Sonics Sold
Chris Hafner
fairly disheartening news:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2522944
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/277945_sonics18ww.html
The timing of this seems odder than anything else - negotiations seemed
to have been growing gradually less frigid, and the deadlines had been
moved out until later this year - and then this? All along I'd thought
that what we were seeing was more of the typical saber-rattling and
negotiations would eventually begin. Guess not.
I've been a great defender of this ownership group - I do think they've
had a difficult lease, and I've believed in many of the personnel moves
they've made - but selling to an out-of-state ownership group that
likely will move the team is infuriating. Knowing intellectually that
the NBA is a business would not ease the sting of my favorite NBA team
leaving.
If the Sonics do eventually move - which looks likely should this sale
go through, all protestations about keeping the team in Seattle
notwithstanding - I will be a fractured shell of a man.
Seriously, I'm shattered just thinking about it.
Cheers,
Chris Hafner
KJHanz
"Chris Hafner" <haf...@peoplepc.com> wrote in message
news:1153252767.9...@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> Not to disturb the peaceful slumber of this group, but this is some
> fairly disheartening news:
>
> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2522944
> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/277945_sonics18ww.html
>
> The timing of this seems odder than anything else - negotiations seemed
> to have been growing gradually less frigid, and the deadlines had been
> moved out until later this year - and then this? All along I'd thought
> that what we were seeing was more of the typical saber-rattling and
> negotiations would eventually begin. Guess not.
>
> I've been a great defender of this ownership group -
Hey Chris where have you been man, you should leave the diapers to the
Wife!! Once the Clips Left San Diego and the Rams Left LA I waited until
Safeco and The Q were built to settle on one City for my sports allegiance
and now this. I have been a Sonic fan for most of their entire existence, I
cried when Payton was traded, I am just numb today.
KjH
Chris Hafner
KJHanz wrote:
> "Chris Hafner" <haf...@peoplepc.com> wrote in message
> news:1153252767.9...@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> > Not to disturb the peaceful slumber of this group, but this is some
> > fairly disheartening news:
> >
> > http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2522944
> > http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/277945_sonics18ww.html
> >
> > The timing of this seems odder than anything else - negotiations seemed
> > to have been growing gradually less frigid, and the deadlines had been
> > moved out until later this year - and then this? All along I'd thought
> > that what we were seeing was more of the typical saber-rattling and
> > negotiations would eventually begin. Guess not.
> >
> > I've been a great defender of this ownership group -
>
> Hey Chris where have you been man, you should leave the diapers to the
> Wife!!
That doesn't go over well ...
:-)
Things are good - just busy with the baby and work. I barely have time
for anything outside of those two, so I've tried to give up Usenet cold
turkey.
With this news, looks like I'm going to have to start making time for
staring morosely out the window.
> Once the Clips Left San Diego and the Rams Left LA I waited until
> Safeco and The Q were built to settle on one City for my sports allegiance
> and now this. I have been a Sonic fan for most of their entire existence, I
> cried when Payton was traded, I am just numb today.
I was nearly hyperventilating earlier - now I'm just stunned. If the
Sonics move, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Will I still be an
Oklahoma City Sonics fan? Will I still be an NBA fan? I'd guess so, but
I'm just not sure.
Maybe I'll begin cutting myself or take up some form of drug abuse.
Cheers,
Chris Hafner
KJHanz
>
> KJHanz wrote:
>> "Chris Hafner" <haf...@peoplepc.com> wrote in message
>> news:1153252767.9...@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
>> > Not to disturb the peaceful slumber of this group, but this is some
>> > fairly disheartening news:
>> >
>> > http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2522944
>> > http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/277945_sonics18ww.html
>> >
>> > The timing of this seems odder than anything else - negotiations seemed
>> > to have been growing gradually less frigid, and the deadlines had been
>> > moved out until later this year - and then this? All along I'd thought
>> > that what we were seeing was more of the typical saber-rattling and
>> > negotiations would eventually begin. Guess not.
>> >
>> > I've been a great defender of this ownership group -
>>
>> Hey Chris where have you been man, you should leave the diapers to the
>> Wife!!
>
> That doesn't go over well ...
>
> :-)
>
> Things are good - just busy with the baby and work. I barely have time
> for anything outside of those two, so I've tried to give up Usenet cold
> turkey.
