What the Will the Real Valerie O’Neil Please Stand Up?
In a story about angry Sonics fans contemplating a Starbucks boycott (Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz owns/owned both the Sonics and Starbucks), The Seattle Times writes:
But a spokeswoman said the company had seen no signs as of Tuesday afternoon that basketball fans were taking their frustration out on the coffee chain.“We would hope that fans would understand there’s a separation between Starbucks and the Basketball Club of Seattle. Even though the chairman is the same, the businesses are completely unrelated,” said Starbucks spokeswoman Valerie O’Neil.
If the businesses are completely unrelated, why is Valerie O’Neil also a spokesperson for the Sonics?
To wit: Check out this snippet from a PI story on the Sonics from last spring:
OLYMPIA — The Seattle Sonics are preparing to pull up stakes or put up the “for sale” sign as the Emerald City ponders the pros and cons of paying $220 million to remodel KeyArena to keep the team.But while Seattle officials deliberate, other leaders want to discuss ways to keep the basketball team in Washington even if Seattle and the Sonics part ways.
Call it plan B, as in Bellevue.
The problem is Bellevue lacks a key element for a pro basketball franchise — an arena.
The city would need to start work on the project almost immediately to build an arena in time to meet the Sonics’ needs, said team spokeswoman Valerie O’Neil.
“It’s in the realm of possibilities,” she said. “But it needs to be on the fast track.”
Nice catch, Josh! Kudos!