Friday, February 29, 2008

This Is Our Team.

For those unfamiliar with Seattle sports news, the Seattle Sonics are in jeopardy of leaving the city that supported them through national championships and disastrous seasons alike. As you can imagine, this has Seattle sports fans upset and angry, not only because there is a solid chance the team will leave the Jet City, but because of the various lies and misleadings surrounding the sale and pending move. As this is my first blog post, I want to clearly state what I am trying to accomplish with this blog. My mission is two-fold. First, expose Howard Schultz as the disloyal and greedy Seattleite and businessman that he is. Second, keep the Sonics in Seattle.

While the latter seems simple, the first task should prove easier as Schultz has made himself an easy target with his misleading press releases and hypercritical actions. The latter task, on the other hand, requires that I convince Clay Bennett, current majority owner of the Sonics, to sell the team, while simultaneously motivating Seattle area businessmen and moguls to purchase the team. It seems preposterous given Bennett's candid desire to move the team, but the mission is not without precedent. In 1997 Seattle native Paul Allen purchased the Seattle Seahawks, the local NFL organization, when the previous owner threatened to move the team out of state.

Seattle has many reputations. Liberal, outdoorsy, rainy and suicidal are all words I've heard quite often when discussing my hometown. One word, however, is usually left out of the conversation, although I find it to be the best descriptor of Seattleites: loyal. This is our team, our city, and we don't intend on going down without a fight. Stay tuned for Round 2, when the gloves come off.

- Joe Sonics