Sonics & Storm Savers Say: "Seattle, You've Been Called Out"

Save our Sonics & Storm appealed to Seattle pride in a letter to supporters today.

In case you have not seen it Sonics and Storm fans have been "called out" in the Oklahoma City Newspaper owned by the Bennett family.

This issue is getting national attention for the inept handling by ownership, the lack of leadership in our region, and the general apathy of the fans.

NOW IT IS OUR TIME!

The "calling out" they refer to is an editorial by The Oklahoman's Barry Tremel in which he says it's "put up or shut up" time for Seattle:

You want to expose Bennett as a fraud? Offer him an arena plan.

Offer Bennett a reasonable plan, Seattle.

Put up, or shut up.

Well isn't that sweet--apparently we're going to measure dicks with Oklahoma City. Geez.

Save our Sonics & Storm is looking for a core of 250 supporters--people who will contribute money or volunteer time to assure passage of the "A Deal Is A Deal" referendum that would force the Sonics to stay in Key Arena through 2010.

It's a pretty powerless feeling to be a Sonics fan right now--you've got an owner who admits he wants to move the team, so the best you can hope is to force him to stay for three more years, with no guarantee of more.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@seattlest.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Seth in News on August 15, 2007 2:35 PM

Comments [rss]

kristen

As a Kansan, I would just like to reassure Seattle that Oklahoma City is totally deluding itself with those Magnums.

guest

#5...

Huh? WTF? The M's owners put in $75 million plus cost overruns of about $100 million. What exactly have these dumbsh@ts from Oklahoma promised? Oh, that's right...not a damned dime. Forgive me, for rather keeping my tax dollars in my pocket than supporting the corrupt NBA (hello, Tim Donaghy) and the SOB Clay Bennett. If you thought Bennett was sincere in his desire to keep the Sonics in Seattle, I feel sorry for you. Maybe if Bennett wanted to be a partner not just another greedy billionaire asking for a $500 million handout we'd have a deal... As for me...as long as that assclown owns the Sonics...f@$% them. I'd rather give my tax dollars to crack addicts than to Clay f'ing Bennett.

guest

can we just send them to oklahoma and be done with it already? This "put up or shut up" mentality implies that we're actually bargaining with the clowns. It's pretty clear what Seattle is willing to give the sonics. So there's nothing to "put up" or "shut up" about. Hey Oklahoma: Take it or leave it. Quite frankly I don't give a fuck either way.

guest

We don't care what Seattle and Washington did historically for it's sports teams, that's not the point. Voters actually shot down funding for Safeco Field, but the government forced it on us anyway. What did we get for this huge investment? A stadium that is almost useless for anything besides baseball for a sports team that could still leave at any time. That's hardly a good return on investment.

guest

@2 - I did in fact mean all pro teams, but mea culpa on the Sounders. I didn't even think they'd been around for 10 years!

guest

How much did the owners of the Mariners have to pay to have Safeco built? 0

How much did the owners of the Seahawks have to have to pay to have Qwest built? 30%

How much is the city/state asking the owners of the Sonics pay? 50% and that’s for a deal to renovate the smallest arena in the NBA.

What would lead Bennett to think he deserves a subsidized arena deal? Maybe it’s because historically that is what Seattle and Washington did for their other sports teams. Why should the Sonics be treated any differently?

Side note - The Ford Center in Oklahoma City was built in 1999 and holds 19,599 for basketball games. Key Arena was built in 1962 renovated in 1995 which the Sonics paid 21 million for and only seats 17,072.

guest

They shouldn't expect a considerable amount of taxpayer money for free. We should get something of value in return for our investment, besides their promise to stay in Seattle, which isn't worth anything.

They want a $500 million stadium. Well, then they can give us $500 million worth of the team. That'd be pretty damn hard considering they bought the Sonics for $350 million. Maybe they can propose how to compensate the government for that $150 million shortfall.

garmonbozia

unfortunately, i agree with berry (not barry) tramel (not tremel).

blame olympia, blame howard shultz, whoever...blame, blame, blame. grow up.

the bottom line is...if seattle/bellevue/renton/auburn/bfe comes up with a "reasonable" offer - the sonics stay. if we don't - gone.

granted, that $500+million dream complex bennett wanted wasn't reasonable either, but reasonable on either side seems to be lacking lately.

i would love to see nothing less than bennett being exposed as a fraud - but the next step is not up to oklahoma city, now is it?

(looks in mirror)

guest

"the only chamionship team Seattle's had in a generation"

You might do better if your statements were accurate.

91 Husky Football Team

05-06(? might be off a year) Husky Women's Volleyball team

A recent Husky crew team IIRC

And if you want to eliminate non-professional teams, the Sounders have won 3 championships in the last 10 years or so.

What you really mean is that the Storm have won more championships than the Seahawks, Mariners, and Sonics have in the last generation.

guest

Even more powerless to be a Storm fan. The owners don't give a rat's ass about the WNBA but insist they won't split the teams up, the legislators don't care what happens to the only chamionship team Seattle's had in a generation, and the opponents of any stadium deal lump the very affordable sport of women's hoops in with the overblown excesses of men's sports.

personally, I'd GLADLY take 3 more years of Storm basketball in Seattle, even if I knew they'd be heading out afterwards.