Living in Houston when the Oilers left, well, I know full well the games that these owners play with city administrations. The average fan is pretty powerless to change it, except for maybe voting for a new arena.
I's say that it's in the interest of the NBA to put a team back into the media market that is Seattle, but I'm guessing they think the Portland Trailblazers will cover it. Of course the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis a few years back due to low ticket sales. The league wants teams in major media markets, but the NFL hasn't had a team in Los Angeles for nearly 15 years. I guess it's not that important when other cities will line up for it.
Frankly the Sonics were doomed when the new ownership bought the team. They already had designs to move a team to OKC after the New Orleans Hornets (formerly Charlotte) played there after Katrina. The team was bought simply to move. The stadium issue was simply the reason given, rather than the truth.
Give it a couple of years in OKC. It's a small market, and after the newness dies, they will have a tough time drawing a crowd. They too will be looking for greener pastures.
While the NFL has had a few moves, the NBA has been the worst offender for holding cities hostage and actually moving teams around. MLB seems to manage to get new stadiums, but the teams seem more rooted - Montreal being the exception.
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I's say that it's in the interest of the NBA to put a team back into the media market that is Seattle, but I'm guessing they think the Portland Trailblazers will cover it. Of course the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis a few years back due to low ticket sales. The league wants teams in major media markets, but the NFL hasn't had a team in Los Angeles for nearly 15 years. I guess it's not that important when other cities will line up for it.
Frankly the Sonics were doomed when the new ownership bought the team. They already had designs to move a team to OKC after the New Orleans Hornets (formerly Charlotte) played there after Katrina. The team was bought simply to move. The stadium issue was simply the reason given, rather than the truth.
Give it a couple of years in OKC. It's a small market, and after the newness dies, they will have a tough time drawing a crowd. They too will be looking for greener pastures.
While the NFL has had a few moves, the NBA has been the worst offender for holding cities hostage and actually moving teams around. MLB seems to manage to get new stadiums, but the teams seem more rooted - Montreal being the exception.