An open letter to new Sonics/Storm owner
by Bruce Baskin
Published on July 26, 2006 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm
To Sonics majority owner Clay Bennett:
Dear Mr. Bennett,
I think you and I would agree that capitalism is great because success (or failure) ultimately rests on supply and demand. If the market is demanding what a person is supplying, everyone should be happy: The market gets to buy what it wants, and the seller gets rich. Which leads me to my next point.
It seems Seattle does not have an adequate supply of people buying tickets to an NBA game to meet what has become an increasing demand for that kind of person by the Sonics. It used to be that a pro basketball team averaging 14,000 fans a game was considered successful. Now? That same team would be considered a prime candidate for a move to Oklahoma City. It's not that Seattleites don't like sports (lots of us do), but after coughing up nearly a billion dollars of taxpayer money to build new stadiums for sports teams with billionaire owners and millionaire players, we're spent out.
It didn't help when the man who sold you the Sonics, a guy worth hundreds of millions of dollars, started demanding $200 million in improvements to Key Arena. This was little more than a decade after taxpayers picked up the tab for $70 million in renovations they're still paying for. Apparently, this man forgot that he became rich in part because he was once actually willing to work for it, but that's not your problem.
Even though I grew up watching the Sonics, including players you've probably never heard of back in the Midwest (although we did have a forward from Oklahoma Baptist named Al "Twiggy" Tucker in the early days), I understand fully that as a business owner, you have a right to maximize the earnings potential of that business. Again, that's capitalism. A lot of us are wondering how a market of 1.3 million people like Oklahoma City has greater potential than one with 3.8 million people like Seattle-Tacoma, but, hey, it's your $350 million investment. Caveat emptor.
However, on your way out of Seattle, can you do us a big favor and please leave behind the Seattle Storm?
A lot of people in Seattle like the Storm. We like the team, and we like the players. If you look at the payrolls of your two new teams, you'll see that the Storm are made up of a lot of people making around $50,000 a season, as opposed to the $1 million you'll be paying a nice gentleman named Mikki Moore next season. If you don't recognize him, look at the guy at the end of the bench waving a towel. That's Mikki.
You see, Mr. Bennett, I'll bet there are a lot of people in Seattle would be willing to sacrifice having one 12th man in town if we get to keep Lauren Jackson, Betty Lennox, Sue Bird, Janell Burse and all the Storm players who make less money combined than Mikki's salary. The Storm play a lot harder than the Sonics despite being paid a lot less, and they'll even treat fans as if they DON'T have a communicable disease. A lot of us care about the Storm, and we think a lot of the Storm players care about Seattle. It's a nice fit in a city with people who think it is okay for girls to play sports, and more than 8,000 of them show up at Storm games.
So here's the deal, Mr. Bennett: Many of us will stand by quietly as you take the Sonics (with their losing record and $50,000,000 payroll) back home where the wind comes sweeping 'cross the plain as long as you leave us the Storm (with their 2004 WNBA title and six-figure payroll) in Seattle. Oklahoma won't miss them, and we promise we'll take good care of them. Think of it as a goodwill gesture to an entire city for less than the cost of eating Mikki Moore's contract. It's not a large sacrifice, when you think about it.
I truly wish the Sonics all the best in Oklahoma City after you move them there. The city did a super job of supporting the New Orleans Hornets on short notice, and deserves credit for that. I mean, even New Orleans doesn't support the Hornets. We're willing to step aside and watch you have all the fun and expense of owning an NBA team and being a hero in your hometown. Hey, even Howard Schultz had that for a year or two here. But please leave us the Storm.
No matter what you decide to do, Mr. Bennett, please reconsider your previous announcement and take Wally Walker with you when you go. Taking the Sonics and the Storm away would be bad enough, but leaving Wally behind in Seattle would be unprovoked cruelty.
Best Wishes,
A Basketball Fan
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 26, 2006
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
