The mourning of Seattle Supersonics fans is long and storied, and a great number of them refuse to give up hope on the NBA returning to the area. Among them are Mayor Mike McGinn, who met with NBA commissioner David Stern on Monday afternoon. Radio talk show host Mike Salk is another, who takes objection to the rhetorical tricks he sees at work in the Seattle Times. Comments from both after the jump.
It's not known exactly what McGinn said to Stern, but he was there to stress the city is serious about the NBA:
McGinn spokesman Aaron Pickus confirmed the meeting via email: "We met so the mayor could show his commitment to bringing an NBA team back to Seattle."[...]The city and county councils are currently considering an agreement reached between Hansen, the city and King County to build a nearly $500 million state-of-the art sports and entertainment venue in the Sodo neighborhood. The public contribution would be capped at $200 million, if a National Hockey League team also is secured.
Salk, meanwhile, notes that the Seattle Times editorial board came out against the arena but doesn't think they're playing fair:
"Where will consumers find the money to buy tickets?" asks the editorial. "And at what cost to Mariners baseball and Seahawks football? The arena and its tenants and events are competing for a finite amount of entertainment dollars. Who loses in the economy when one is substituted for another?"
Ah, this is a great oratorical trick by the (anonymous) author: asking questions that sound rhetorical and obvious but actually are based on false premises.
The road to the NBA's return to Seattle will undoubtedly be long and winding, but the city has fans who are committed to seeing it through.