It would be an outrage if the owners of the Sonics are able to hijack the team in this way. I have to admit, I haven't been paying much attention to this situation until recently. I guess I just assumed that Seattle didn't care very much about it. After reading these articles, I am sickened by the likes of the current owners, the former owner, and David Stern.
ESPN Page 2 - The Sports Guy: Save the Sonics mailbag ESPN Page 2 - The Sports Guy: Seeking solutions for Sonic gloom
I have never been one to rip on Stern, since I think overall he has done an excellent job of running the league, even though I disagree with some things he has done. But this is an absolute abomination for him to stand aside and not do what he can to save a 41-year-old basketball franchise. I guess after reading about the whole thing, I finally realize that this could happen to any franchise. Imagine Davidson gets older and finally sells the team, or dies, and then the team gets sold to a group of real estate agents from Wyoming or Las Vegas or Iowa or something who then proceed to demand a HALF BILLION dollars from the city (that's extortion) to keep them from leaving. I think that should give most of us cold sweats just from thinking about it. With all the economic trouble Detroit has been in, if the Pistons were to be stolen away like that, imagine the psychological devastation that would be left behind.
I think something that has not been talked about very much, but that could potentially have a positive effect, is if we and other fans of other sports teams write to OUR OWN owners, and urge/demand/beg them to use their clout to speak out against this from happening. If the owners of the NBA get the message that their "constituents" aren't happy about this, then maybe they would be more likely to speak out about it. I feel like this topic needs more discussion. What are your thoughts?