winning product there would be riots in the streets over this. Time to move on and bring the NHL to Seattle.
Geez, I am so sick of the "sports are bad" and we don't need them anyway attitude. Looking forward to your comments when lower Queen Anne is nothing but overpriced ugly condos and/or all the local businesses are gone. So in addition to most of the above posters, the City government are a bunch asses, Nickels is an a-hole. Chris Van Dyck head is an ass..oh yeah, so is Howard Schultz and Wally Walker and the 50 other arrogant owners.
I'm sad to see Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis and Ridnour and the rest leave. I'm overjoyed that the city didn't give into that bullshit strongarm attempt.
Loyalty is a two-way street; you can't ask for a fan to devote themselves to a franchise if it's going to leave at the first whiff of a better handout.
The Sonics will remain until the Oklahoma City stadium is vacant a team, then they will leave. The new owners lie about "good faith" negotiations as they really want a team in Oklahoma City. Face it, the Sonics (and Storm) are history... and the former owners will have to maintain a low, very low profile for a long time.
Howard Shultz is making a big mistake. The Sonics are gonna do really good this upcoming season. I wish I could have bought the Sonics. Now theyre gonna leave, and we wont have a basketball team. People are acting like they dont care, but what if it was the Seahawks or Mariners? They got new stadiums, but officials and Howard Shultz dont care about the Seattle Supersonics.
No one in Seattle deserves sports.
I grew up going to games (Sonics, Seahawks, Mariners, even the Thunderbirds) when the teams were BAD, they sucked, but I was there to let them know we still cared.
NOW, you'll loose a team because no one gives a shit until they're the best team in the league.
Everyone that never cared until we were in game 6 against the Bulls or helped the sell-out games with the Mariners in '01, or only started going to the Seahawks this year, ITS YOUR FAULT.
You won’t pay for a stadium? Well wake the fuck up, you’re all so secluded you don’t realize that everyone else wants a team and will build billion dollar stadiums just to lure them.
You all are so full of greed and selfishness.
You may not even like sports, but it’s not all for you. You anger me so much that I’m sad to say I grew up there.
Now it's too late to jump on, I honestly hate you bandwagoner's.
Hell yeah!
Without the noisy basketball fans swarming the sidewalks after games I will finally be able to get some sleep before 10pm on game nights. Good riddance, dammit!
Other than personal reasons, I think professional sports is a major waste of time and money that could be easily spent on many other obsessions....
Such as knitting...
Put a winning team on the court and then I will care.
I love the game of basketball, but let's be honest here, folks: this is a league where teams with losing records still make the playoffs every year; a league where 2:00 regularly lasts over half an hour; a league where ridiculous rules are invented to protect a popular player who can't make a simple freethrow (but boy can he sell that Gatorade!)... It's the worst league in sports, hands down. Good riddence!
Maybe now Mayor Nickles will concentrate on building us some proper public transportation.
Basketball has been ruined. Once that Michael guy retired and thuggy, overpaid, worthless NBA players who go into the stands to mercilessly beat up anyone that was of a lighter shade and 1/3 thier size. Fucking pirates...
I remember as a kid staring at the poster of the '79 championship team (gus, jack, lonnie, JJ, t.wheedle, afros, hot pants and all) in my room and praying I'd be around to see another title brought back home. i remember staying up way past my bed time listening on the radio to the thrilling triple overtime playoff game in the 80s against houston with dale, tommy c., and x-man ensuring we'd play another night. the sonics are in my blood. but i'm happy to let these bloodsucking owners scurry off to prey on another city. being extorted by two professional teams is enough. let's take the money the city will save and fix seattle schools. i'd much rather be proud of a top-notch school system and go watch thrilling high school basketball games than watch a bunch of overpaid delayed adolescents anyday. i want to move back to seattle someday, i hope people will have their f'ing priorities straight by then.
I hate to see them go, but I don't want to buy some billionaires a playpen. I'm sick of for-profit companies getting treated like community treasures just because they put the word "Seattle" in their name.
