sonicsgate
watch all of the official sonicsgate bonus features! http: / / sonicsgate. com .
sonicsgate: how seattle lost the sonics after 41 years. watch the full documentary urltoken # sonicsgate oct 15, 2009
sonicsgate director jason reid and producer adam brown sit down with paul silvi on northwest sports tonight to discuss the documentary film sonicsgate .
cnbc trailer for the award - winning doc
sonicsgate: requiem for a team
learn more at http: / / sonicsgate. com .
sonicsgate is featured on the show cnbc sports biz with darren rovell before the documentary airs nationally on cnbc in 2012. http: / / sonicsgate. com .
play david stern off, keyboard cat! !! (sonicsgate. org )
play howard schultz off, keyboard cat! !! (sonicsgate. org )
now oklahoma city knows what it’s like to be robbed. # sonicsgate may 24, 2011
gary payton makes 5 word acceptance speech for sonicsgate webby award. urltoken jun 19, 2010
gary payton on the 1996 finals vs. chicago and michael jordan [ sonicsgate bonus # 4 ]
seattle sonics – nothing new. check out the sonicsgate documentary to learn how everything really went down .
sonicsgate: online director' s cut pt. 1 - cz. 1 hd - polskie napisy !
looking for movie tickets? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing sonicsgate near you .
sonicsgate: online director' s cut pt. 2 - cz. 2 hd - polskie napisy !
george karl on the 1996 western conference finals - sonics vs. jazz [ sonicsgate bonus # 3 ]
“sonicsgate” is a detailed underscoring documentary of politics and finance which ultimately caused the supersonics demise in seattle .
sonicsgate on twitter :
the @ espn classic premiere of
sonicsgate: requiem for a team
has been rescheduled to friday, march 14 at 6: 00pm pacific time / 9: 00pm et .
if you don' t have a strong stomach for that kind of thing, don' t watch sonicsgate .
urltoken remember when the seattle supersonics drafted kevin durant? ... and then seattle was robbed # sonicsgate .
thanks always to sonicsgate for their efforts. i can' t wait to support you on all your future projects .
forever green and gold: one - on - one with the director of
sonicsgate
- sportscenter. com - espn
seattle sonics move to oklahoma and go to nba finals 3 years later. good grief. # sonicsgate jun 07, 2012
# favoritenbamoments when the seattle sonics drafted kevin durant (before the team was stolen). @ sonicsgate nov 28, 2011
just donated: kickstarter – send sonicsgate to denver for the playoffs game 3 vs. okc! : urltoken apr 18, 2011
the glove accepts the love for the
sonicsgate
documentary with director jason reid and executive producer camp jones at the webby awards .
iconic: shawn kemp' the reign man' seattle sonics. # shawnkemp # reignman # seattlesonics @ sonicsgate # sonics @ bringbacksonics urltoken
adam brown, left, jason reid, center, and darren lund created
sonicsgate ,
a documentary film that premieres tonight .
fortune named howard schultz the “business person of the year”. threw my copy straight into the recycle. # sonicsgate dec 01, 2011
sonicsgate director jason reid interviewed by ian furness on the blazers pregame show before their game against the team formerly known as the sonics .
coach george karl expresses his shock and disbelief at the supersonics leaving seattle after 41 years. http: / / sonicsgate. org .
okc losing in the finals is sweet justice for sonics fans. long live the curse of the squatch! # sonicsgate jun 22, 2012
@ okhumor stating the obvious. that’s why we are mad at howard schultz for selling out the fans. # sonicsgate apr 27, 2012
urltoken | sacramento mayor kevin johnson, sonicsgate director jason reid, seattle tv reporter chris daniels and sacramento royalty' s kevin ...
sb nation seattle spoke with adam brown the producer of
sonicsgate: requiem for a team ,
during thursday' s sonics rally. brown gave us his thoughts on the rally, chris hansen and the recent national television airing of sonicsgate. see our interview with brown below :
just watched the documentary sonicsgate for the second time and i hope clay bennett and the okc thunder never win a nba championship. ever. urltoken
sonicsgate (which is now viewable in its entirety for free online) is the movie that documents just about every step of that miserable process .
looking forward to the seattle smc event next week with @ sonicsgate. ironically it is sponsored by the seattle city council. jun 22, 2011
hopefully the thunder going to the western conf. finals will help grow awareness that seattle should have a team! # sonicsgate may 16, 2011
urltoken | former sonics coach p. j. carlesimo, espn commentator john clayton, sonicsgate director jason reid and longtime seahawks fan ...
