I'm not really a Longhorn fan, but I'm going to love all the burnt orange that's going to show up in the stands in Sooner country.
F Seattle. The Mariners and Seahawks have new stadiums. What about the Sonics? How come no one from Seattle will answer this question? They're like the morons who thought the Astrodome was a good venue after remodeling.
Also no state income taxes in Texas (Hou, SA, Dallas) or Florida (Orl, Mia). Phx is also popular for professional atheletes with relatively low Arizona taxes + great golf/weather for 8 months. OK is middle of the road in taxes (5.7% top), but not as low as Arizona, Co, Ill, Ind, Mass, Mich, Tenn, Penn and Wash. In fact of NBA states, only Cal, Lou, NC, NJ, NY, Ohio, Utah, & Wisc have higher state income taxes (+ overall higher in Cananda). http://www.taxadmin.org/FTA/rate/ind_inc.html OKC is going to be right with Milw, Sac, SLC, Port, Charlotte and Clev in terms of low profile cities high in state taxes. Some of those teams have attracted big time FAs over the years--but mainly in the most optimal circumstances--teams on the rise w/ superstars + FA market years where they were the only teams with dough.
But unlike Houston at the time of the Oilers' departure, Seattle has spent hundreds of millions of dollars over the past few years to build both Safeco Field and Qwest Field. Not to mention that in the mid-1990s, Key Arena was remodeled extensively. Local investors have stepped up to buy the Sonics from Clay Bennett, but he won't sell. He was intent on moving the Super Sonics to Oklahoma City when he bought the team. There was never any chance of the team staying there.
Now Schultz is going to try and sue Bennett to get the team back. "It's not money damage. It's to have the team returned. The theory of the suit is that when the team was sold, the Basketball Club of Seattle, our team here, relied on promises made by Clay Bennett and his ownership that they desired to keep the team in Seattle and intended to make a good-faith effort to accomplish that. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sonics/2004349361_schultz15.html
LMAO! Well, at least Schultz is kind enough to spend a few millions from what he pocketed for a PR act. Schultz is a smart man indeed!
Stern basically stated yesterday that he felt like Bennet had made a good-faith effort... so the league's stance, if it plays into any lawsuit, is that this lawsuit will be frivolous... OKC is getting this team... it's just a matter of when.
I don't agree with that statement. I'm not saying it won't happen, but it's certainly not a foregone conclusion. Proving that Bennett didn't act in "good faith" would normally prove quite difficult. Bennett, however, is giving them mountains of paper trail evidence that shows clearly he didn't act in good faith. If Schulz had this in writing (which I understand he does), I think he has a very good shot at getting this team back. I love it. Scorched earth lawsuits by former owners, the city, and season ticket holders. Sometimes I hate the legal system, but you might as well use all of the tools available. Save Our Sonics!
Good luck with the lawsuit. Just wasting money and making the lawyers richer. Why is it so hard? When the Rams and Raiders left LA, everybody thought it was the end of the world, no more NFL in LA. It happened, and fans adjusted to it. Sonic fans will be fine. They still can buy league pass if they want, and put the OKC sonics stick on their bumpers if they want. What's the big deal. It's a business.
Are you a fan of the Rockets? Of any sports team? I simply don't understand that comment, with all due respect. It completely denigrates the interest and passion for a hometown team that has brought thousands of us here and fuels professional sports across the country and across the world. Sure, fans are used and abused by many of the owners of the teams and the puppets they put in charge of their leagues, but those leagues wouldn't exist without the fans. What's happening in Seattle is a travesty. Being so cavalier about it mystifies me. I can understand, I guess, simply not caring about the Sonics and Seattle, but that's not what you're saying.
Why do you root for a team at all then? Having a team yanked away from you that you've loved is devastating to the fan. YOu invest a lot of your money and energy into them.
Define a fan. They still can be diehard sonics fans even if it is moved to OKC. Physical locality of the team is not that important IMO. We have got fans all over the globe rooting for the Rockets on this board. Well, it will be hard for those long time season ticket holders and kids grown up with the Sonics. But NBA is a business. If there is another market makes more business sense the team will try to move. I dont like the idea at all, but I understand that's the contract a fan sorta agrees to or common sense. The rockerts moved from San Dieago to Houston. Should they move back there? Should the Lakers move back to Minnesota. Most franchises in this league have moved their locations once, and left behind lots of heart-broken fans, but they werent stopped from doing that. Why is Seattle so special? I think fans have every right to voice themselves to keep the team. But at the end of the day, let's face it, they probably wont prevail.
