Much has been written in this space about the Sonics lease issue, the injustice of it all and then the final blow to the crotchular region as the Oklahoma City carpetbaggers move the team out of town.
Bottom line, fans got screwed and the city of Seattle got paid. Pretty simple, really. Now, hoops fans are being called on by governments large and small to help lure a new NBA franchise back to the area. Somehow the efforts of the last year didn’t seem to matter to them.
The expectation is we’ll apply pressure to the state legislature (like we did last time) to come up with a funding package to build an NBA palace. It’ll be state of the art for about 3.5 years at which point owners will begin complaining that there isn’t adequate space for helicopter launch pads and a flagship Nordstrom’s store – absolute necessities for fans taking in a basketball game.
Bottom line, fans got screwed and the city of Seattle got paid. Pretty simple, really. Now, hoops fans are being called on by governments large and small to help lure a new NBA franchise back to the area. Somehow the efforts of the last year didn’t seem to matter to them.
The expectation is we’ll apply pressure to the state legislature (like we did last time) to come up with a funding package to build an NBA palace. It’ll be state of the art for about 3.5 years at which point owners will begin complaining that there isn’t adequate space for helicopter launch pads and a flagship Nordstrom’s store – absolute necessities for fans taking in a basketball game.
If the state coughs up $75 million, the city and a new ownership group will pitch in the rest. Pretty much the same proposal we had in place a few months ago. If the government would have been ballsy enough to pull the trigger, we may not be Sonicsless.
If nothing else, this whole cluster fuck has unearthed one undeniable thing. There is no way the local or state government should be involved in the next arena solution. Aside from maybe rubber stamping the permits, they need to get the hell out of the way.
It’s an antiquated idea of big sports business and local governments partnering. Sports teams need to be held more accountable for their budgets and local municipalities are slow moving, dim and devoid of long-term planning. The combination is a recipe for more kicks to collective groin.
With the massive pool of private wealth and intelligence in the Seattle area, there ought to be a few savvy citizens who think buying in a real estate project like this is a good investment.
I’m also not sure I want a new tax levied for a new arena -- mostly because I don’t want to give Stern and his financially retarded NBA business model any funding. If government must be involved, the only tax that makes sense is the car-rental and restaurant tax in King County that is in place to pay the debt on Safeco Field.
The debt on Safeco will be paid off ahead of schedule, so diverting tax revenue toward an arena solution makes sense. You’re getting two arenas for one here.
However, the best solution is to get this thing privately funded. It has been done elsewhere and can easily be done here. Then when an ownership group turns around and asks fans for more money, we’ll have a snappy comeback at the ready.
Run your business better.
If nothing else, this whole cluster fuck has unearthed one undeniable thing. There is no way the local or state government should be involved in the next arena solution. Aside from maybe rubber stamping the permits, they need to get the hell out of the way.
It’s an antiquated idea of big sports business and local governments partnering. Sports teams need to be held more accountable for their budgets and local municipalities are slow moving, dim and devoid of long-term planning. The combination is a recipe for more kicks to collective groin.
With the massive pool of private wealth and intelligence in the Seattle area, there ought to be a few savvy citizens who think buying in a real estate project like this is a good investment.
I’m also not sure I want a new tax levied for a new arena -- mostly because I don’t want to give Stern and his financially retarded NBA business model any funding. If government must be involved, the only tax that makes sense is the car-rental and restaurant tax in King County that is in place to pay the debt on Safeco Field.
The debt on Safeco will be paid off ahead of schedule, so diverting tax revenue toward an arena solution makes sense. You’re getting two arenas for one here.
However, the best solution is to get this thing privately funded. It has been done elsewhere and can easily be done here. Then when an ownership group turns around and asks fans for more money, we’ll have a snappy comeback at the ready.
Run your business better.
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