Maybe a small one, but it’s a start. 

Sonics and Storm owner Clay Bennett says he’s “out of ideas” for landing an arena deal in Seattle and plans to file this November with the NBA for permission to move the teams after next season.

It will be a shame that two of the area’s major sports teams are leaving. Even so, it’s about time that multi-million-dollar professional sports organizations had their bluff called when they try to blackmail the public out of massive amounts of funding with threats to leave.

Let’s just hope the state legislature doesn’t decide that it’s an emergency and give them a half billion dollars just to spite the people, like they’ve done with other sports teams. If professional sports can’t stand on their own then maybe we don’t need them all that much after all.

Perhaps professional sports organizations might learn from this, but I doubt it. It’s long been my belief, especially when it comes to basketball, that professional athletes are paid considerably more than they’re worth.

They don’t serve as good role models anymore either, unless the roles you want modeled include criminal behavior. Do we really want our children learning that it’s OK to take illegal drugs if it helps you ignore pain, or bulk up just so you can hit a baseball a few extra feet? Do we really want them to believe that the risk of cancer is worth a few extra rushing yards per play?

People have long complained that sports stars are paid to much and get away with too much bad behavior. The sports fanatic’s answer has been that they’re worth it, because otherwise the people wouldn’t come to see them. It looks like both sides are right, because the people aren’t coming in enough numbers to keep the teams off of the public dole.

Good riddance to the Sonics. Good riddance to another extortionist organization that can’t pay it’s own way without public funding. We don’t need them nearly as much as they need us.

Originally posted at Perri Nelson’s Website.