Thoughts On The Seattle SuperSonics Moving To OKC

I just got done reading Jim Caple's column on espn.com where he chimes in with his thoughts on the above topic. His position isn't surprising; like most of the media, he thinks that Clay Bennett purchasing the team to move it to Oklahoma is wrong. Below is the response that I wrote to him, that sums up my views on the subject.

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Jim,

I'm sorry, but I disagree with your assessment that Clay Bennett is the worst owner in sports. So you're saying that someone who purchases something doesn't have the right to do what he wants with it? If you purchase a car, you don't want to have the right to paint it whatever color you want? Take it to a different state if you decide to move?

I understand that there is a strong local following for the Sonics; that being the case, however, a local owner should have put together a group and purchased the team. The Sonics had a local owner and decided they disliked him so much that they wanted a new owner. When you make that decision, then you run the risk of someone from another state purchasing the team. You run this risk especially when the Commissioner of the NBA has been telling the city for years that the Sonics have the worst lease in the league, and that he would support the team moving if a better deal isn't had. You run the risk especially when another major city in the US has already built a basketball arena and hosted another NBA team for two years, proving beyond any doubt that that city has the fan base to support a local team. When you gamble, quite often you lose.

How are the people of Seattle more deserving than the people of Oklahoma City? The people of Seattle had a chance to keep their team, and decided they didn’t want to pay for it. The people of Oklahoma City have already ponied up the dough. So we’re supposed to hate a businessman who thinks it’s ridiculous that political correctness robbed a city of a team that they overwhelmingly supported in order to send them back to a city that has lied about meeting minimum attendance requirements before the team was even in the city? If you want to be angry, be angry at David Stern for insisting on sending the Hornets back to New Orleans, where they are destined for failure. But don’t be mad at a businessman who A) had a no-brainer of a business opportunity thrown in his lap, and B) wanted to bring an attraction that is more vital to his city (Seattle still has the Seahawks and Mariners; the entire state of Oklahoma has no pro sports teams) than it is to the one it was currently in.

Is it fair that owners ask cities to pay for stadiums? Probably not. But the market was set long ago that that is what it takes to get a pro sports team—regardless of which sport it is. You’ve got to pay up. In economic terms, the market has been set, and “fair” has nothing to do with it. If you don’t want to pay for a new arena, that’s fine—but you’re probably going to lose your franchise. It’s as simple as that.

So please forgive me for not vilifying Clay Bennett. While I am disappointed that the people of Seattle are losing their franchise, I’m glad to see the people of Oklahoma City getting one. The bottom line is that they worked harder and paid more for it in OKC. So in the end, they are the ones that deserve the Sonics.

If there is a silver lining, it’s that I’m sure David Stern will relocate the Hornets to Seattle in two years once the ridiculous experiment in New Orleans has finished failing miserably.

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It's as simple as that. Once again, I say congratulations to OKC. You've earned this.