cnbc will re - air sonicsgate in its entirety on friday at 6: 00 p. m. pt. sonicsgate is not only an obvious must - view for all sonics fans, but a film for all sports fans and how fans are sometimes helpless against the big business of professional sports .
i only allow myself a certain amount of drama every day. today, it' s between sonicsgate and the nobel prize fallout. tough decision .
urltoken | sonicsgate is a feature - length documentary film exposing the truth behind the supersonics' tragic exodus after 41 years in the emerald ...
cnbc fast money discusses the national release of
sonicsgate: requiem for a team
and oklahoma city thunder owner aubrey mcclendon fair use ...
the sonicsgate crew airs our grievances outside the nba flagship store in manhattan and invites david stern to our ny screenings. go to urltoken ...
more politics and more proof that in basketball we just don' t all see eye to eye. much love and respect to my brothers at sonicsgate .
i can' t wait to see sonicsgate. i' m sure it will be as fair and impartial as any michael moore or fox news documentary .
@ nw _ mktg _ guy awesome! have you seen the documentary sonicsgate? bennett to pay fans $ 1. 6 mill urltoken jan 22, 2010
this 3: 30 trailer for sonicsgate played at the beginning of the april 28th
outside the lines
on espn: urltoken featuring music ...
i just want to take a moment to give credit to the guys at sonicsgate who are debuting a new project at the seattle international film festival this thursday .
rt @ aschofield425: @ denvernuggets # sonics fans everywhere have your back. show okc how it’s done. # neverforget # robbed # sonicsgate apr 20, 2011
with these nominations, “sonicsgate” is also eligible in both categories for the webby awards people’s voice in which fan votes determine the winners. these webby nominations continue to build momentum for “sonicsgate” as the film prepares for a four - day new york city premiere and today announces its special selection for the prestigious park city music film festival .
rt @ cnbcsmart don’t miss the premiere of @ sonicsgate – tonight @ 10p et on @ cnbc. winner of @ thewebbyawards best sports film. apr 27, 2012
rt @ missingsonics congrats to @ sonicsgate’s jason reid for winning an emmy award as director of “man zou: beijing to shanghai. ” # natasnw jun 17, 2011
the producers of
sonicsgate: requiem for a team
today announced that the espn family of networks has licensed the north american broadcast rights of the documentary .
new short trailer for the film sonicsgate featuring clips from the film and the music of neema and jake one. watch the full movie free online at ...
urltoken | sonicsgate director jason reid (13: 38 into the video), sports agent leigh steinberg, marcos breton of the sacramento bee, kings ...
sonics legend gary payton talks about the great basketball fans in the city of seattle and their outstanding support for the team. http: / / sonicsgate. org .
@ sonicsgate @ nba2lou @ espn viewing parties? really? it' s been 6 years. at this pace y' all will be as miserable as cleveland sports fans
urltoken | the creators of sonicsgate scored prime seats to the denver vs. okc playoff game 3, showing the nation that sonics fans are still here and ...
urltoken | 30 - second trailer for
sonicsgate: requiem for a team
( 2012), the critically acclaimed documentary on how the supersonics were stolen ...
ed keyboardist and self - taught guitarist. he composed the incidental film score for the hit independent film sonicsgate, which was a 2009 webby award winner for best internet sports film and a park city music film festival selection. the re - edited television broadcast version entitled sonicsgate: requiem for a team was shown on cnbc many times in 2012 .
the seattle weekly, camp jones, and reidster reid present part 1 of sonicsgate: seattle vs sonics, documenting the june 16th save our sonics rally at the ...
even though i covered it pretty hard in real time, thankfully, i had forgotten many of the details of this whole endeavor. but sonicsgate snapped them right back into focus .
rt @ sonicsgate: multiple reports tonight that kings sale to hansen finalized & will be announced monday / tuesday. # nba # sea # sac # rum … jan 21, 2013
the @ espn classic premiere of
sonicsgate: requiem for a team
has been rescheduled to friday, march 14 at 6: 00pm pacific time / 9: 00pm et .
with assistance of former head coach george karl and teammates payton and kemp in the filming of “sonicsgate, ” a want for a basketball return to the city seems to be heartfelt .