>
> With this news, looks like I'm going to have to start making time for
> staring morosely out the window.
On the bright side my hat shelf and t shirt drawers are going to have a
bunch of room for new stuff!!
KJH>
M. Zaiem Beg
:I was nearly hyperventilating earlier - now I'm just stunned. If the
:Sonics move, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Will I still be an
:Oklahoma City Sonics fan? Will I still be an NBA fan? I'd guess so, but
:I'm just not sure.
I'm going to wait and see. There are indications from the ownership group
that they would stay in Seattle if a new arena was built and/or a major
Key Arena renovation took place. They obviously have very real leverage
about moving the team to Oklahoma City, but it's not like some ownership
groups that buy a team with the announced intent to move them to X place.
The bottom line is that Seattle is still a better NBA city,
demographically, than Oklahoma City. With the proper stadium/lease in
place, they would stand to make more money by staying here. I'm not ready
to kiss the Sonics goodbye yet.
:Maybe I'll begin cutting myself or take up some form of drug abuse.
This is the right city for it -- after all, Seattle's most famous landmark
is a needle.
(I kill myself.)
--
M. Zaiem Beg zb...@iglou.com
Chris Hafner
> On 18 Jul 2006, Chris Hafner wrote:
>
> :I was nearly hyperventilating earlier - now I'm just stunned. If the
> :Sonics move, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Will I still be an
> :Oklahoma City Sonics fan? Will I still be an NBA fan? I'd guess so, but
> :I'm just not sure.
>
> I'm going to wait and see. There are indications from the ownership group
> that they would stay in Seattle if a new arena was built and/or a major
> Key Arena renovation took place. They obviously have very real leverage
> about moving the team to Oklahoma City, but it's not like some ownership
> groups that buy a team with the announced intent to move them to X place.
Yup, and the ESPN story indicates that Schultz says the previous
ownership group took less money than they were offered by groups
looking to move the Sonics immediately. Whether or not that's true is
anybody's guess - it has the ring of a PR-inspired statement.
> The bottom line is that Seattle is still a better NBA city,
> demographically, than Oklahoma City. With the proper stadium/lease in
> place, they would stand to make more money by staying here. I'm not ready
> to kiss the Sonics goodbye yet.
It's not a totally done deal, but I'm still feeling awfully grim about
it. The circumstantial evidence simply lines up too neatly - why would
an Oklahoma City ownership group purchase a Seattle sports team to run
it in Seattle? Especially when both the city and the league are eager
to have a team in Oklahoma City? If nothing else, they'd be committing
pubic relations suicide with eager Oklahoma City NBA fans if the team
didn't move.
> :Maybe I'll begin cutting myself or take up some form of drug abuse.
>
> This is the right city for it -- after all, Seattle's most famous landmark
> is a needle.
>
> (I kill myself.)
<groan>
By the way, how goes the photography?
Cheers,
Chris Hafner
KJHanz
"M. Zaiem Beg" <zb...@iglou.com> wrote in message
news:Pine.GSO.4.33.0607181812310.304-
>
> :Maybe I'll begin cutting myself or take up some form of drug abuse.
>
> This is the right city for it -- after all, Seattle's most famous landmark
> is a needle.
>
> (I kill myself.)
Jimmy Hendrix and Curt Cobain
KjH
Ron Coscorrosa
> "Chris Hafner" <haf...@peoplepc.com> wrote in message
> news:1153252767.9...@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
>> Not to disturb the peaceful slumber of this group, but this is some
>> fairly disheartening news:
>>
>> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2522944
>> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/277945_sonics18ww.html
>>
>> The timing of this seems odder than anything else - negotiations seemed
>> to have been growing gradually less frigid, and the deadlines had been
>> moved out until later this year - and then this? All along I'd thought
>> that what we were seeing was more of the typical saber-rattling and
>> negotiations would eventually begin. Guess not.
>>
>> I've been a great defender of this ownership group -
>
> Hey Chris where have you been man, you should leave the diapers to the
> Wife!!
As someone who works in close proximity to Chris, let me say that I do
NOT endorse Chris removing his diapers.
--
Ron Coscorrosa
http://coscorrosa.com
Ron Coscorrosa
Don't worry MZB, it was a good joke, once Chris sobers up, he'll agree.
