My condolences on losing the Super Sonics

[bluestateguy]

It hurts to lose a sports team. It can be like losing a family member. I have a friend from Baltimore who is still angry over losing the Colts, and that was in 1983.

Why would they leave Seattle anyway? And for Oklahoma?

[Mojambo]

1. Like anything else, it was about money

And to be honest there just wasn't the political will to keep them here.

Hey, I'm a huge fan, but to be honest the majority of people here just didn't care whether they left or not.

At a certain point you just have to accept that you live in a city that didn't value NBA basketball as much as you do.

Still hurts. I have a ton of great memories, particularly from the 90's that now feel a little empty.

[pscot]

2. They didn't just leave

We were sold out. The mayor and Howard Schultz got mad at one another. Rumor has it there was a local buyer in the wings, but the mayor refused to get involved, Schultz got pissed, and out of spite, he sold the team out of town.

[regnaD kciN]

3. It really does suck...

...and the worst part is that we can't imagine how bad yet. Sure, everyone is up in arms, but it's the middle of the summer and everyone is following the Mariners. Just wait until early-January, when the Seahawks season comes to an end, and people suddenly realize there will be three months with nothing until baseball's opening day.

Now, not every big city has all major-league sports, of course. But I was thinking about it last night, and suddenly realized that there are now only two major cities in North America without <i>any</i> winter-season major league teams (NBA or NHL): San Diego and Seattle. And San Diego's climate is such that winter is like summer around here -- we'll be the only place with a long, dark, rainy winter and no indoor professional franchise for fans (unless you count junior league hockey, which I don't). I suspect January, February, and March are going to be a rude shock for Seattle fans.

:-(

[Independent007]

4. The Sonics left because of Schultz

The owner of Starbucks sold the Sonics down the river.
Period.
Those of us that lived in Seattle knew they were going to OKC from the minute the sale was finalized.
The only question was when.
The person who did not know how to manage the team was Schultz as well. The team started downhill when it got rid of their coach after going deep into the playoffs 3 years ago.
It was then the beginning of the end. And all Seattlites knew it.
I suspect that many will hold the mayor and Schultz responsible for this.
He should have never sold the team to out of towners. Especially given the fact that this town has more millionaires here than many other cities in the US. I agree with the poster that says it will be a cold long dark winter in Seattle this year.