We did it! We did it!
With a lot of hard work by a tremendous amount of people and the vote from the Seattle City Council we have cleared what is arguably the biggest hurdle to bringing NBA basketball back to the city of Seattle. Of where it is sorely needed since it left over 4 long years ago.
My name is Kris Brannon, but you may know me as the Sonics Guy. The man with the salt and pepper Afro usually wearing gold pants who for over the last 3 years has delivered a positive message to the masses at over 1,000 events that we need to get a team back. I was kindly asked to write the inaugural column for this site on what's it means to me to be a fan. This is a big, bold question that I will answer to the best of my ability with this entry.
To me there is NO one right answer to this query. They say there are 2 things you shouldn't talk about in public are religion and politics while this may be true, luckily sports doesn't follow this example as a matter of fact it is quite the opposite. Sports is one of those few things that people are actually encouraged to discuss freely and openly. This allows for people to become fans and to talk with others about their favorite team. When I started donning the green and gold as a means of supporting my team even though they were gone I guess you could say it was an act of fandom.
In my adventures as Sonics Guy I believe I have seen what it means to be a fan by talking with the thousands of people I've seen at all types of events. I've seen how you will stop me on the street and how you know I'm the Sonics Answer Man and I can give you an update on the Arena situation and how everyone enthusiasm has increased with each increasing step to making basketball a realty in this region again. Being a fan is someone honking and yelling "SSSOOONNNNIIICCCSS!!!" at me from a passing car. Being a fan is you telling me about your various experiences with Sonics. I've heard you tell me about how being a fan has strengthen the bond between family members and between friends. Being a fan is having a prized Sonics possession that has a special place in your heart. Being a fan is all of these thing and so much more. In my travels what I've noticed about being a fan especially a Sonics fan is it is truly a unifier. In being a fan we don't care about your income, gender, race, creed, orientation, size, politics or anything else. All that we care about is that you cheer.
Sincerely,
Sonics Guy