What's up with our Sonics?
Will our public officials keep them?
Or, should they say 'GoodBye, Good riddance'?!
The governor, our state reps & city officials: It's in their laps now, as local private citizens have ponied up in excess of $500 million -- $150M for stadium enhancements, $350M to buy out current ownership -- to sweeten the pot in attempts to keep the Sonics here in Seattle.
With court dates and back room negotiations looming on the horizon, current ownership is publicly and privately made it clear taht they plan to move the team.
A year ago, a Seattle city councilmember publicly stated that 'there is no redeeming social value' to having the team in Seattle.
What are your thoughts? Should they stay or should they go?
What legal recourse do we, and our public officials, have at our disposal in this case?
Why does our city have to bring a lawsuit to prevent the team from prematurely abandonning its lease - that is set to expire two seasons from now?!
Can we claim any ownership interest in a team whose legacy has been tied to the city for over thirty years?
Can we get an Australian Footy League team in here instead? Can it play within the confines of the Memorial Coliseum - er, Key Arena?
References:
PDF of Funding Group proposals March 9 letter to Washington State officials.
PDF of Response to Funding Proposal from Washington governor Christine Gregoire, Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown.
Recent article in Seattle Times, with links to other related articles.
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2 comments:
I think Seattle Sonics should stay because it is a symbol of the sports for Seattle city. They have got lots of fans and support groups. I believe most of them would make comments if Sonics is making some changes. "I don't think having a franchise that is leaving town is very good for anybody," Bennett said. He said that would be a "disjointed, odd situation" that would make it hard to market Sonics and Storm tickets and advertising. However, they could move to the other states if it is necessary. I believe every big city, such as Seattle, can develop some sport teams once it is time to do it. Bennett has said he would like to move the teams to Oklahoma City if an arena deal in Washington can't be struck. "At this point we need to be patient," Cornett said. "No one is pretending to know how that will take place or what the timetable would be."
reference: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003670934_sonics18m.html
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