All-out war in Seattle
Things are getting nasty in Seattle. The Sonics file for arbitration; the city files a lawsuit. You would think this guarantees one thing. The Sonics are leaving. We just don’t know when.
Can you imagine the ice age if the Sonics win their suit and the Sonics are forced to stay at KeyArena into 2010? They very well could be a ghost franchise. Owners totally uninterested in working with a city that just took them to court; a city that knows it is losing its basketball team. This coming season seems bad enough. Civility seems to have broken down. A major disconnect exists between Seattle and its NBA franchise of 40 years.How could Seattle possibly come up with an arena deal under these circumstances?
When working together, there was no progress. When talking through third parties, under threat of relocation, there was no progress. And now, at out and out war, how can there any progress?
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
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Comments
The Sonics are far from gone yet. And if you think it’s inevitable they’re leaving, then you need to do a little bit more research about the people of this great city. It wasn’t that long ago when Ken Behring tried (and failed) to move the Seahawks to L.A. He even had moving vans packed full of all the Seahawk property, heading down I-5.
Behring tried to rip a part of the fabric away from our great town, and we sent him packing (without the Seahawks) with his tail between his legs. The NBA will support us and so will other NBA owners simply because they realize that while Clay may be the “legal” owner of the Sonics, the team belongs to the city of Seattle and State of Washington. The only community this potential move would benefit is Oklahoma City, and quite frankly, that isn’t enough in the eyes of the powers that be. That, in conjunction with the fight Clay is up against here will be far too much for him to overcome.
Mark my words….Clay Bennett and his band of cronies will wish they never got involved in this mess, and the Sonics will remain here in Seattle, the place where they were always meant to be.
Alan,
If Seattle is “the place where they (Supersonics) were always meant to be” then why has the fine city of Seattle been treating them like you-know-what? Even before Bennett and his group purchased the Supersonics, owners have been trying to get out of that God forsaken city.
It MUST be just a super place for sports teams if the NFL, NBA & WNBA are trying to escape!! If the only way you can keep a franchise in Seattle is through the court system, that SHOULD tell you something.
The leadership of Seattle had better pull their heads out of the smelly stuff down at the fish market and learn how to treat business partners, because that’s what these franchises are.
You probably ought to check on the pulse of the MLB. You might be surprised at how quickly you could become one of the largest markets without a professional sports team…
James,
With all due respect (and I mean that), all of the owner’s who have tried to move the pro-sports teams from the city of Seattle have not been from here. They have had alterior motives from the moment they bought the team, just like Bennett. Ken Behring (Seahawks) was from California and Jeff Smulyan (Mariners) was from Indianapolis. By the way, Jeff Smulyan was referred to by other owners in the league as “rich and dumb”. Ken Behring was probably referred to by the NFL owners in the same light. Thankfully, both the Seahawks and Mariners are under local ownership now, due in large part to the pressure the people of this city put on the ownership groups at the time. Now, Paul Allen (one of the richest men in the world) owns the Seahawks, and Nintendo of America owns the Mariners. You weren’t around to see the people of this city rally around each team to keep them here, were you?. Do you see Behring or Smulyan around here now? I sure don’t. I doubt either of them has been back since they sold the teams.
By the way, there is NO WAY in the you-know-what that either the Seahawks or the Mariners would even think of leaving the city in the current environment. Both of them have palaces for stadiums, and they generate a TON of revenue. THAT tells me something. I couldn’t disagree more with your assertion. Seattle is one of the BEST cities for a pro-sports franchise. I don’t know where your comment about the NFL trying to escape stems from. Maybe ten years ago (when Behring last owned the team), but definitely not now. And don’t be so sure the “NBA” is dying to get out of the city. If I had to guess, I’d bet David Stern would much rather have the Sonics stay in a major market, compared to a second or third tier market like Oklahoma City.
Clay Bennett is NOT a business partner. Never has been, and never will, at least not for people here. He is a liar. Aubrey McClendon proved it for us when he said it was never Clay’s intention to keep the Sonics in Seattle. A liar is not a business partner. Bill Gates is a business partner. He doesn’t seem to have any issue with Seattle, or the surrounding area, despite your assertions that the city treats businesses (and therefore franchises) unfairly.
As far as Seattle being a “God forsaken” city. Well, I guess that’s a matter of opinion. But I’ll let the numbers do the talking. While the rest of the country is mired in a residential housing crisis, the Seattle market keeps steaming ahead. People keep moving here because it’s a desirable place to live. How’s the market in Oklahoma City doing? Just asking.
Alan
Berry,
you are clueless. its obvious that you don’t know how professional sports work.
there is no way that the sonics are leaving seattle. bennet and his fellow fools thought they could play seattle and its leaders. but now the leaders are playing hardball with him. bennett and the ownership group is no different than a cheating spouse who says they are faithful but continue to cheat.
nobody in seattle believes a word that he says. nor has he given a reason to believe him. he or his fellow kronies never had the intention of keeping the team in seattle. so seattle is only calling bennett’s bluff and fighting fire with fire.
people have not given up on the sonics. they’ve given up on a lying owner who is trying to A) steal a team to his community or B) fleece an existing city of its finances.
so go have another beer berry. the sonics aint coming…not without a fight.
Berry, what is the possibility/probability that Seattle accepts a buy out, but gets to keep the Super Sonics name ala the NFL Cleveland Browns?
Game on. See you in King County Superior Court, Clay. We’ll see if you fare any better than Bowie Kuhn, Jeff Smulyan or Ken Behring. By the way, Clay could have done a better job picking a Seattle lawyer. Keller’s claim to fame is losing for Big Tobacco.