Ron Coscorrosa
> Not to disturb the peaceful slumber of this group, but this is some
> fairly disheartening news:
>
> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2522944
> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/277945_sonics18ww.html
>
> The timing of this seems odder than anything else - negotiations seemed
> to have been growing gradually less frigid, and the deadlines had been
> moved out until later this year - and then this? All along I'd thought
> that what we were seeing was more of the typical saber-rattling and
> negotiations would eventually begin. Guess not.
The negotiations obviously weren't in good faith. Howard had
communication with several buyers, so I don't really believe he had any
intent of owning the team for the foreseeable future.
Owning a team was more work than he anticipated. The lease was there
when he bought the team, it wasn't a surprise. Knowing the
inefficiencies of government, and the local Seattle government
specifically, he can't realistically have expected that the arena
situation would have been resolved by now, especially when the idea
wasn't floated until he owned the team for more than three years.
He wanted out. The Key Arena lease was a great excuse, and was floated
for the express purpose of letting potential buyers know that the Sonics
were for sale.
The Sonics had multiple buyers. MULTIPLE buyers. Are all the buyers
stupid, or is the Sonics situation not as hopeless as purported?
> I've been a great defender of this ownership group - I do think they've
> had a difficult lease, and I've believed in many of the personnel moves
> they've made - but selling to an out-of-state ownership group that
> likely will move the team is infuriating. Knowing intellectually that
> the NBA is a business would not ease the sting of my favorite NBA team
> leaving.
Agreed. This is complete bullshit. I'm angrier now than I was when I
first heard the news. This isn't good, I'm spiraling in the wrong
direction.
I was over the Payton trade in about an hour (and thought it was good,
while some here were still in a fit of towering rage).
I'm only getting more pissed off with this. FUCK!
> If the Sonics do eventually move - which looks likely should this sale
> go through, all protestations about keeping the team in Seattle
> notwithstanding - I will be a fractured shell of a man.
>
> Seriously, I'm shattered just thinking about it.
I think we should start a pasty white guy league in Seattle. We do not
offer athleticism, or strategy, but unintentional comedy.
I'll be the starting center.
That's right.
The Sonics have three 7-footers. We can have seven 3-footers.
Who's with me?
Chris Hafner
> Chris Hafner wrote:
> > M. Zaiem Beg wrote:
> >> On 18 Jul 2006, Chris Hafner wrote:
> >> :Maybe I'll begin cutting myself or take up some form of drug abuse.
> >>
> >> This is the right city for it -- after all, Seattle's most famous landmark
> >> is a needle.
> >>
> >> (I kill myself.)
> >
> > <groan>
>
> Don't worry MZB, it was a good joke, once Chris sobers up, he'll agree.
I'd have a good mind to tell you off for that impertinence ... if I
didn't have my hands full with this cheap whiskey.
Cheers,
Chris Hafner
Chris Hafner
You'll find that to be a popular platform.
Cheers,
Chris Hafner
Chris Hafner
> Chris Hafner wrote:
> > Not to disturb the peaceful slumber of this group, but this is some
> > fairly disheartening news:
> >
> > http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2522944
> > http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/277945_sonics18ww.html
> >
> > The timing of this seems odder than anything else - negotiations seemed
> > to have been growing gradually less frigid, and the deadlines had been
> > moved out until later this year - and then this? All along I'd thought
> > that what we were seeing was more of the typical saber-rattling and
> > negotiations would eventually begin. Guess not.
>
> The negotiations obviously weren't in good faith. Howard had
> communication with several buyers, so I don't really believe he had any
> intent of owning the team for the foreseeable future.
>
> Owning a team was more work than he anticipated. The lease was there
> when he bought the team, it wasn't a surprise. Knowing the
> inefficiencies of government, and the local Seattle government
> specifically, he can't realistically have expected that the arena
> situation would have been resolved by now, especially when the idea
> wasn't floated until he owned the team for more than three years.
>
> He wanted out. The Key Arena lease was a great excuse, and was floated
> for the express purpose of letting potential buyers know that the Sonics
> were for sale.
Not sure I buy into all of this. I will believe Howard wanted things to
be more quick and easy than they were; at first he seemed to have a
very romantic view of team ownership - the way he came in and
immediately changed the uniforms, became great friends with Desmond
Mason ...
