It's our team.
You may own it in name, but it's ours in spirit.
You may be battling the city of Seattle and another millionaire for legal rights, but we have the right to root, to cheer, to love.
The Sonics don't belong to you, Clay Bennett. Or you, Howard Schultz. Not even to you, David Stern.
The Seattle SuperSonics belong to us—the fans. The supporters. The heart and soul of the team.
After 41 years of tugging at our heartstrings, flying us to joyous heights and sinking us to depressing lows, the Sonics are family.
We stick with them through thick and thin.
We cheered Payton and Kemp, Allen and Lewis, Sikma and Brown and Wilkens. We relished the city's only major men's sports championship.
And in the darkest days? Expansion basketball? Vin Baker slumping down the court? This past season, with the lowest win total in franchise history, with an owner trying to demoralize us like an abusive parent?
We stuck by the Sonics then too.
That's why we turned up by the thousands on Monday, June 16, outside the federal courthouse where Bennett and the city are slugging it out.
That's why Sonic legends Gary Payton and Xavier McDaniel and local boy made good Spencer Hawes appeared and spoke words of encouragement to the Seattle faithful.
That's why I bused five hours from Vancouver, BC to attend the Save Our Sonics rally, then turned around and bused back home the same day.
This isn't about money. This isn't about breaking leases or honoring contracts.
This is decades of emotional investment, of dedication, of passion and heart.
You're not taking our team.
You can't.
The Sonics will forever be ours.
comments (9) write a comment »
write a new comment
4 months ago
God bless the bid to keep the Sonics in Seattle. Unfortunately, Clay Bennett does own the Sonics and the NBA is a business. The schmuck has decided he wants to go to Oklahoma City--and Oklahoma does deserve a pro sports franchise--and I am afraid nothing you do or I write against him will change the course of the moving trucks. As a die-hard basketball fan (stepping outside of my Spurs and Rockets fandom), I still cannot fathom Seattle without its Sonics. I applaud the effort of you and other fans of the team to keep history where it belongs. The attempts may be in vain, but at least you tried. I still wonder why Stern can't just create team #31, and possibly, #32 and locate franchises in cities such as Oklahoma City that have proven they can support an NBA team. Why does a more than 40-year-old team have to move from its birthplace and home to give another town what it has earned? Save the Sonics indeed.
4 months ago
Gotta keep the Sonics in Seattle!
4 months ago
I went through this 13 years ago when the Art "Benedict Arnold" Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore. To this day it amazes me how Modell could either A) underestimate the impact of the move on the Cleveland community or B) not give a hoot.
Professional sports have got to be the only business in the country that can continously spit the in face of their customers and have those same customers happily come back for more. It is truly about the money first and the owners, management and even players will never care about the actual results on the field as much as the fans.
good column, hope it works out for you guys.
from 4 months ago
I hope it all works out too. There is nothing worse than having memories and history eradicated by people who couldn't care less about it, and having all thoses who DO care having to stand by watching helplessly. It seems, no matter how much we as fans make our points as to what we like and what we don't, the business side will always win out.
Even though it is a business and that makes the show happen, it is the fans who pay to keep that business up and running. WE are the customer base, and I agree with you: pro sports regularly goes against the interests of the local die-hards, and yet folks come back for more, because that's where the major product is. I'm a big hockey fan too and have watched Gary Bettman et al do his business all over my game (pardon the pun) for years amongst the hue and cry of an outraged fan base. Yet in every major league sport I follow, fans are regularly ignored in favour of "the money".
I always liked the Sonics, and Seattle will be much poorer without them. Moving the team isn't fair to anybody. Oklahoma City has wanted a pro sports team back for a while, but what about those who stuck it out in Washington State?
4 months ago
Well-written.
This whole thing is frustrating, yet not surprising at all. Such is the modern era of sports franchises.
4 months ago
This whole thing makes me so sad Mosang. But it's really inspiring to see how much you guys care about your team and that you personally traveled so far just to show your support.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you guys...thanks for the great read.
3 months ago
great article...it brought tears to my eyes! Thanks for sharing your perspective.
3 months ago
Well, you guys that "the team belongs to" should help build a new arena and pass the bill so the Sonics can flourish and be successful in Seattle. Actions speak louder then words.
3 months ago
Hey man, I'm glad to hear you made it down. Good article, I didn't get a chance to get out there (crazy summer class schedule.)
Good work though man.
write a new comment