02-27-2008, 09:05 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: 4 Corners of the World
Age: 22
Posts: 1,173
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Save Our Sonics' Letter To The NBA
The reason I posted it here and not in the Seattle Supersonics forum is because I wanted to see what other people think about their current situation, since what the article's touching on could potentially happen to other small-medium market teams if things go south because of how an owner handles the situation. The letter was written and sent out to the seven NBA owners who comprise the Board of Governors before the All-Star Weekend. It touches and expands on a variety of points and issues that people following this story would recognize.
Here's the link: Save Our Sonics' Letter To The NBA
The following is an excerpt. Click the above link to view the full letter.
Quote:
Before NBA All Star Weekend, Save Our Sonics sent the following letter to the seven NBA team owners who comprise the Board of Governors (BOG), which will vote in April on whether to allow the OKC relocation. Owners from the Miami Heat, L.A. Lakers, Golden St. Warriors, New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs received copies of the letter (attached and pasted in full below this release).
Save Our Sonics released the following statement on Monday, February 25:
"We hope the Board of Governors, media and members of the national sports community read the attached information and carefully consider the ramifications of a potential SuperSonics move to Oklahoma City. The upcoming court case set for June is too important to hold a vote on this matter presently because the current ownership group will likely be forced to honor the last two years of its lease agreement with Key Arena. The BOG should vote "No" on the Sonics relocation or postpone a vote until the pending court case is resolved.
"In light of recent disheartening comments by Commissioner David Stern, the BOG is faced with an extremely important decision that not only affects millions of Seattle area residents, but stands to significantly change both the NBA and the entire professional sports landscape. Members of the Sonics ownership group must work with Seattle's city leadership to come forth with a reasonable plan for the future sustainability of Seattle Center, Key Arena and the Sonics."
Please direct any media inquiries to the contacts at the end of the letter, Adam Brown, Steven Pyeatt and Brian Robinson of Save Our Sonics.
To NBA team owners and vested interests:
Outlined herein are the five most compelling reasons why voting "Yes" on the Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City is the wrong decision for an NBA team owner. Please consider the following information and endorse a "No" vote on relocation this April.
The Sonics have represented the city of Seattle through the best of times − including a 1979 World Championship and success throughout the 1990s culminating in a 1996 Finals appearance − and also through the worst of times, which came under the last two ownership groups led by Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz and Oklahoma City mogul Clayton Bennett, respectively. As you are surely aware, Schultz sold the Sonics to Bennett's Oklahoma-based ownership group in July 2006. After only one year of attempting to secure a brand new, $500 million, state- of-the-art arena in the region, Bennett officially filed for relocation to Oklahoma City on November 1, 2007.
As an NBA team owner, you have a responsibility to make decisions that will ultimately lead to a thriving league for years to come. Unlike other leagues, the NBA's owners are closely connected through revenue streams that allow profitable markets to share the wealth. As primary decision makers in the league, your votes in this matter will have critical impact on the future economic growth of the NBA.
Fans have supported this organization for 41 years. It will be a devastating blow to both the city of Seattle and the entire NBA if we lose this prominent market for the following reasons:
1. Fan Support Determines a Sports League's Profits
Seattle has been one of the NBA's most celebrated markets since its inaugural year in 1967. By allowing this move, David Stern is disrespecting one of his most loyal fan bases and disregarding 41 years of local support for the league, opting instead to mortgage the future financial sustainability of the NBA in order to please his friend, Clay Bennett.
NBA fans in Seattle will obviously be crushed by the move, but the impact will ripple into other markets across the nation. Fans will wonder: If this can happen in an historic NBA market like Seattle, couldn't it happen to my favorite team as well?
Hoops fans across the nation will sense a widening disconnect from team ownership and become apathetic about supporting a league that could show such contempt for fans. This move would signify the beginning of the end for a fan's league. The NBA may not recover from such a massive public relations disaster, as the league has recently struggled to reconnect to fans the way it did in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rainman
Does this board just time out if someone doesn't make a Kobe thread every 24 hours?
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LOL ^_^
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