The real shame here from the competitive standpoint is that while the
rumors of money problems have swirled over the team for the last year
or so, now moving rumors will be swirling even more frantically -
unnerving the players and coaching and likely leading other teams to
try to take advantage of the Sonics' situation.
> The Sonics had multiple buyers. MULTIPLE buyers. Are all the buyers
> stupid, or is the Sonics situation not as hopeless as purported?
... or the multiple buyers have no intention to keep the Sonics in
their current situation (i.e. in Seattle with the Key Arena lease).
> > I've been a great defender of this ownership group - I do think they've
> > had a difficult lease, and I've believed in many of the personnel moves
> > they've made - but selling to an out-of-state ownership group that
> > likely will move the team is infuriating. Knowing intellectually that
> > the NBA is a business would not ease the sting of my favorite NBA team
> > leaving.
>
> Agreed. This is complete bullshit. I'm angrier now than I was when I
> first heard the news. This isn't good, I'm spiraling in the wrong
> direction.
You seemed curiously nonchalant earlier, while I was in the middle of a
full-bore linear panic.
> I was over the Payton trade in about an hour (and thought it was good,
> while some here were still in a fit of towering rage).
I have no idea what you're talking about. Ray Allen's a one-dimensional
jump shooter, right? Right?
> I'm only getting more pissed off with this. FUCK!
Wait ... I thought you said you were getting angrier?
> > If the Sonics do eventually move - which looks likely should this sale
> > go through, all protestations about keeping the team in Seattle
> > notwithstanding - I will be a fractured shell of a man.
> >
> > Seriously, I'm shattered just thinking about it.
>
> I think we should start a pasty white guy league in Seattle. We do not
> offer athleticism, or strategy, but unintentional comedy.
>
> I'll be the starting center.
>
> That's right.
>
> The Sonics have three 7-footers. We can have seven 3-footers.
>
> Who's with me?
I'm not a three-footer, but I play smaller than my height. You can't
teach lack of skill. You really can't.
Cheers,
Chris Hafner
M. Zaiem Beg
:> I'm going to wait and see. There are indications from the ownership group
:> that they would stay in Seattle if a new arena was built and/or a major
:> Key Arena renovation took place. They obviously have very real leverage
:> about moving the team to Oklahoma City, but it's not like some ownership
:> groups that buy a team with the announced intent to move them to X place.
:
:Yup, and the ESPN story indicates that Schultz says the previous
:ownership group took less money than they were offered by groups
:looking to move the Sonics immediately. Whether or not that's true is
:anybody's guess - it has the ring of a PR-inspired statement.
Yeah, *that* I'm putting no stock into. The Sonics (and Storm) are
officially on DeathWatch. It's going to be a very tense next few months as
we wait to see how this plays out.
:It's not a totally done deal, but I'm still feeling awfully grim about
:it. The circumstantial evidence simply lines up too neatly - why would
:an Oklahoma City ownership group purchase a Seattle sports team to run
:it in Seattle?
Well, the Seattle/Tacoma metro area has 1.7 million TV homes (13th)
and has 3.55 million people (also 13th) while the Oklahoma City metro
area has 655,400 TV homes (45th) and 1.08 million people (49th). Median
household income for Seattle metro is $52,804 while OKC's is $36,797. In
other words, the demographic differences in both TV and attendance
possibilities are absolutely enormous.
So an ownership group has plenty of incentive to stay in Seattle. Moving
them to somewhere like Tampa would make sense. Oklahoma City? Only if
there are absolutely no other options in Seattle available (no new
stadium deal). The financial rewards for staying are huge.
:Especially when both the city and the league are eager
:to have a team in Oklahoma City? If nothing else, they'd be committing
:pubic relations suicide with eager Oklahoma City NBA fans if the team
:didn't move.
As opposed to leaving the country's 13th largest TV market without an NBA
team at the expense of supplying the country's 45th largest with one? The
NBA may want a team in Oklahoma City, but not at the expense of moving an
established team out of one of the highest income major markets in the
city. Oklahoma City is a nice wonderful feelgood story, but warm soft
happy fluffy fuzzy bunnies can't compete with the cold hard reality of
cash.
I'm not saying they won't move. If the stadium situation doesn't get
worked out, there's essentially no chance they will stay. But there are
some very good reasons why the new ownership group should try very hard to
keep them in Seattle. Money talks, and in this case I hope it wins out.
