No need to supply links as the story headlines all local media, but I AM GLAD the sports team is leaving.  Despite the entertainment and lifestyle benefits, whatever they may be, few activities in modern civilization waste so much energy and so many resources (paper) as professional sport extravaganzas.  However big time mass sports spectacles are just one process among many with destructive effects in our society, not the worst by far and these events do have their legitimate place.  If that is, they would pay their own way!  Which it seems that Seattle team and team owners have not in recent years.  As both Paul Allen and the Nintendo-leaded consortium that owns the Mariners have successfullly pigged out financially in the public trough.  Saddling the citizens of this area and our state with the costs of building their stadiums - for their private businesses! - even through the voters rejected the bond requests time and again.

I suspect it has been voter and public resentment (partiucularly in Eastern Washington) of paying the costs and “externalities” to subside the frivolous “businesses” for billionaires that fueled the tax revolt behind Tim Eymans initiatives that have so devastrated intelligent transportation planning and implementation in Greater Puget Sound.  We are going to have deeper and greater problems in our future, because it will be difficult to sell the idea of bonds to build out things like an electified light rail network linking local cities, in a struggling economy where everyone thinks the system is rigged and shafting them for the benefit of the super rich.

So hurrah Seattle for saying Enough Is Enough.  Take the team!  We as a region and a community can no longer afford to subside construction and maintenance of stadiums and related business facilities for what are essentially frivolous and not that fun or cool sport entertainment spectacles that encourage people to drive needlessly, end up in traffic jams and spends massive amounts of money to eat food that is bad for their health - to support a business that is clearly not viable.  If these business can't pay their own way, let them die.  No more robbing the public! -Joe

P.S. - Just one year after my sister helped defeat NASCAR from robbing Washington State $160 million plus or so to build a racetrack near the Bremerton Airport, I am so happy to see that NASCAR nationwide - or more properly their fans - is suffering financially.  Seems fewer people can afford to drive their RV hundreds of miles to these races anymore. 

Thanks for replying Bill and for advancing this thread.  Your points are excellent and I hasten to add that it is not sports, even professional sports I am being down on, but the rapacious way team owners have went to the public to subside your private business interest.  I am a big advocate of participary sports, but the professional leagues are really only about bigtime entertainment and consumption.  The stadiiums were sold as economic development, but really they are expensive leisure pursuits and any money spent on the various food and entertainment franchises connected to the major sport leagues, is just money taken from other pursuits.  These events create consumption and they produce little, but a bit of excitement and some sport scores.

On the other hand, if that stadium money was invested into water fountains and public restrooms, so people could walk and bicycle more comfortably, that would be be worth it. -Joe