Mar
25
I was lucky enough to be invited to watch last night’s Sonics game from courtside seats. Looking up at an NBA basketball player while the game is underway is pretty cool. Plus they pulled out a win to top it off!
But the seats and the win were gravy. A live event, the players giving a strong performance, the venue (mostly) full of people cheering — there’s something enduring and important about that. It’s about community. A shared interest and experience. And that’s true for just about all local events, whether it’s the Sonics, classical music, hip hop, art exhibits, theater, lectures, or a pillow fight.
That’s what makes cities vibrant. And that’s why Seattle should save the Sonics. It’s not the numbers. A raft of studies show that most claims about the direct financial benefits of pro sports teams to a city are inaccurate and wildly overstated. That’s true, but misses the point.
We humans are social creatures. Sports, like other events, are a part of the fabric of the community. Great communities attract great people. Great people build great businesses. And the cycle repeats, until you’ve got a group of guys willing to kick over $150 million to save the Sonics, which is the tipping point to make it work at a logical level.
So it doesn’t matter if you actually attend the games, just like it doesn’t matter if you go to events at Benaroya Hall, McCaw Hall or Town Hall. The fact is, their presence makes our community stronger. And maybe, one of these days, someone will invite you to an event you weren’t planning to attend. The options exist, as long as the players do.
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