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When a professional team moves away...

S

Steve S

Jul 26, 2000
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#1
Seattle lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City when the coffee man sold the team to Clay Bennett. They've become one of the elite teams in the NBA. While the Sonics won the NBA championship before Magic Johnson and Larry Bird joined the league, they enjoyed success only during the reign of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. Couldn't beat Michael Jordan's Bulls but fun to watch.

Seattle's city council approved building a new arena and will try to get another team. Perhaps the Sacramento Kings who aren't very good.

The Baltimore Ravens left Cleveland and have become a very good football team, even winning the SuperBowl. The Cleveland Browns are awful. I'm wondering how the people from Cleveland have handled this...watching their old team do well.
 
#2
It will be interesting to see how all the Sonic fans in Seattle react to being the city looking to take a team from another city. I remember people breathing fire and death threats against Clay Bennett and Oklahoma City when it became apparent the Sonics were leaving.

-Mike
 
#6
MJ5150 said:
Actually, it means very much to the fans.

-Mike
Click to expand...

The fans have all the power to dictate how professional sports operate. They are the ones who provide the demand in the supply and demand. So if they care so much about teams coming and going (without any regard to the city they supposedly represent) the fans should do something about it.
 
#9
I don't normally contribute to these American sport threads because its way out of my comfort zone, but this intrigues me.

Assume I know nothing....are you guys saying this would be like Manchester United (arguably England's biggest football - sorry, soccer - team) moving to play in London? Same players, same coaching and management team, same name etc? How the heck does THAT work?
 
#12
Tituscrow said:
Assume I know nothing....are you guys saying this would be like Manchester United (arguably England's biggest football - sorry, soccer - team) moving to play in London? Same players, same coaching and management team, same name etc? How the heck does THAT work?
Click to expand...

...sounds like you're on the right track.
I recall the Baltimore Colts owner sneakin' out in the middle of the night in order to move to Indy...the Baltimore Colts name & colours moved to Indy. All the players/staff went to Indy.
When the Cleveland Browns owner took flight to Baltimore (w/ players/staff), Cleveland fought & was able to retain the Browns name & colours. Hence, you have the purple-clad Ravens in Baltimore (Ravens = Edgar Alan Poe reference/ties). FWIW, I was surprised the City of Baltimore took the Browns in...after what had happened to them with the Colts.

In the NBA, the New Orleans Jazz relocated to Utah...if ever a reloacted team required a name change.
There's Jazz in Utah?!?!?!

;)

...and the Lakers name shoulda stayed in Minnesota, too!
 
#15
Tituscrow said:
I don't normally contribute to these American sport threads because its way out of my comfort zone, but this intrigues me.

Assume I know nothing....are you guys saying this would be like Manchester United (arguably England's biggest football - sorry, soccer - team) moving to play in London? Same players, same coaching and management team, same name etc? How the heck does THAT work?
Click to expand...

Many, if not most, football clubs existed before there was an official league in their country. They started out as clubs with members and later became professional teams. It could be said then, that a football club is more than merely it's professional team. It's an organization that has it's roots in the community it represents.

In American sports it's the opposite (with the exception of baseball). In America, a group of rich guys get together and decide to start a league, then they sell licenses to individual owners who will operate a franchise in their city (like McDonald's). So the team is really just a team, nothing more, and the organization is nothing more than an office full of people who own a license to operate the team. That license can be transferred from one owner to another, and from one city to another, at the whim of the league. There is nothing tying them to their city other than a silly nickname which has something to do with the city's history, like San Francisco 49ers or San Diego Padres. What then happens is that the owners take advantage of the fans affection for the team and make demands on the city for a new arena, stadium, etc... and constantly threaten to leave if the city (taxpayers) don't meet their demands.
 
#16
matante said:
Many, if not most, football clubs existed before there was an official league in their country. They started out as clubs with members and later became professional teams. It could be said then, that a football club is more than merely it's professional team. It's an organization that has it's roots in the community it represents.

In American sports it's the opposite (with the exception of baseball). In America, a group of rich guys get together and decide to start a league, then they sell licenses to individual owners who will operate a franchise in their city (like McDonald's). So the team is really just a team, nothing more, and the organization is nothing more than an office full of people who own a license to operate the team. That license can be transferred from one owner to another, and from one city to another, at the whim of the league. There is nothing tying them to their city other than a silly nickname which has something to do with the city's history, like San Francisco 49ers or San Diego Padres. What then happens is that the owners take advantage of the fans affection for the team and make demands on the city for a new arena, stadium, etc... and constantly threaten to leave if the city (taxpayers) don't meet their demands.
Click to expand...

Oh I'm more than aware of the origins of Association Football here in the UK :)

But thanks for that second paragraph...it explains a lot. I had no idea.
 
#17
Steve S said:
Seattle lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City when the coffee man sold the team to Clay Bennett. They've become one of the elite teams in the NBA. While the Sonics won the NBA championship before Magic Johnson and Larry Bird joined the league, they enjoyed success only during the reign of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. Couldn't beat Michael Jordan's Bulls but fun to watch.

Seattle's city council approved building a new arena and will try to get another team. Perhaps the Sacramento Kings who aren't very good.
Click to expand...

I'll find my childhood LA Rams hat somewhere... LA is supposed to be building a new stadium and getting a new football team. I dont think the Rams are coming home, though.
 
#20
When the Raiders leave Oakland again, I'm sure they maintain that sucking tradition. Or be relevant once every decade or two.

Edit: As for American teams not originating from clubs... I thought that's why both the (real) football Giants and baseball Giants came from New York. Am I wrong? Wasn't there a football Dodgers as well? Maybe I am off on that...
 

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