The Sonics mess is really sickening. - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

SeattleUte · 04-13-2008, 04:08 AM

This Sonics mess sickens me. Yes, I confess, I like to follow the NBA, I'd like to have an NBA team in my home town, the town I love most. Basketball has always been my favorite sport. I used to own courtside season tickets. I like the Sonics in Key Arena ten minutes from my house and nearly downtown, I love the Key's look and and feel and sight lines, and would hate to see the Key turned into a white elephant. When the current owner Clay Bennett proposed to move the team to Renton, Washington, I felt they might as well be in Oklahoma City.

The latest desperation effort to keep the Sonics involves a $500 million upgrade for Key Arena. Good news? No. It sickens me that we subsidize--fucking subsidize!--infantile billionaire owners and hundred millionaire players. What's the matter with us? It happens everywhere.

I'm convinced the owners are as babyish as the players. Sonics owner Clay Bennett once again confirms what I've learned about all owners: they are everyone of them cases of arrested development. According to Wikipedia, Bennett married into his billions. His father-in-law was a billionaire. Here in Seattle we call Seahawks and Blazers owner Paul Allen "the accidental billionaire." He was Gates' buddy at Lakeside High and that was enough to make him a billionaire. Gates started the Gates Foundation, Allen owns sports teams and financed the Seattle Rock and Roll Museum. Had the museum designed by the same archtect who designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Speaks volumes.

Yesterday the Seattle Times reported that emails discovered by the city's lawyers in litigation against the team show Bennett was hell bent on moving the team to Oklahoma City way back in the beginning when he was telling David Stern he wanted the Sonics to stay in Seattle with all his heart and was trying to make it happen day and night. Why is anyone surprised? Whatever. I don't think his extravagant lies make a whit of difference legally.

So if we give POS Bennett the finger and he goes to Oklahoma City he gets what he wants, and the fat subsidy from the idiots in Oklahoma. If a new ownership group materializes and makes Bennett an offer he can't refuse and lawmakers finally put together a $500 million Key Arena upgrade POS Bennett laughs all the way to the bank, and idiot Seattleites return to their vomit of subsidizing infantile billionaires and hundred millionaire basketball players. It's a lose lose deal. Sickening.

YOhio · 04-13-2008, 04:34 AM

Very nice summary SU. Well put. Apparantly you don't think the city will be able to enforce the Key Arena lease through '10.

One thing that particularly annoys me is that this is so unnecessary. The Memphis Grizzlies make a much better fit for OKC. It's a crappy team stuck in a town that can't support an NBA team. Moving to OKC would be a step up for the Grizz, while it's a huge step down for the Sonics. Eventually the NBA will expand and give Seattle a new team, further diluting the product and creating more white noise in the league.

MikeWaters · 04-13-2008, 05:33 AM

maybe Memphis can move to Seattle.

livecoug · 04-13-2008, 06:53 PM

Memphis has a brand spanking new arena.. They ain't moving anytime soon.

TheSizzle36 · 04-13-2008, 10:41 PM

I think everybody knew he had his heart set on moving the team to Oklahoma City from the get-go. What is sad is there is enough money in Washington that somebody (or a group of somebodies) could have stepped up and kept the team in Seattle. It really is disappointing as Seattle is a team that should have a basketball team.

il Padrino Ute · 04-14-2008, 01:53 AM

I actually applaud Seattle for telling the owner to stick his demands of public money to build him an arena where the sun don't shine. He could afford to build one out of his own pocket if he felt it was important enough.

TripletDaddy · 04-14-2008, 02:07 AM

The bottom line is that Seattle had the chance to pay for the team to stay. The city refused.

The old owner, Schultz, didn't like Key, either. This isn't something Bennett made up out of thin air. Key has been a problem and apparently Bennett, while sympathetic to the nostalgia and sight lines of old Key, isnt keen on losing $17-20M a year with an outdated arena.

Bennett made a legit proposal for a new arena out in Renton. He asked for $300M of public money....which is not really that outrageous compared to what other owners have asked.

State legislature got cute and decided to pass.

Now, after refusing the first time, everyone is pissed that they aren't being asked out on a second date.

He gave the city and state one chance. The state said no. So everyone can now be happy that the free market system is working perfectly and enjoy the few cents of tax you will be saving by not financing part of the brand new arena you could have been enjoying as soon as next season.

SeattleUte · 04-14-2008, 04:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

He gave the city and state one chance. The state said no. So everyone can now be happy that the free market system is working perfectly and enjoy the few cents of tax you will be saving by not financing part of the brand new arena you could have been enjoying as soon as next season.

Ha! I was following you, nodding as I read, until I came to this. You call a $500 million subsidy "the free market at work?" I call it a welfare state. If we let the free market work its magic those ball players would be earning about $500,000 a year or the owners would go out of business.

TripletDaddy · 04-14-2008, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

Ha! I was following you, nodding as I read, until I came to this. You call a $500 million subsidy "the free market at work?" I call it a welfare state. If we let the free market work its magic those ball players would be earning about $500,000 a year or the owners would go out of business.

You have pudgy fingers and live in a McMansion!

hyrum · 04-14-2008, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

T
He gave the city and state one chance. The state said no. So everyone can now be happy that the free market system is working perfectly and enjoy the few cents of tax you will be saving by not financing part of the brand new arena you could have been enjoying as soon as next season.