director of sonicsgate jason reid stops by kjr' s studio to discuss the film, nyc, and the recent webby award for best sports film. the radio broadcast was ...
the official channel for the producers and creators of the webby award - winning documentary film sonicsgate: requiem for a team. check out all the bonus features. the supersonics belong in seattle! urltoken
but beginning tonight and saturday night, seattle will have that opportunity. before they release their documentary
sonicsgate
free on the internet, the people behind the movie are offering two public screenings .
the sonicsgate crew takes to the road, paying our respects to the old i - 5 rivalry and representing the green and gold in portland. this video is a warning to all ...
espn classic will air
sonicsgate
for the first time at 9: 00 p. m. eastern time / 6: 00 p. m. pacific time on friday, feb. 7 .
sonicsgate was featured on
outside the lines
on espn 4 / 28 / 10. director jason reid, steve kelley from the seattle times, chris van dyk of citizens for more ...
“sonicsgate” will screen for four days at the people’s improv theater (154 w. 29th street, second floor) in nyc. the first two screenings are reserved for members of the press and invitation only; the friday and saturday screenings are open to the public. all four nyc screenings start at 3: 00 p. m. local new york time. advanced tickets at www. sonicsgate. org .
can’t believe today is the 10 year anniversary of my sonics being ripped away from seattle. i’ll talk with my buddies (as seen in this pic) from @ sonicsgate today on @ take5seattle @ king5seattle urltoken
“sonicsgate” director jason reid is also scheduled to appear on espn during an upcoming episode of “outside the lines” to discuss the national implications of the film and how the sonics scandal affects other cities with professional sports franchises .
this documentary exposes the truth behind the sonics' departure told directly by the people involved. a fascinating piece of investigative citizen journalism, sonicsgate shows why no home team is safe in the world of modern pro sports .
after winning best sports film for our documentary “sonicsgate” in 2010 and having “mr. irrelevant” named an honoree in 2014, we’re thrilled to have our work recognized again this year by the webby awards, the internet’s highest honor .
“mr. irrelevant” premiered in january and was named a webby award honoree in april. after winning best sports film for “sonicsgate” in 2010, we’re thrilled to have our work recognized again by the webby awards, the internet’s highest honor .
probably my least favorite thing about modern media. every
scandal
is just word - gate. bountygate, deflategate, sonicsgate etc. watergate was the full name of the hotel. it wasn' t some scandal about water .
sonicsgate is a feature documentary film exposing the truth behind how seattle lost the supersonics after a heated legal battle in 2008. the perfect storm of corporate greed and political impotence formed to rob loyal seattle sports fans of their oldest professional franchise .
“sonicsgate” has been selected for the park city music film festival in association with the park city film series, which recognizes “unique and exceptional cinematic efforts. ” the film will screen on may 20. more info at www. parkcityfilmseries. com .
so, when these e - mails were made public, bennett actually had the nerve to claim (on video, in sonicsgate) that when he said he was a
man possessed
he was talking about being possessed with keeping the team in seattle .
in 2010, at the webby awards gala for films, supersonics career - leader in games played, payton accepted the award for “sonicsgate” as the best sports film. payton was a special surprise guest for the producers and with his trademark charisma, didn’t disappoint .
in 2010, the film was given the webby award for best sports film. for more information on film, head over to the sonicsgate official website. the movie was recently released on dvd and can be purchased at costco, amazon and the seattle team shop .
national cable tv network espn classic is scheduled to air “sonicsgate: requiem for a team” nine times this weekend, with the first airing on friday, march 14 at 6: 00 p. m. pacific time / 9: 00 p. m. eastern time .
sonicsgate, which you can watch for free on their web site, urltoken, the chronicling of the life and death of the seattle supersonics franchise, provides a thorough dissection of what really went down in the emerald city and why the sonics are now in oklahoma city .
colin baxter – co - executive producer: colin is a creative guru who has executive produced many feature documentaries including “sonicsgate: requiem for a team” (2009), “k2: siren of the himalayas” (2012) and “evergreen: the road to legalization” (2013) .
nba legend gary payton delivers the 5 - word acceptance speech for sonicsgate' s best online sports video award at the 2010 webby awards gala in new york city. bring back our seattle supersonics! go to urltoken to watch the entire award - winning documentary for free .
