Welfare kings

Sports teams pay millions for talent but ask the public to pay millions for stadiums | Mark Bergin

In October 1995, the city of Seattle opened a new NBA basketball arena that immediately drew accolades for intimate design elements and dynamic sight lines. But just a dozen years later, Sonics owner Clay Bennett claims KeyArena is no longer an economically viable NBA facility and that no amount of renovations could alter that reality.

Bennett intends to relocate the team next year barring some unforeseen final-hour deal to build an entirely new arena with public funds. Seattle fired back last month with a lawsuit aimed at forcing the Sonics organization to honor its KeyArena lease agreement through 2010.

Such sports-facility spats are nothing new for Seattle or most other markets with professional franchises. With demand for teams greater than supply, cities must compete to keep their hometown heroes home.