Politics and Policy   So Oklahoma bloggers are trying what to name the Sonics when the NBA team gets moved from Seattle. So, how about the Oklahoma Rustlers? Okay, all kidding aside, here in Washington we don’t have anything against the good people of Oklahoma. We do have a beef against the former owner of the Sonics (Starbucks founder Howard Stern), and the current owners (Clay Bennett). Our beef against the former owner is that he didn’t even make an attempt to find a local buyer before selling the team, which is very strange (why wouldn’t he want to start a bidding war, if losing money was really his motivation for selling?). Secondly, the current owner obviously had every intention to move the team, from the beginning, and statements to the contrary were clearly an attempt to build a “record” that he had “tried, but Seattle didn’t want us”, despite all evidence to the contrary. But many of the posts in blogs from Oklahoma indicate that the good people in Oklahoma, being so enamored of the prospect of gaining an NBA team, don’t realize what they are getting themselves into. Professional sports teams, and their finances, are a bit more complicated than claiming that “Seattle didn’t support the team”. Remember that Seattle did a complete remodel of the Key Arena less than ten years ago, complete to every specification requested by the Sonics. We will be paying for that remodel for another 15 years, long after the Sonics are gone. The Mariners and the Seahawks had legitimate complaints that they needed new stadiums, but the Sonics already had one. The complaints against the Key Arena ring hollow, since any deficiencies were self-created. Attendance at Sonics games has been respectable, despite the ownership’s dismal failure to put a winning team on the court. Attendance at Seattle Storm games (the WNBA franchise) has been among the highest in the nation. Secondly, nobody buys a professional sports team in order to make money in the operation of the team. Everybody loses money, especially if they are in a media market smaller than New York, Boston, or LA. They buy it as a “rich man’s toy”, to get the publicity and instant celebrity status in their local community. If they want a winning team, they keep pumping money into it. If they don’t care, they refuse to put more money into the team, put mediocre talent onto the court (or field), and try to get the city to bail them out when attendance drops. When they finally tire of their “toy”, they sell it to another rich man for a big profit who tries to justify the purchase price by getting cities into a bidding war for the team, and that’s where the former owners make their money. Seattle residents and politicians saw this game very clearly. Seattle was too sophisticated in sports finances to pay Clay Bennett what he needed to justify his purchase price, so he has to move the team. All he had to do was make an offer which Seattle could never accept, then the NBA would allow him to move and start a bidding war for the team. So Oklahoma should carefully consider Clay Bennett’s demands made here in the Seattle area, because you will probably see a similar version when it comes time for the team to declare to where the team will relocate: Clay Bennett’s Demands(Paraphrased): I won’t even consider Key Arena, so don’t bring it up. Just because you completely rebuilt Key Arena less than ten years ago to every spec demanded by the Sonics, doesn't mean a thing to me. I want an entirely new arena, on land sufficient for me to build accompanying restaurants, hotels, and other tourist accommodations. I want the city and state to use their power of imminent domain to take that property from their current owners, in locations I specify. I want the city, county, and state to pay the cost of purchasing and developing the property, including any environmental issues, as well as the cost of construction of the stadium. I may a little money (not more than 10% of the estimated cost) but only if the local governments pay any cost overruns. I want complete control over the development and building of the project, thereby guaranteeing cost overruns at the local government expense. Once the project is completed, I will have complete use of the buildings, even in the off-season, for rental for concerts, other sports, etc., and I will keep all the revenue. The local governments, however, are required to pay all costs of repair, maintenance, and operations, and get none of the revenue, except for any incidental sales taxes which tourists might contribute if they come to see the games. Now seriously, who, in their right mind, would sign onto such an agreement? Even so, one of the outlying suburbs (Renton), tried to put together a package, but Bennett made it clear that none of his demands were negotiable. So the attitude here is: don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Goodbye, and good riddance. The good people of Oklahoma City shouldn’t swallow the line that the Sonics haven’t been supported by Seattle. The team will surely move from Seattle, but it’s no guarantee that they will end up in Oklahoma City, if some other city can be bamboozled into throwing even more money at Bennett. If it does, perchance, end up in Oklahoma City, then those residents should be prepared for hearing the whine “OKC doesn’t really want a professional basketball team” every time Bennett wants something new. And don’t say we didn’t warn you. Posted by rhp6033 Nov. 6, 2007   Check out the other “Politics and Policy” Articles (click the link below): Politics and Policy Articles   Sponsors        Copyright 2006-2007 - Brookridge Associates Inc. 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