Turn the Sonics Into a Utility?

Sports Illustrated's Dave Zirin has an interesting idea for how Seattle can keep the Sonics: municipalize them.

"Municipalizing" is the city version of "nationalizing," which is what South American countries are always threatening to do with their oil industry. But municipalization has a history in Seattle, too. We municipalized the power industry here in 1951, when voters approved a measure directing Seattle City Light to buy out its competition.

Argues Zirin:

From Slick Watts to Shawn Kemp, from the Xavier McDaniel scene in Singles to Tom Chambers' mullet, from Shawn Kemp to Bird, the SuperSonics -- and the Storm -- are Seattle. To the people of the Emerald City, it's time to go on offense. Until now, you have threatened lawsuits to keep the team an extra couple years. But that will just delay Bennett's agenda. It's time to get serious.

Amen!