Seven months after Seattle lost its Sonics, it may have already found a replacement, just not in the sport or league many expected or wanted.
Now, Washington State politicians are making the decision whether to renovate Key Arena and set it up for an NBA return.
But with the unexpected success of the Sounders FC, does Seattle even need the Sonics anymore?
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The Seattle Sounders FC season begins March 19, and it does so with a good amount of fanfare and support. What at first appeared to be a side attraction is burgeoning into a true pro franchise on a level with the established Mariners and Seahawks.
In just their first season, the Sounders are already outpacing the Mariners for season ticket sales and have sold out the season’s home opener against the New York Red Bulls. That’s 32,400 seats.
Even Gov. Christine Gregoire has season tickets.
“Soccer brings families, friends and neighbors together. It is such fun to share the sport with other excited and loyal fans. You can’t beat the Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole!” she said in an interview with Prost Amerika.
On the flipside, how was Sonics support before they left?
Actually, it was decent. Even with god-awful play, attendance never dipped below 15,000 per game until the final season when the team was assuredly leaving.
We know why the Sonics left, and it wasn’t because of a lack of support. Now that the Sounders seem to be comfortably inserting themselves as Seattle’s third pro franchise is there room for a fourth?
Senate Bill 6116 was dropped March 4 by Sen. Ed Murray and co-sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles.
The bill would allow King County to use existing funding streams, such as the hotel motel tax, to fund programs like the arts, housing and stadium maintenance.
The state will already be receiving billions of dollars from the federal stimulus. However, there is no guarantee any of that will be used to renovate Key Arena.
Even if everything does fall into place and Seattle does make the necessary improvements to the arena, there is no guarantee public officials will even want another NBA franchise.
Already, fans are forgetting the Sonics and catching Sounders fever, and if that continues, basketball may well slip from the public consciousness.
And if that happens, that three-hour drive down I-5 may not seem such an inconvenience if you need your NBA fix. Go Blazers, permanently?
Reach Jeff Richards at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
