July 3, 2008

This Sonics Thing Worked Out Pretty Well for Paul Allen

First of all, my condolences to all the Sonics die-hards out there.. Here's my post a while back on the Supes imminent departure... and ETE has full coverage here...

I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking this: Paul Allen is secretly smiling somewhere. Why?

1. The potential fan base of the Portland Blazers just massively increased.
2. The money people might have spent on the Sonics? Perhaps they'll spend that dough on the Seahawks and/or Seattle Sounders FC.
3. And oh yeah, he's probably smiling anyway because he's an effing Billionaire.

The Seahawks are the last, best hope for sporting joy in my home state for the near future... Bring it home, guys.

2 comments:

Misfit said...

I've followed the Sonics my entire life of 37 years. Having our team stolen away is terrible. I've carefully considered this and I'm choosing to root for Portland for these reasons:

1. I live in Vancouver, WA - just 10 minutes from the Rose Garden where the Blazers play.
2. My favorite team is the Seattle Seahawks, owned by Paul Allen - also owner of the Blazers.
3. Nate McMillan is the coach - a long-time Sonic.
4. Portland has drafted Northwest area players, including Brandon Roy and Martell Webster. Roy played for my favorite college team, the Washington Huskies.
5. The games will be televised in my local market.

I pride myself on never being a 'bandwagoneer' or 'fair-weather fan'. I always believe that we should root exclusively for our 'home-teams'. Well, the Sonics are no longer a home-team or, a team (period). I can now (begrudgingly) have the chance to root for a team just minutes away from where I live, with some players I like. It would be tempting to just jump on the Hornets' bandwagon, or some other popular, winning team. That's not how I roll. I've never abandoned the Mariners or Seahawks through losing seasons just to be part of a 'winner'. Portland is the obvious choice for me here. Fortunately, I've never viewed the Blazers in quite the same light as the Raiders...

Ramona P. said...

Misfit,
If I was you, I would do the EXACT same thing.. Very cromulent reasoning!