:> :Maybe I'll begin cutting myself or take up some form of drug abuse.
:>
:> This is the right city for it -- after all, Seattle's most famous landmark
:> is a needle.
:>
:> (I kill myself.)
:
:<groan>
:
:By the way, how goes the photography?
Haven't done much recently. I went to Virginia last week and had some
great photo ops -- and I left my camera at home. :-(
Chris Hafner
> On 18 Jul 2006, Chris Hafner wrote:
>
> :> I'm going to wait and see. There are indications from the ownership group
> :> that they would stay in Seattle if a new arena was built and/or a major
> :> Key Arena renovation took place. They obviously have very real leverage
> :> about moving the team to Oklahoma City, but it's not like some ownership
> :> groups that buy a team with the announced intent to move them to X place.
> :
> :Yup, and the ESPN story indicates that Schultz says the previous
> :ownership group took less money than they were offered by groups
> :looking to move the Sonics immediately. Whether or not that's true is
> :anybody's guess - it has the ring of a PR-inspired statement.
>
> Yeah, *that* I'm putting no stock into. The Sonics (and Storm) are
> officially on DeathWatch. It's going to be a very tense next few months as
> we wait to see how this plays out.
Word is that one of the new owners is out in Bellevue today scouting
out a potential new location. I'd still find it difficult to believe an
OKC group would buy a Seattle sports team to operate it in Seattle, but
perhaps there are some legs to the Bellevue or Renton solution.
> :It's not a totally done deal, but I'm still feeling awfully grim about
> :it. The circumstantial evidence simply lines up too neatly - why would
> :an Oklahoma City ownership group purchase a Seattle sports team to run
> :it in Seattle?
>
> Well, the Seattle/Tacoma metro area has 1.7 million TV homes (13th)
> and has 3.55 million people (also 13th) while the Oklahoma City metro
> area has 655,400 TV homes (45th) and 1.08 million people (49th). Median
> household income for Seattle metro is $52,804 while OKC's is $36,797. In
> other words, the demographic differences in both TV and attendance
> possibilities are absolutely enormous.
>
> So an ownership group has plenty of incentive to stay in Seattle. Moving
> them to somewhere like Tampa would make sense. Oklahoma City? Only if
> there are absolutely no other options in Seattle available (no new
> stadium deal). The financial rewards for staying are huge.
Agreed - and the franchise would be more valuable with a nice new
arena, meaning this ownership group could then re-sell the franchise at
a healthy profit once that was done. Either way it makes financial
sense to leave the team here.
If one buys into the speculation that this is merely meant to force
Shinn and the NBA to leave the Hornets in OKC instead of returning to
New Orleans - which would seem a shockingly involved plan with an
incredible number of variables - then the ownership group might sell at
that point as well.
What I really can't say I can envision is this ownership group being in
for the long haul to operate the club in Seattle.
> :Especially when both the city and the league are eager
> :to have a team in Oklahoma City? If nothing else, they'd be committing
> :pubic relations suicide with eager Oklahoma City NBA fans if the team
> :didn't move.
>
> As opposed to leaving the country's 13th largest TV market without an NBA
> team at the expense of supplying the country's 45th largest with one? The
> NBA may want a team in Oklahoma City, but not at the expense of moving an
> established team out of one of the highest income major markets in the
> city. Oklahoma City is a nice wonderful feelgood story, but warm soft
> happy fluffy fuzzy bunnies can't compete with the cold hard reality of
> cash.
>
> I'm not saying they won't move. If the stadium situation doesn't get
> worked out, there's essentially no chance they will stay. But there are
> some very good reasons why the new ownership group should try very hard to
> keep them in Seattle. Money talks, and in this case I hope it wins out.
Me too. I'm still a little surprised the League considers Oklahoma City
a major enough market for an NBA team, one partial season of strong
support notwithstanding.
> :> :Maybe I'll begin cutting myself or take up some form of drug abuse.
> :>
> :> This is the right city for it -- after all, Seattle's most famous landmark
> :> is a needle.
> :>
> :> (I kill myself.)
> :
> :<groan>
> :
> :By the way, how goes the photography?
>
> Haven't done much recently. I went to Virginia last week and had some
> great photo ops -- and I left my camera at home. :-(
Hard to get good photos that way ...
