|
 In attempt to allow the testimony of Seattle’s KJR-AM radio personality Mitch Levy, the city of Seattle has filed a motion claiming that the Sonics have intentionally limited their team’s exposure over the last year.
 In the motion, attorney Michelle Jensen outlines several reasons why the media members should be allowed to testify. As reported by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Levy would be asked by the city's lawyers to explain how Clay Bennett's Professional Basketball Club has undercut its own marketing efforts in Seattle by severely limiting player and coaches interviews on KJR-AM sports radio, thereby "adding to its self-inflicted financial wounds."  [Sherman] Alexie, an award-winning writer as well as a 10-year Sonics season-ticket holder, would be asked to testify to the "intangible benefits" the team provides Seattle, in contrast to the "near-zero" cultural value once professed by City Councilman Nick Licata.
 The Sonics’ attorneys argue that allowing the two media members to testify would continue to fuel the “media circus†fire that currently surrounds the case. They added that this motion offers “no valuable insight†to the landlord-tenant controversy over the final two years of KeyArena’s lease.  However, Jensen claims that the Sonics have made “only minimal efforts†to market Seattle’s young star Kevin Durant, allowing him only one appearance on KJR and “failing to attempt to create a bond between Mr. Durant and the Seattle community.†Allowing Levy and Alexie to appear in court would help shed some light on this situation.  Jensen’s motion goes on to say: “Mr. Levy’s testimony will demonstrate PBC’s apparently intentional efforts to minimize public interest in the Sonics. This is a particularly troubling issue, as there appears to be no other plausible explanation for PBC’s deliberate effort to avoid marketing the team other than for purposes of this litigation.† Levy, a former sideline reporter for the Sonics, could also be used in one of the city’s exhibits, which includes a televised interview with NBA commissioner David Stern. In this interview, Stern speaks to Levy about the “attributes of a remodeled KeyArena when it opened in 1995.  The city of Seattle wasn’t the only one filing a motion on Wednesday, as the Sonics filed a few of their own. In one of the motions filed, the Sonics ask U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman to allow a survey, which reveals that the Sonics are the third most popular team among Seattle sports fans. In another motion, the Sonics outline PBC’s efforts to locate a new arena in the region.  Both matters go to the "heart of why this matter is in litigation," according to the team's attorneys, noting that the city has conceded KeyArena is inadequate for an NBA team and the PBC was unable to obtain a successor venue in a city that previously had funded new facilities for pro baseball and football.
 Judge Pechman is expected to rule on the motion during a pretrial conference on Friday. The six-day trial is scheduled to begin on June 16.
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
Nick Kappel is a staff member for the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network's Author Profiles
|
