Listen to Ross and Burbank weekdays on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM
 Ross+Burbank


sonicsfans.jpg
New research shows Seattle has some of the lowest interest in the NBA among fans nationwide, although a new team could change that. (AP image)

Despite the hype, numbers show little NBA interest in Seattle

BY Josh Kerns  on January 16, 2013 @ 12:49 pm (Updated: 10:48 am - 1/25/13 )

KIRO Radio's Luke Burbank is among the hard core basketball fans who can't wait for the NBA to return to Seattle. But even though there's been plenty of excitement the past week as word of a potential sale of the Sacramento Kings swirled, some new research says the city might not be nearly as much of a basketball hotbed as rabid fans like Luke believe.

Seattle Times researcher Gene Balk did some digging into the numbers and found people in Seattle have some of the lowest interest in the NBA among a number of major metro areas.

In an interview with the Luke Burbank Show, Balk says he found only 4.1 percent of people in the area expressed a "very high" level of interest in the NBA, with only Harrisburg, PA and Green Bay, WI being the only metro areas having less interest. That ranks us 75th in NBA interest nationwide, slightly lower than even Spokane.

The numbers were taken from surveys done in 2011 and 2012 after the Sonics left for Oklahoma City. But Balk says they definitely raise questions about how much fans here are actually interested in the NBA.

"What surprised me was just the degree to which it dropped and that's why I thought there was an interesting story there," he says.

Perhaps more surprising were the numbers even before the Sonics left town. You'd figure there would be a huge number of fans for the team and the NBA after all those years, but Balk says that wasn't the case.

"Relatively, it was still below the national average even with the team here," he says. "The percentage of people in this market who said they were very interested in the NBA ranged from about 6 percent to a high of a little under 9 percent, and the average nationally is about 10 percent year after year."

Balk says it's clear fan support is higher when the team is doing well. When the Sonics made the playoffs in 2005, fan interest spiked at 8.9 percent saying they were "very interested." But even then, he found our market still only ranked 27th when it came to the highest level of interest in the NBA. By comparison, he found nearly a third of the population in San Antonio expressed the highest level of interest in that period.

While he's confident landing a new team will rejuvenate NBA fan interest, he says the numbers show the NBA's return isn't necessarily a slam dunk.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
More Ross and Burbank

MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments (17)


  • Add A Comment

  • doublej wrote...
    Sounds about right
    January 16, 2013 2:03 pm
    We talk about it at work all the time. There's one guy who is happy they might be coming back and 17 of us who don't care.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Dan1 wrote...
    The Sacramento Kings are as garbage as they come
    January 16, 2013 2:09 pm
    The Mariners won't be the only horrible team if the Kings come here.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    Lets rephrase the question : Do the 'Taxpayers' want the NBA Back -
    January 16, 2013 2:26 pm
    no no and hell-no!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Kevin2012 wrote...
    Taxpayers...?
    January 16, 2013 4:21 pm
    What exactly are you worried about? this right here exemplifies your ignorance on this whole deal, there is NO tax increase or your involvement WHATSOEVER The only people that will pay for this arena is the people who go to the games, the price of it will be added on to items sold in the arena, like food, drinks, souvenirs etc. You wont be affected at all, so please dont come here with your ignorance claiming to know anything about it.... SECOND of all this article is bogus, of course there is little interest in the NBA here THERE IS NO TEAM!!!! the closest one is in Portland... duhhh and before the Sonics left they were terrible, only after getting Kevin Durrant they got better, and as everyone can see they were in the Finals last year, if that was still the Sonics, i guarantee that the fan interest would be through the roof....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Skykomish2 wrote...
    So far...
    January 16, 2013 2:35 pm
    Nobody I've talked with here at work wants them. Overpaid elitists. Bring on Hockey!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • calapete wrote...
    so why would Hansen, Nordstrom and Balimer put up 525 million?
    January 16, 2013 2:36 pm
    these guys are not dummies. They obviously know they can make money, or they wouldn't be doing it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sghouse wrote...
    Maybe...
    January 16, 2013 2:52 pm
    or it might just be an ego trip for mega-rich guys that have more money than they could count in a lifetime. So what if they lose a few million? They've plenty more...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dbhawkfan84 wrote...
    SONICS!
    January 16, 2013 2:39 pm
    BRING EM' BACK! YOU KNOW WHERE MY VOTE STANDS. ITS NOT THE SONICS FAULT THAT SEATTLE HAS THE WORST FANS IN THE COUNTRY, OR LACK THERE OF. THAT BEING SAID GO SONICS! AND GO HAWKS!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zoeller wrote...
    Bring them back-
    January 16, 2013 2:52 pm
    I have a brand new never worn winter sonics jacket that I won in a contest years ago sitting in a closet still wrapped in its original bag. I would like to wear it some day. I would never pay to go see a game but I would watch them on TV.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sghouse wrote...
    Ebay that jacket!
    January 16, 2013 3:02 pm
    some sports chump will likely pay big bucks for it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    $156 Million
    January 16, 2013 2:55 pm
    That's what the Maloofs paid for the Kings in 1998.

    NBA owners can lose money annually and still make out like bandits.

    I can't imagine how intelligent people like Hansen and Ballmer could have overlooked Initiative 91 when trying to cut a deal with the city...

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • shark75 wrote...
    That's because basketball is boring as hell.
    January 16, 2013 3:23 pm
    And the risk of getting shot at a game is about 100 times higher than any other sport...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    i don't know...
    January 17, 2013 7:18 am
    ever been to a raiders game?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    ignorance on this whole deal, there is NO tax increase or your involvement WHATSOEVER???? -
    January 16, 2013 4:53 pm
    then why were the TAPAYERS not given a vote? items sold in the arena, like food, drinks, souvenirs etc! etc! etc! etc! to make up $200 million? only republicans would believe that!!If your love the Sonic's go!! you know where they are!! you won't be missed!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }