The Seattle Supersonics were sold today to an Oklahoma City investment group. Surely this signals the departure of the Sonics. The sports stations and the Sonics themselves will lay all the blame on the city of Seattle. But take a look at the deals the Sonics turned down. Are you kidding me? The city rebuilt the arena only a little more than 10 years ago. For them to get a cent is insane.
When I was in college at UW, the Sonics were pretty good (Kemp and Payton vs. Barkley). Tickets were also relatively cheap. My wife (then girlfriend) and I used to go to ten or more games a year with my roommate. It was in the old Coliseum which was a pit but it was a blast. No luxury suites, no corporate sponsors. Just slugging it out with the Suns and Warriors and Jazz. Then they got really good. And they built Key Arena. Gone were the cheap tickets and the fans that knew anything about basketball. By the time the strike rolled around, we were done with the NBA.
I’m sad this has happened but I honestly don’t think I will miss them. The NBA is second only to the NHL for worst run league. The NBA has chronic image issues and the brand of basketball played today is miserable. The ticket prices are outrageous. They are abandoning towns that have had teams for decades. I’m glad that the city held firm and didn’t cave in to more insane demands by sports teams. The Alaskan Way viaduct must be replaced. It will cost multiple billions of dollars. That’s a fact and there is no way around it. Spending another $150 million on a perfectly serviceable arena makes no sense.
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