december 22, 2009 — seattle, wash — “sonicsgate – requiem for a team, ” the feature documentary film profiling the true story of the seattle supersonics’ tragic exodus from seattle, has been named the “most persuasive grassroots flick” in the dec. 21 issue of sports illustrated .
sonicsgate succeeds mightily at the first three. on the last point... i don' t know what the solution is, but in succeeding in pointing out that nearly everybody was wrong, it' s hard not to wonder... what would have been right ?
yes, i’m still angry. no, i won’t get over it. h / t @ chrisdaniels5 for all his reporting on this issue, @ sonicsgate for the wonderful documentary, @ sonicsrising, @ bringbacksonics and all the other advocacy groups keeping the light on until we # bringbackoursonics urltoken
the portland trailblazers defeated the team which shall not be named (aka the zombie sonics) last night, 83 - 74. it stings a bit watching the old seattle team in action, especially after watching the true story on how they left town (see the sonicsgate documentary) .
the result was
sonicsgate: requiem for a team ,
a critically acclaimed, award - winning documentary released on the internet in 2009. it became a cult success that brought brown and reid awards, attention and helped fans still coming to grips with the departure of the nba .
for those sonics fans out there, check out the new documentary “sonicsgate” located at urltoken. it’s a two hour special focusing on the sonics abrupt departure / theft from seattle and the hands of clay b * nnet. the documentary features interviews with community leaders, reporters, politicians and former players .
( from left to right) don tremblay, co - owner of t. j. mchugh' s restaurant, camp jones, executive producer of sonicsgate, jason reid, director, lorin
big lo
sandretzky, adam brown, producer, brian robinson, co - founder of save our sonics .
( mac): put the dvd into a computer. once it is in the drive, open a new finder window. click on the disc icon. a few random folders and a sonicsgate _ tv. m4v file will appear. this is an iphone / ipad movie that will play on those devices, itunes, quicktime and various other media players. (pc): put the dvd into your computer. open my computer and look at the contents of the dvd. you should see sonicsgate _ tv. m4v. same thing, it will play in itunes, quicktime, or other media players .
“sonicsgate – requiem for a team, ” the feature documentary film profiling the true story of the seattle supersonics’ tragic exodus from seattle, today announced that every person who attends the film’s upcoming theatrical run at seattle international film festival cinema (321 mercer street) will receive a free dvd copy of the film .
after two sold out preview screenings in october, siff cinema picked up “sonicsgate” for a weeklong theatrical engagement from friday, dec. 11 to thursday, dec. 17. legendary sonics guard slick watts is scheduled to attend the screening on saturday, dec. 12. tickets and showtimes at siff. net .
ten years ago today. july 2nd, 2008. the sonics left seattle. it was, arguably, one of the worst civic, legal, and business deals in # seattle history. credit the folks at @ sonicsgate for creating a historical document of the tale... . # nba # keyarena urltoken
“sonicsgate” is free for anyone to watch online at urltoken. the film’s producers have not attempted to turn a profit with this project, wanting only for the world to see the events that caused the tragic theft of their team in the hopes that it will create momentum for the rebirth of the sonics in seattle .
i’ve been talking with the folks over at sonicsgate, the persons who put together the documentary on the sonics departure from seattle. they have a new press release, due out tomorrow. i highly recommend watching this video, sonics fan or not. its a tragic, well told story. got to urltoken .
the film sonicsgate premiers tonight in seattle. our favorite columnist steve kelley previews it: “but beginning tonight and saturday night, seattle will have that opportunity. before they release their documentary “ sonicsgate ” free on the internet, the people behind the movie are offering two public screenings. tonight’s sold - out show will be screened at siff cinema. the movie will be shown again saturday night at pacific place. some tickets still remain for saturday. both screenings begin at 8 p. m. this is the chance we’ve needed to discuss what happened and what went wrong in the final whirlwind season of 2007 - 08. ”
the sawant campaign is throwing a benefit show featuring ra scion and khingz tonight at chop suey (1325 e madison street). the sonicsgate producers will also join geologic, kevin calabro and shawn kemp for a mike mcginn for mayor rally on friday, nov. 1 at 95 slide (722 east pike street) .
the creators of
sonicsgate
released a two - hour director' s cut of their grassroots film for free online in october 2009, bypassing traditional channels to get their message out to the widest audience possible. the documentary soon garnered widespread critical acclaim and created a new movement to bring the nba back to seattle .
