Sonics Fans, We Mourn With You — And Accept You
EDIT: Portland and Seattle media outlets are abuzz with this news, and KING-TV in Seattle is getting some great minute-by-minute reaction that I feel encompasses the sentiments of the entire Northwest about losing the Sonics.
As a Portland Trail Blazers fan and a man who once lived 180 miles south of the wonderful city of Seattle, thereby rooting for the SuperSonics as my “second favorite team” (I always called them that since I was a kid), I feel awful at this present moment in time.
At 7 PM Central Time today, it was announced that the City of Seattle and the Sonics ownership group settled their trial before the judge was ready to rule on it, and basically the terms were that the Sonics will leave town in exchange for Sonics owner Clay Bennett forking over $75 million to the city, and the Sonic name and history to remain in Seattle.
The SuperSonics are no more, at least for the foreseeable future. The team is moving to Oklahoma City in time for the ‘08-’09 NBA season. This is the ultimate travesty, besides the war in Iraq.
I fully plan on driving to OKC, about 4 1/2 hours to my southwest, and wearing a Sonic jersey and holding up a sign that says “CLAY BENNETT, YOU HAVE MY BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS.” I’ll seriously do it too, on behalf of all the Sonic fans in Seattle, the state of Washington and beyond who have suffered one final push and twist of the knife into their hearts.
I remember the 1996 NBA Playoffs and the series with the Jazz. I remember Kemp, Payton, Hawkins, McMillan, Perkins, Schrempf, Johnson, Scheffler, Wingate, Askew and that team. I remember Kemp dominating the NBA Finals but still Jordan’s team came out on top. I loved the Sonics because they were semi-local and cheered them on secondarily to my beloved Blazers for years.
Another saddening thought is that the Blazers/Sonics rivalry is now dead. Portland vs. Seattle has always been a big draw in the Northwest and now it will not live on…I can say no more about this.
Sports is trivial in the grand scheme of things but this feels like one of my best friends has just packed up and moved out of the neighborhood, never to return. I don’t know how else to explain it. I saw it coming but still it is saddening nonetheless. I can’t imagine how it would feel to have followed the Sonics throughout their history and now have the team snatched right out from underneath.
As a Portland fan, I will not consider it “bandwagon” in any way if any Seattle fan wishes to become a Blazermaniac. I for one accept all my Sonic brothers in arms, as the Portland Trail Blazers for a time will be the Northwest’s Team.
Let us all root on the Blazers over the many seasons to come, pray the NBA brings basketball back to Seattle in some shape or form and in the meantime, celebrate the titles the Blazers will win — and that current Sonic fans and future Blazer converts will relish as well.
I can’t think of any Christianized insults to hurl at Clay Bennett, so Clay if you read this, just please know I pray for your soul.
5 Comments, Comment or Ping
Charlotte
I’m not really into basketball, but Seattle losing thier team is a very sad thing.
Jul 2nd, 2008
B-Rye
First off: There is no acceptable excuse for liking the Blazers and the Sonics, none.
That said, my heart goes out to all Sonics fans out there, I cannot imagine what you’re going through right now. I wanted them to stay so badly because I loved having the Sonics around to hate on, esp when Durant gets good about the same time the Blazers start making deep playoff runs. There was nothing quite like beating the Sonics in the early 90’s with Northwest pride on the line (except beating the Lakers).
Clay Bennett you are a terrible person.
Jul 4th, 2008
Jason
What a blow this has to be to the ego of the citizens of Seattle. To lose the team to OKLAHOMA CITY? If it was a city like a St. Louis I could see it. But Oklahoma City?
Jul 4th, 2008
Chris
What basically happened was some guy named Clay Bennett, an OKC lifer, came in and bought the team. The team tanked on the court (coincidence?) and I believe Bennett used it as a good excuse to hijack the team and move it out of Seattle.
What we have here is a classic Al Lerner/Cleveland Browns situation. Not as bad as the Baltimore Colts midnight move but still sucks nonetheless.
Jul 4th, 2008
Lee Hoover
Yes, this sucks bad. As a Seattle sports fan this is the worst of the worst…
I’ll try to be a Portland fan…we’ll see.
Jul 7th, 2008
Reply to “Sonics Fans, We Mourn With You — And Accept You”