Sonics Fans: Lie Down or Fight?
Angry Sonics fans take note: Hugely popular ESPN columnist Bill Simmons is on your side. On Thursday, Simmons published a 15,000 word opus comprised mostly of a selection of some 3,000 emails he received from fans regarding the Sonics’ upcoming kidnapping to Oklahoma City. Yesterday, he followed up with more fan email and some thoughts of his own on the impending robbery, which included the following observation (emphasis mine):
It’s legitimately incredible that Congress wasted so much time on the moronic Roger Clemens hearings, and yet here’s an issue that truly matters – the ongoing problem of professional sports owners extorting taxpayers with the threat of relocation, with Seattle as the latest victim – and Congress is nowhere to be seen. I just love the fact Roger Clemens’ appearance at Jose Canseco’s pool party takes precedence over 41 years of professional basketball in Seattle with the people who run our country. Awesome. I’m moving to Canada soon.
Simmons suggests Sonics fans should protest by picking one game to walk onto the court at the end of the 3rd quarter. Imagine an NBA game postponed (or even forfeited) because a few thousand fans peacefully make their way onto the playing surface — perhaps chanting “Save Our Sonics!” There are surely a lot of more important things in the world worthy of a highly organized and public protest. However, I can’t begrudge anyone’s passion and wouldn’t mind seeing something like this pulled off.
What say you, Sonics fans? The NBA commissioner is actively colluding with a deceitful ownership group in an attempt to brazenly steal your team out from under you. Are you past the denial stage, yet? Or is the scenario Wesa [m-b] notes below whereby Clay Bennett gets to move the current organization, minus the name, but including future superstars Kevin Durant and Jeff Green (and six! first round draft picks) to Oklahoma City in exchange for the Memphis Grizzlies or a TBD expansion franchise ok with you?
Unfortunately, for the protest to work, people would first have to attend the sonic’s game, which they do not, which is why they are moving to Oklahoma City — Where, although perhaps not as glamorous, they will be selling out without a problem. (pun intended)
Attendance is not the issue. The Sonics could’ve sold out every game for the past two years and Bennett and co. would’ve done the exact same thing they’re doing now. Aubrey McLendon, also part of Bennett’s ownership group, admitted that they bought the team to move it to OK City. The issue, as stated above, is that the NBA is colluding with an ownership group (Bennett and Commissioner David Stern are old friends) to extort Seattle for a half billion dollars. Seattle isn’t playing along so the NBA is allowing Bennett to move his team to a city that will play along.
Testing.