When the team moves, I suggest they call themselves the Oklahoma City Cowf*ckers. Doesn't matter what they choose--anything that follows a multi-syllable jumble like "Oklahoma City" is an afterthought.
What a waste. Howard Schulz is a hypocrite.
Y'know, I was one of those kids glued to my transistor radio in the 60's listening to Bob Blackburn on KIRO...I grew up a jock, lived for sports, the whole bit.
But back then, it was a whole diffent deal to have a pro athlete as an idol. It has to be said however, that the concept of loyalty was different as well, not only in sports but in society in general.
In 2006, at the professional level, the love of the game by it's players is gone. There is no loyalty of players to a team, nor a team to a city. It's all about the bottom line.
Personally, I'm sick of the mindset that Seattle needs to be a "world class" city, and you simply can't be one without professional sports. What's so great about being "world class", anyway?
Anything that get's people OUT of Seattle, I'm all for. We got waaaay too many hamsters in the shoebox around here.
As far as "world class" goes, take a look at Vancouver BC. There's a world class town, and the only thing they got is the CFL.
See ya Sonics...we're tired of being held hostage.
Vancouver also has the Canucks, an NHL team.
vancouver is world class, but it ain't cuz of their sports. it's cuz they have sensible policy about god's green gifts. seattle will become world class when it joins the Cascadia secession movement.
After reading all these posts, has all of Seattle gone Fag???/
Seattle is a hockey and curling town. The Seattle Metropolitans won the Stanley Cup in March of 1917, defeating the Montreal Canadiens, 3 games to 1.
Nicknames for Howard Schultz:
Handout Howie or Shakedown Schultz
Earl please don't leave anymore racist comments. (lighter shade)WTF. We get it, you don't like black people. Also this past NBA playoffs was recognized by actual sports fans as one of the best in history.
how could you say that this doesnt hurt the citys economy. sports are part of the attraction of cities. that means more people move here, more guests come here, and overall, both the city and state have the money to do a lot of things that they want... a lot of things that end up benifiting you. it helps us become a business mecca like new york and los angeles have become. New York= NHL- islanders, rangers NBA- knicks MLB- yankees, mets NFL-giants, and jets
LA= NHL-kings NBA-lakers, clippers MLB- dodgers, angelsNFL-none [made up for by other teams (5) in only 3 other sports.
my point, even though a ton of teams on that list completely sucked, it helped them become maintain there big city status, as it is appealing to others. sports teams do help. they are money makers, well @ least in the long run. all you got to do is get a well constructed front office and gm (as the mets have done in new york, look where thats gotten them) and you got a good team the city will support. with the support of the city it will make money. it also serves as free advertisement for the city. people visit here and move here you make more money, then you can make a bigger arena. that way you can make more money and so on and so forth until you've maxed out. then you will have a cash cow in a sports team. it just takes patience for this type of thing to happen. for decades, the patriots lived in mediocricy, then they got bill bellechick and robert craft who put together a winning team. all of the sudden they are a modern day dynasty. you just have to wait and eventually your team will be good. remember, the sonics made the finals only 10 years ago (the same year the patriots lost to the packers). this will be a huge loss if they do in fact leave (chances they stay .0043%)
how could you say that this doesnt hurt the citys economy. sports are part of the attraction of cities. that means more people move here, more guests come here, and overall, both the city and state have the money to do a lot of things that they want... a lot of things that end up benifiting you. it helps us become a business mecca like new york and los angeles have become. New York= NHL- islanders, rangers NBA- knicks MLB- yankees, mets NFL-giants, and jets
LA= NHL-kings NBA-lakers, clippers MLB- dodgers, angelsNFL-none [made up for by other teams (5) in only 3 other sports.
