Luke Burbank: Arena deal is a winner for city
Sep 11, 2012, 10:11 AM | Updated: Oct 11, 2024, 1:08 pm
 Luke Burbank says Chris Hansen is a hero for his Sonics deal (AP photo) |
Lifetime Sonics fan Luke Burbank praises the new agreement on a Seattle arena.
“To my mind there are so many safeguards built into this. And now the Port is getting $40 million and Key Arena is getting $7 million, it seems like everybody is getting paid off in this deal,” Burbank says.
Burbank argues the $200 million in public lending to help finance the arena is a small investment, and with investor Chris Hansen required to pay the money back, taxpayers can’t get a better deal.
“I feel like pro sports really add something to a city. I would argue they add as much to a city as parks, green space, as much as the opera, as much as all of the things we as a city and a county put money into.”
Not everyone agrees. Bruce in Lynwood writes:
Tell me…how has our city suffered from not having an NBA team or hockey team? The sports fans I know have not suffered much. Besides Burbank, anyone can go to a city park. A very small percentage of the population can go to an NBA game.
