Hard to imagine, but someday basketball fans might remember the Seattle Supersonics like they do the Kansas City Royals or the Minneapolis Lakers. Eventually the Sonics will just be another defunct team. Sonicsgate is the argument that the relocation was unfair, and set-up.
First of all, the movie goes through the very entertaining history of the team. For 41 years the team played in front of the Seattle fans, and continue to play today. But instead of the glowing emerald, they are wearing a gaudy blue, and instead of Seattle, their jerseys say the unfamiliar name of Oklahoma City. Gary Payton's jersey will not hang in the arena. In fact, the very NBA Championship trophy the Sonics won in 1979, the only pro championship won in Seattle, is now owned by possibly the most hated man in Washington: Clay Bennett.
Even if you have almost no knowledge of what went down in Seattle, like I did, I would advise you to watch this movie. It is more than just a bitter commentary about a bunch of suits taking their team away from them. It is the story of a city. A city that was fooled by selfish, greedy businessmen who's eyes where looking someplace else.
The truly sad thing about this team, explained in the final minutes of the film, is that the history that the team built is gone forever. Even if they were to receive a team again, Seattle's basketball history is now considered part of the Oklahoma City Thunder. That right there is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportion.
The good thing about the movie, is you can watch it for free. So what do you have to lose? It may run a tad long (almost 2 hours), but just split it up. Watch this film, so everytime you see Kevin Durant and the Thunder slowly rise in the standing, you can think of what Sonics fans are feeling. That was once theirs, and now it's not.
Sonicsgate SD Full Version from sonicsgate on Vimeo.
