Sonics Trial Day 4: Alexie emerges as unlikely voice of reason

Sonics fan and award-winning author Sherman Alexie took the stand yesterday and emerged as the unlikely voice of reason. Alexie spoke eloquently, if not melodramatically, about the importance of the Sonics in Seattle and was the consummate voice of the fan.

“Seattle, it is amazing,” he said. “We have had a renaissance of professional basketball players coming from Seattle. Right now there are seven players in the NBA who are from Seattle, who played high school basketball in Seattle.”

He also spent a good amount of time testifying about the intangible and cultural impact the NBA has on the city:

“I am an ethnic minority living in a city that is 78 percent white, so I often feel very alone and isolated,” he said. “When you look out on the floor and you see all these -- all this diversity you realize the power of that. Being a Native American in a really white city, I realize by watching these amazing athletes it ends up being a positive thing for me, I feel special because those players on the floor are special.”

Unfortunately, the parade of dim-witted economists has continued to eat up precious court time.

The city’s economist Lon Hatamiya said that the Sonics contribute $188 million a year through tickets, payroll and consumer spending.

That theory was countered by Sonics economist Brad Humphreys who said the team has no impact on the city. He also said that the city didn’t trade its best players, when historically other teams in the same position had. Ridiculous (see, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis).

Then he admitted that when calculating his theory he didn’t really look strictly at Seattle, even though that’s where all the economic activity would take place, saying that the dollars that would have been spent on the Sonics would just be spent elsewhere. Elsewhere being somewhere in King, Pierce or Snohomish counties, not necessarily Seattle.

For example he didn’t take into account that an Everett resident may not spend those entertainment dollars in the city of Seattle if the Sonics move, he’d spend them in Everett. Yeah, that’s kind of an important distinction.