‘Sonics guy’ has tried to stay on the ‘right side’ of Seattle arena criticism

Kris Brannon says the path that some chose to take after the Seattle City Council blocked plans for a new arena may have set the effort to get an NBA team back a bit.

“Yeah, that was really depressing,” Brannon, aka “Sonics Guy,” told KIRO Radio.

That “depressing” state of affairs he’s referring to surrounds the harsh criticism the five female council members experienced after voting against a street vacation earlier this month. The 5-4 vote basically stopped the progress toward building a new arena and bringing a basketball team to Seattle. The council shut down the arena plan by not allowing the vacation of one-block section of Occidental Avenue South.

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Others have chimed in on the matter as well. Kevin Calabro, the longtime voice of the Sonics, tweeted that it sets “NBA back at least 60 months.” Some Seattle critics weren’t so kind. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray publicly called such criticism “misogynistic” vitriol. Much of what Murray refers to is not fit to be published material.

The issue even gained national attention on comedian Samantha Bee’s show which showcased the female council members.

Brannon told KIRO Radio that he released his own statement about the hate mail the council was receiving. It was an open letter, “disavowing the sexist, misogynistic,” and “abusive language.” He made sure to note that not all the arena supporters were as inappropriate and “wouldn’t tolerate that abusive language.”

Brannon “wanted to make sure I was on the right side of history and on the right side of being cordial and respectful to people, even if I disagreed with the way they voted.”

The message the “Sonics Guy” was trying to get across was a similar sentiment to Chris Hansen’s, the main backer of the arena effort.

“While we are all naturally frustrated with the outcome, I know that the vast majority of our passionate and dedicated supporters agree with me that such comments have absolutely no place in our community,” Hansen wrote.

Brannon believes there is still a place for an arena in the region. It may not be in Seattle, however. He says he doesn’t see the city council re-voting in favor of the arena street vacation any time soon. Proponents may need to start looking at Tukwila, Bellevue and Tacoma.

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