Goodbye…
To the Sonics, that is.
It was just announced this afternoon that the Seattle SuperSonics has been sold to a group from Oklahoma City. Of course there’s spin, but in all likelihood the team will move to Oklahoma. This does create an opportunity, though. Since Paul Allen is transforming the South Lake Union district in the image of Portland’s Pearl District, maybe he’ll build a new arena at Lake Union (or at least get us to pay for one) and move his Portland Trailblazers team. It could happen.
With the loss of the team, Seattle’s sparkle has dimmed a bit. I think losing a big-time professional sports team can affect the psyche of the citizens and tarnish Seattle as a big-league world-class city. The loss could affect investments by businesses and developers.
I wouldn’t mind the Sonics sticking around. It’s great for the city and residents. But, it does seem like the Starbucks-headed ownership team were trying to extort the city and ultimately the tax payers.
The news is fresh and people are reacting emotionally. On news reports there are people angrily screaming their distain and others calling for a boycott of Starbucks. But, it’ll pass and life will go on.