Actually its only one cent for 18 months.
Still a hex of a lot of money and if they hadn't recently used the same sales tax increment for general downtown revitalization and for the public school system it'd be worth complaining about.

04-13-2008, 04:08 AM	#1
SeattleUte fairlds.org Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 10,665	The Sonics mess is really sickening. This Sonics mess sickens me. Yes, I confess, I like to follow the NBA, I'd like to have an NBA team in my home town, the town I love most. Basketball has always been my favorite sport. I used to own courtside season tickets. I like the Sonics in Key Arena ten minutes from my house and nearly downtown, I love the Key's look and and feel and sight lines, and would hate to see the Key turned into a white elephant. When the current owner Clay Bennett proposed to move the team to Renton, Washington, I felt they might as well be in Oklahoma City. The latest desperation effort to keep the Sonics involves a $500 million upgrade for Key Arena. Good news? No. It sickens me that we subsidize--fucking subsidize!--infantile billionaire owners and hundred millionaire players. What's the matter with us? It happens everywhere. I'm convinced the owners are as babyish as the players. Sonics owner Clay Bennett once again confirms what I've learned about all owners: they are everyone of them cases of arrested development. According to Wikipedia, Bennett married into his billions. His father-in-law was a billionaire. Here in Seattle we call Seahawks and Blazers owner Paul Allen "the accidental billionaire." He was Gates' buddy at Lakeside High and that was enough to make him a billionaire. Gates started the Gates Foundation, Allen owns sports teams and financed the Seattle Rock and Roll Museum. Had the museum designed by the same archtect who designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Speaks volumes. Yesterday the Seattle Times reported that emails discovered by the city's lawyers in litigation against the team show Bennett was hell bent on moving the team to Oklahoma City way back in the beginning when he was telling David Stern he wanted the Sonics to stay in Seattle with all his heart and was trying to make it happen day and night. Why is anyone surprised? Whatever. I don't think his extravagant lies make a whit of difference legally. So if we give POS Bennett the finger and he goes to Oklahoma City he gets what he wants, and the fat subsidy from the idiots in Oklahoma. If a new ownership group materializes and makes Bennett an offer he can't refuse and lawmakers finally put together a $500 million Key Arena upgrade POS Bennett laughs all the way to the bank, and idiot Seattleites return to their vomit of subsidizing infantile billionaires and hundred millionaire basketball players. It's a lose lose deal. Sickening. __________________ Interrupt all you like. We're involved in a complicated story here, and not everything is quite what it seems to be. —Paul Auster Last edited by SeattleUte; 04-13-2008 at 04:14 AM.

04-14-2008, 01:53 AM	#6
il Padrino Ute Board Pinhead Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the basement of my house, Murray, Utah. Posts: 15,941	I actually applaud Seattle for telling the owner to stick his demands of public money to build him an arena where the sun don't shine. He could afford to build one out of his own pocket if he felt it was important enough. __________________ "The beauty of baseball is not having to explain it." - Chuck Shriver "This is now the joke that stupid people laugh at." - Christopher Hitchens on IQ jokes about GWB.

04-14-2008, 02:07 AM	#7
TripletDaddy Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 9,483	The bottom line is that Seattle had the chance to pay for the team to stay. The city refused. The old owner, Schultz, didn't like Key, either. This isn't something Bennett made up out of thin air. Key has been a problem and apparently Bennett, while sympathetic to the nostalgia and sight lines of old Key, isnt keen on losing $17-20M a year with an outdated arena. Bennett made a legit proposal for a new arena out in Renton. He asked for $300M of public money....which is not really that outrageous compared to what other owners have asked. State legislature got cute and decided to pass. Now, after refusing the first time, everyone is pissed that they aren't being asked out on a second date. He gave the city and state one chance. The state said no. So everyone can now be happy that the free market system is working perfectly and enjoy the few cents of tax you will be saving by not financing part of the brand new arena you could have been enjoying as soon as next season. __________________ Fitter. Happier. More Productive. "Everyone is against me. Everyone is fawning for 3D's attention and defending him." -- SeattleUte

04-13-2008, 04:34 AM	#2
YOhio AKA SeattleNewt Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 7,055	Very nice summary SU. Well put. Apparantly you don't think the city will be able to enforce the Key Arena lease through '10. One thing that particularly annoys me is that this is so unnecessary. The Memphis Grizzlies make a much better fit for OKC. It's a crappy team stuck in a town that can't support an NBA team. Moving to OKC would be a step up for the Grizz, while it's a huge step down for the Sonics. Eventually the NBA will expand and give Seattle a new team, further diluting the product and creating more white noise in the league.

04-13-2008, 05:33 AM	#3
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	maybe Memphis can move to Seattle.

04-13-2008, 06:53 PM	#4
livecoug Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 1,176	Memphis has a brand spanking new arena.. They ain't moving anytime soon.

04-13-2008, 10:41 PM	#5
TheSizzle36 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 3,786	I think everybody knew he had his heart set on moving the team to Oklahoma City from the get-go. What is sad is there is enough money in Washington that somebody (or a group of somebodies) could have stepped up and kept the team in Seattle. It really is disappointing as Seattle is a team that should have a basketball team.