:-)
Cheers,
Chris Hafner
Terraholm
> M. Zaiem Beg wrote:
>> I'm not saying they won't move. If the stadium situation doesn't get
>> worked out, there's essentially no chance they will stay. But there
>> are some very good reasons why the new ownership group should try
>> very hard to keep them in Seattle. Money talks, and in this case I
>> hope it wins out.
>
> Me too. I'm still a little surprised the League considers Oklahoma
> City a major enough market for an NBA team, one partial season of
> strong support notwithstanding.
I think you need to compare them to other small markets and one team towns instead of to Seattle.
For instance Sacramento is slightly smaller than Greater OK City, Greater Portland and Greater SA
are about the same size... while the Salt Lake City is under 180K less than half the size of
OKC.... while the greater SLC area is under one million if you throw in 15 other cities and towns in
the northern half of the state.
They may not make as much money in OK but may have more to spend as they have the lowest cost of
living for any city in the US.
Moving the sonics to a waiting arena would be a lot cheaper than getting a new on in the Seattle
area...
--
Laurel T
It's what you learn after you know it all
that's important.
- Famous Horse Trainer Jimmy Williams
Chris Hafner
> Chris Hafner wrote:
> > M. Zaiem Beg wrote:
>
> >> I'm not saying they won't move. If the stadium situation doesn't get
> >> worked out, there's essentially no chance they will stay. But there
> >> are some very good reasons why the new ownership group should try
> >> very hard to keep them in Seattle. Money talks, and in this case I
> >> hope it wins out.
> >
> > Me too. I'm still a little surprised the League considers Oklahoma
> > City a major enough market for an NBA team, one partial season of
> > strong support notwithstanding.
>
> I think you need to compare them to other small markets and one team towns instead of to Seattle.
> For instance Sacramento is slightly smaller than Greater OK City, Greater Portland and Greater SA
> are about the same size... while the Salt Lake City is under 180K less than half the size of
> OKC.... while the greater SLC area is under one million if you throw in 15 other cities and towns in
> the northern half of the state.
Fair enough - and to be honest I hadn't done the research and don't
want to smear denizens of OKC.
Still, I think we're missing something in terms of overall urban area -
you mention greater metro areas above but I think the point might be
missed. Sacramento draws from the Bay Area and all through California's
Central Valley (i.e. Stockton, Fresno, etc.) for both spectators and TV
viewership. Portland's metro area is rather sizable as well - not only
in the thick ring of population around the city, but with potential
Blazer hotspots in Vancouver/Camas, south along the I-5 corridor, and
even to the east with Bend.
I don't know the geography around SLC very well - but I find it hard to
believe that OKC can muster the same number of potential attendees and
TV viewers as either the Kings or the Blazers.
But, again, I haven't done the research and thus the odds of my being
wrong are even higher than normal.
> They may not make as much money in OK but may have more to spend as they have the lowest cost of
> living for any city in the US.
>
> Moving the sonics to a waiting arena would be a lot cheaper than getting a new on in the Seattle
> area...
Indeed. I'm guessing this explains some of Stern's eagerness to have a
team in OKC.
Cheers,
Chris Hafner
Terraholm
> Terraholm wrote:
>> Chris Hafner wrote:
>>> M. Zaiem Beg wrote:
>>
>>>> I'm not saying they won't move. If the stadium situation doesn't
>>>> get worked out, there's essentially no chance they will stay. But
>>>> there are some very good reasons why the new ownership group
>>>> should try very hard to keep them in Seattle. Money talks, and in
>>>> this case I hope it wins out.
>>>
>>> Me too. I'm still a little surprised the League considers Oklahoma
>>> City a major enough market for an NBA team, one partial season of
>>> strong support notwithstanding.
>>
>> I think you need to compare them to other small markets and one team
>> towns instead of to Seattle. For instance Sacramento is slightly
>> smaller than Greater OK City, Greater Portland and Greater SA are
>> about the same size... while the Salt Lake City is under 180K
>> less than half the size of OKC.... while the greater SLC area is
>> under one million if you throw in 15 other cities and towns in the
>> northern half of the state.
>
> Fair enough - and to be honest I hadn't done the research and don't
> want to smear denizens of OKC.
>
> Still, I think we're missing something in terms of overall urban area
> - you mention greater metro areas above but I think the point might be
> missed. Sacramento draws from the Bay Area
Kings games are likely blacked out in the Bay area since they have a team.
