Boycott Starbucks!!!

How Howard Schultz destroyed the Seattle Sonics

March 31, 2008

Don’t get me wrong. I am not a disgruntled former employee, a fair-trade campaigner or fighting the chopping of the rainforests. By all accounts, Starbucks is (or presents itself) as an environmentally conscious, South-American-farmer loving company that pays decent wages. And although I am not a complete addict, I am somewhat partial to a venti caffé mocha with cream on top.

At least I was until recently. That’s when I heard the shocking news that David Stern was basically green-lighting the move of the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City. I have never been to Oklahoma City and during the Hornets post-Katrina exile the city seems to have very quickly embraced the team and its players. But it is still an outrage that a town with as much basketball history as Seattle should be stripped of its Sonics; have them ripped out after 41 years, a championship and many deafening showdowns at Key Arena.

Unfair-Trade

The story of the Sonics imminent move is simply told and even banal. Since the beginning of the century, the Sonics had been accruing losses both on the field and off it. So the owner, Howard Schultz, called for a new, more profitable arena to be built at the citizens’ expense. The city government, still paying off the newly built stadiums for the NFL’s Seahawks and the MLB’s Mariners refused to shoulder the financial burden (e.g. by introducing a special sales tax) of constructing a state-of-the-art basketball arena. As a result, Schultz eventually wound up selling the franchise to Oklahoma-City based businessman Clay Bennett in 2006.

Bennett, a close and long-standing friend of NBA commissioner David Stern, made a half-hearted attempt at persuading Seattle’s city council to give what they had earlier refused. When his efforts predictably failed, he filed to the League office for relocation. As if to force the people of Seattle to validate his claim that the public didn’t care all that much about their NBA franchise, Bennett had the team’s two stars – Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis – shipped out prior to this season and fielded a team around promising 19-year old Kevin Durant that had no business competing for a playoff spot. Safely locked into last place in the Western Conference and fighting with the Miami Heat for the NBA's worst record, the epitome of the Sonics’ season of struggles came on March 16th when they lost to the Denver Nuggets by the incredible score of 116-168 – the most points in a regulation game since before Durant celebrated his first birthday.

Many Culprits

Now, there are many culprits to be found in this unfortunate saga and the Seattle media has already accused each and everyone involved:

- The city council’s stinginess, its failure to appreciate the seriousness of the situation and lack of creativity to come up with alternative solutions.

- Clay Bennett’s treacherous vow to do all he possibly could to keep the franchise in Seattle.

- David Stern – normally the most proactive commissioner in sports – and his shocking acquiescence to the entire drama.

- The NBA’s business model that requires citizens to build arenas for billionaire owners.

You can have a legitimate gripe with any and all of them, yet I would single out one individual as the single most responsible for the death of the Sonics: Howard Schultz.

Schultz: the Irresponsible Billionaire

Many people dream of one day owning their city’s pro sports team. Howard Schultz is from Seattle. Howard Schultz amassed incredible wealth. Howard Schultz bought the Seattle Sonics in 2001. Howard Schultz fulfilled his dream. And then he got bored of his new toy. His new toy wasn’t winning like in the glorious days of the 1990s. With Gary Payton stealing the ball, running upcourt and lobbing it to Shawn Kemp who roared ferociously while slamming it home with a rim-rattling dunk. With Sam Perkins shooting jump-shots without jumping and Detlef Schrempf proving that Germans can do more than build a Porsche. And with some of the loudest and most passionate fans cheering them on.

Well, Howard couldn’t stomach the fact his team was going through a rebuilding period even though a true fan’s bond with his team should be strongest when things aren’t going your way. Oh yes, and his Sonics were losing money, as in millions of dollars.

Howard Schultz, the billionaire, did not have the obligation to endure the losses and you cannot blame him for wanting to sell a team that wasn’t as successful as his other business endeavours. But you can blame him for selling it to an investor who was suspected right from the start of having no intention whatsoever of taking root in Seattle. It seems highly unlikely that Schultz wasn’t able to find a local taker for the Sonics in a prosperous and growing region like the Northwest. Hence, for me, the main bad guy is without a doubt: Howard Schultz. And Howard Schultz also happens to be the founder and chairman of a highly successfully company called Starbucks.

It’s quite likely you are not deeply touched by the Sonics’ fate. You are not from Seattle, you don’t have any fond memories of making it to the Finals against Michael Jordan's Bulls in 1996, you have never experienced the horror of seeing Dikembe Mutombo on the floor clutching the ball after defeating your highly favoured Sonics. I understand that. I’d just ask you for one thing. The next time you’re sipping a delicious caramel macchiato, lean back for a second and imagine:

What if Howard Schultz did that to my team?

- Ole

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Created by: Ole