15 years after moving Sonics, now it’s the Thunder asking for publicly funded arena
www.seattletimes.com
The debates in Oklahoma City over the wisdom of coughing over arena money while other pressing issues exist is painfully familiar to longtime Seattle residents.
  • Lake_Shore_Drive@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    The OKC owner net worth is listed at $400 million, which makes him a pauper among team owners like Kroenke and Ballmer. No way he was self funding.

    I’d rather see it privately funded, but this deal is not as bad as some.

    OKC lacks space for conventions and other events. They are turning away concert tours and such during NBA season.

    They are going to leave the old arena next to the new one and continue using both. There is also a badass new hotel planned right there. The whole deal should level up down town OKC.

  • Emdubya20@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Howard Shultz sold the team because Seattle’s football and baseball team got new staduims. They wanted to remodel the then coliseum. The Mariners AFTER it was voted down the. Politics got it done

  • JewOrleans@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    This is why people from Seattle despise the Thunder. It’s not just leaving but it’s the biggest douche of an owner possible as well.

  • Crib15@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Boom Town by Sam Anderson is a really good book. He outlines a lot of this. The Thunder basically exist because Oklahoma City businesses had a very difficult time recruiting and retaining workers because the city was perceived as minor league and had nothing to do. After successfully hosting the Hornets after Katrina- local leaders tasked Clay Bennet with getting an NBA team there. He bought the Sonics, and moved them as quick as he could.

    The economics of the league has changed drastically since then. Being hung up about a public stadium deal in a larger wealthy market like Seattle seems pretty silly in retrospect, and OKC would have never gotten a team via expansion.

  • spoofrice11@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Move them to KC.
    Just want a basketball team nearby, since it’s my favorite sport. And we have NFL & MLB.

  • JarekBloodDragon@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Move them back to Seattle then bring an expansion team to Vancouver. Karma and giving back to the pacific northwest

  • Educational-Team-827@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    My city just rejected a proposal for a hockey arena that would have effectively gifted the land and allowed the owner to avoid taxes for 30 years. After the 30 years the team would be free to leave or hold the city ransom for renovations.

    Hopefully the citizens get to vote for the outcome. Billionaires don’t need handouts.

  • SophisticatedBalls@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Unrelated to the public funding, I cannot fathom how often stadiums get replaced nowadays. Boston Garden was around for 70 years or so, MSG has been around for 60 years, Lakers used the Forum for 30 years, but it’s still in operation today. How is it that the Thunder need a new stadium after 15 years?

    I see the same thing with baseball. The Mets and Yankees had Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium for 50 years each before getting new parks. Now it’s like it only takes 20 years for a new park to be built. It’s so wasteful