Supersonic Downs
Can't tell you how thrilled we are with the news that the Muckleshoot Tribe is willing to donate a large parcel of land near Emerald Downs to whoever wants to build a new Sonic arena there. For hybrid fans of horse racing and hoops (of which I'm one), there's no sweeter scenario. But that's not to say we're not frustrated with how a couple typically sane entities have reacted to this news. For one, Margarita Prentice, longtime friend of Supe who's never been afraid to rake snooty Seattle across the coals, had the following to say in the Seattle times (followed by a logical rebuttal from Rollin Fatland): "One prominent Sonics supporter, Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, said she doubts the NBA wants an arena so close to the horse-racing track or nearby tribal casinos. An association with gambling is 'a major issue.' That's a hurdle that I don't know how it can be surmounted,' Prentice said. Fatland pointed out the tribe's casino is not adjacent to the proposed arena site and said it is unlikely the Muckleshoots would own the Sonics arena."
Prentice's concerns would only hold water if either Emerald Downs or the Muckleshoot Casino had a sportsbook. Which, of course, neither of them do—which leads us to the unfortunate conclusion that Prentice might be more concerned with siting the new arena in her homebase of Renton than the team's greater good. We sure hope we're wrong there, because we're fond of the scrappy Senator. Someone we're not so thrilled with, on this issue at least, is the SEIU Healthcare 775 Union, which has consistently been in sport hater Chris Van Dyk's pocket since day one of Operation Sonic Storm. Here's 775 Prez Dave Rolf's inane reaction to the Muckleshoot proposal: "While the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe made a generous offer, we are concerned about comments made by Muckleshoot spokespeople regarding the likely need for public funding for a stadium near Emerald Downs. We believe that in a state with 600,000 people without healthcare, a desperate shortage of affordable housing, and a school system that ranks among the lowest in the nation in per pupil spending, it would be unconscionable for elected officials to spend taxpayer dollars on a new sports stadium. We remain strongly opposed to any taxpayer subsidy for a new stadium and are committed to pursuing all options as necessary– including county and state initiatives or referenda – to block public subsidies for a new stadium."
We actually agree with Rolf that health care, affordable housing and schools should be much higher public priorities than financing sports stadia. But here's the thing: When you fund these monoliths, you're not inherently stealing money from health care, housing, or schools, as Rolf would lead us to believe. No legislator in their right mind would willfully skimp on funding the basics in order to fund an arena. It's a different line item in a polar opposite corner of the budget universe.
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