my point, even though a ton of teams on that list completely sucked, it helped them become maintain there big city status, as it is appealing to others. sports teams do help. they are money makers, well @ least in the long run. all you got to do is get a well constructed front office and gm (as the mets have done in new york, look where thats gotten them) and you got a good team the city will support. with the support of the city it will make money. it also serves as free advertisement for the city. people visit here and move here you make more money, then you can make a bigger arena. that way you can make more money and so on and so forth until you've maxed out. then you will have a cash cow in a sports team. it just takes patience for this type of thing to happen. for decades, the patriots lived in mediocricy, then they got bill bellechick and robert craft who put together a winning team. all of the sudden they are a modern day dynasty. you just have to wait and eventually your team will be good. remember, the sonics made the finals only 10 years ago (the same year the patriots lost to the packers). this will be a huge loss if they do in fact leave (chances they stay .0043%)
How about The Oklahoma City Bombers...
Never did i say that i dont like any particular creed,but the facts are facts from that night in Detroit. I know you would like to avoid that, and dont forget i just acknowledged that Michael Jordan was the greatest yet im a racist? Once again another pea brain throwing out the race card. The NBA has been in trouble, it's barely watchable and if it werent for Lebron and SHAQ they would be screwed.
EArl your preaching to the chior on that one.
Artest gave that guy in Detroit what he deserved. Since you are such a soccer fan do remember on of the greats, Cantone leaping into the stands In Manchester and kicking a fan in the face. Or how about black players in LaLiga having bananas thrown at them. I agree soccer is a beutiful game, but to compare the state of morality between the two is idiotic.
Schultz/Schmuck
Let's see now. The previous owner (Ackerley) rec'd numerous offers for the Sonics from other cities offering $230 million+ but he sold it to Howard Schultz for only $200 million since he was a local buyer and the team would remain in Seattle. Schultz then whines about "losing" money but the Sonics are unwilling to offer more than 10% of the cost of a better stadium. He then sells the team out-of-state for $350 million five years later. I bet Ackerley would've had a few choice words for Schmultz! No civic responsibility but he is a businessman afterall as he's convinced countless millions to spend $3.50 on a drink that costs thirty cents to make. Nice five year plan, loser.
You still cant compare 3 overpaid NBA thugs actually beating up fans for a solid minute. Artest is wack job and it wasent just him : Stephan Jackson, we all know who they were looking to beat: anyone 1/3 thier size and you know the rest.. that closed the case for the NBA. I cant wait for the Sonics to leave, i feel so alive. By the way, Violence at Germany 06 was noexistent.
Good riddance.
i was born and raised in seattle. i grew up watching the sonics. they were the only team worth watching in the early 90's... fucking starbucks ruined them. instead of looking for talent they went for "nice" guys. after you start losing in a stuck up fairweather fan type city things will go bad. oh and to all you yuppie/super cool broadway-freemont fucks, some people like sports. some cities truly love ther teams.. go to philly and see how crazy the whole place gets when the eagles are playing...if only seattle could catch a clue and quit trying to be so fucking cool all the time. so goodbye to the sonics... i hope that another team will come here but until then the u.w. men's team has been better for the past 4 years anyways..
i was born and raised in seattle. i grew up watching the sonics. i grew up watching them kick ass. they were the only team worth watching in the early 90's... fucking starbucks ruined them. instead of looking for talent they went for "nice" guys. after you start losing in a stuck up fairweather fan type city things will go bad. oh and to all you yuppie/super cool broadway-freemont fucks, some people like sports. some cities truly love ther teams.. go to philly and see how crazy the whole place gets when the eagles are playing...if only seattle could catch a clue and quit trying to be so fucking cool all the time. it's that "coolness" that make it impossible to see a good hip hop show here. so goodbye to the sonics... if we do get a team again they will probably have to move to kent. that's where everybody is getting pushed to anyways, what with all of you yuppie/hipster fucks taking over the c.d. and spreading your fake liberal bullshit south. if you only knew how much i hate you. i hope that another team will come here but until then the u.w. men's team has been better for the past 4 years anyways..
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They're gonna need a new name.
"Supersonics" was originally a reference to a SST that Boeing was going to build, then thought better of and scrapped. But the team name stuck anyway.
What's a good Oklahoman name for a basketball team?