>and all through
> California's Central Valley (i.e. Stockton, Fresno, etc.) for both
> spectators and TV viewership. Portland's metro area is rather sizable
> as well - not only in the thick ring of population around the city,
> but with potential Blazer hotspots in Vancouver/Camas, south along
> the I-5 corridor, and even to the east with Bend.
All teams draw some support from outside the area. OKC will draw from their entire state too and it
sits smack dab in the middle....state wide the population is about the same as Oregon, 3.5 mil
Portland/Vancouver is about 750K for the two cities. About 1.5 in the general area and throw in
300K for the salem area.. The greater Met. area for OKC is about 1.3 million. Tulsa is about 90
miles away and has another 800K in their greater area.
>
> I don't know the geography around SLC very well - but I find it hard
> to believe that OKC can muster the same number of potential attendees
> and TV viewers as either the Kings or the Blazers.
It will be a bigger market than Utah if you give them Idaho...
And remember about the one team thingy....they do not have to compete in OKC with the Seahawks and
mariners for ticket sales.
Ron Coscorrosa
> Chris Hafner wrote:
<snip>
Shorter Laurel: Chris, you should just kill yourself. Really. End it.
There's no point in continuing. The Sonics in Seattle are DOOMED.
DOOMED!!!
MACK DADDY
coverage area, or market area, I know certain areas are obviously close
to a particular team, and thats generally what they get on tv for their
local broadcast. But say, for instance, somebody lives in the Longview,
WA area. Do they get Sonics games because they are in WA, or do they
get Blazer games because they are so much closer to Portland?
WAR IS TERRORISM
MACK DADDY
compelled to root for the home team, and when the Sonics leave town
Portland essentially becomes the home team of the entire northwest.
Just as the Mariners and Seahawks are the home teams for the entire
area. I got family in and around Portland anyway, so I guess we will
all be rootin for the same team now. And since I cant fake interest in
the Sonics knowing they are moving all the way to Chokelahoma I'm just
gonna get my Blazer hat and shirt now and begin to root for them. Good
timing, since they got Brandon Roy now!
WAR IS TERRORISM
M. Zaiem Beg
:Word is that one of the new owners is out in Bellevue today scouting
:out a potential new location. I'd still find it difficult to believe an
:OKC group would buy a Seattle sports team to operate it in Seattle, but
:perhaps there are some legs to the Bellevue or Renton solution.
Ugh. Can you imagine trying to get to a Sonics game in Renton and the
traffic on the S-curves? Bleah. Better than OKC, but bleah.
I want them to stay at the Key, damnit. My workplace is moving to the
Seattle Center. Get off work, stroll to the Key, catch a Sonics game.
Sounds perfect.
:> :By the way, how goes the photography?
:>
:> Haven't done much recently. I went to Virginia last week and had some
:> great photo ops -- and I left my camera at home. :-(
:
:Hard to get good photos that way ...
:
::-)
But I can do great representations of what I saw at the beach in Virginia.
http://members.iglou.com/zbeg/beach.jpg
Really, who needs a camera?
M. Zaiem Beg
:And remember about the one team thingy....they do not have to compete in OKC with the Seahawks and
:mariners for ticket sales.
When do the Sonics and Mariners really conflict, though? Two weeks if the
Sonics don't make the playoffs? The only competition the Sonics have for
tickets is the Seahawks, and that's only one day a week. I don't know how
much of a factor that really is.
Terraholm
> On Wed, 19 Jul 2006, Terraholm wrote:
>
>> And remember about the one team thingy....they do not have to
>> compete in OKC with the Seahawks and mariners for ticket sales.
>
> When do the Sonics and Mariners really conflict, though?
When the people are writing checks....
MACK DADDY
likely to be In Bellevue than in Renton, but the problem is that its
more likely to be in Okie City! Shiot! I cant believe the 53rd largest
market is gonna steal the Sonics from the 13th largest market. What a
crock!
Group: alt.sports.basketball.nba.seattle-sonics Date: Thu, Jul 20, 2006,
10:33pm (PDT+3) From: zb...@iglou.com (M. Zaiem Beg)
WAR IS TERRORISM
MACK DADDY
You mean to tell me people still write checks?
WAR IS TERRORISM