the film has had nearly 300, 000 views on youtube. it was named
the most persuasive grassroots flick of 2009
by sports illustrated and received a webby award in 2010 for the best sports film. memorabilia featuring the
sonicsgate
logo is a must - have for seattle hoop fans hopeful of seeing the nba return someday .
the 43 - minute documentary exposes the shocking truth behind the sale and relocation of the seattle supersonics nba franchise, which moved to oklahoma city following an intense legal battle in 2008 .
sonicsgate
previously aired nationally on cnbc television in 2012, and the producers are thrilled to now add it to the roster of films at espn classic .
we know exactly where richard conlin stands in his unreasonable opposition to the sodo arena mou. conlin needs to be fired for his numerous actions against sonics fans and his dismissive, closed minded method of governing. the sonicsgate team is proud to endorse candidates such as kshama sawant and mayor mike mcginn, who actually listen to the people .
the reason the group made sonicsgate, says brown, who served as producer along with reid (jones was executive producer), was to counter the conventional wisdom that poor attendance and lack of local interest caused the move. if a team like the sonics can leave a big market, with a relatively loyal fan base, brown says, it could happen to any other city .
sonicsgate
explores the series of controversial business dealings and embarrassing political failures that led to seattle' s 41 - year team and its championship history being ripped away from a loyal fan base and a top tier media market. the film features rare archive footage and exclusive interviews with experts and insiders including gary payton, shawn kemp, george karl, sherman alexie and slade gorton .
“this team was built on the backs of sonics fans, ” said adam brown a seattle based producer of the documentary of the franchise and city parting ways entitled “sonicsgate”. brown believes seattle deserves, and will receive, an nba franchise sooner rather than later. “they (the nba) ripped it away, and it’s one of the biggest (sports) scandals of our time. ”
“the sonicsgate soundtrack features songs by several northwest hip - hop artists including jake one, blue scholars, grayskul, common market, dyme def, grynch, neema, spaceman, wizdom, cancer rising and sir mix - a - lot [ 41 ]. it also features the song
supersonics
by seattle rock band presidents of the united states of america. (original score by lil kriz) ”
“ the most persuasive grassroots flick (of 2009). the makers of sonicsgate, which examines how seattle lost its nba team, felt so strongly about its message (the team’s fans were screwed by a whole lot of people) that they gave the movie away on their website. don’t be fooled by the price tag: this pitch - perfect documentary shows the collateral damage when a team leaves town. ”
i can' t wait to see their whole team at the premier. i am anxious for the to re - engage with sonics fans and also excited to see who will step up to be
the next sonicsgate
and come out of the blue to bring new energy and ideas to this effort. we' ve had an amazing run of talented young people deciding that they wanted to invest passion and energy in this process .
a five year old sports documentary is getting its second life. for the first time, espn will air sonicsgate, the documentary about the seattle supersonics leaving for oklahoma city and the questionable circumstances therein. the premiere is scheduled for friday, february 7th at 9 pm et. (update: the film has now been rescheduled for march 14th .) here' s more details from a press release from the film' s braintrust .
april 14, 2010 — new york, n. y. — “sonicsgate: requiem for a team, ” the acclaimed feature documentary profiling the tragic death of the seattle supersonics, today announced it has been nominated for two 2010 webby awards in the categories of best sports film and best editing. a panel of judges decides the winners, which are announced on may 4 before the webby awards ceremony on june 13 in new york city .
but the original cut was simply a production of fan passion. so when cnbc called last december and began discussions about giving sonicsgate a national audience, there were significant obstacles to overcome. most notable was the need for brown and reid to get permission for all the footage used in the original version. brown said they were paid
just enough
to cover rights costs, add some fancier graphics and get better music in the recut version .
since relocation was denied i have certainly felt their absence. we have not heard a clear message from jason reid and i have barely had time to speak with him about the issue. i am really happy for them to be so busy with other projects. last month they debuted k2: siren of the himalayas at the tellerude film festival. this thursday and again on sunday the crew that brought you sonicsgate presents evergreen: the road to legalization .
darren lund, editor: darren is an editor and occasional cinematographer with over a decade of experience in filmmaking. his work includes award winning films and music videos such as sonicsgate: requiem for a team (2009), man zou: beijing to shanghai (2010), k2: siren of the himalayas (2012), evergreen: the road to legalization (2013), the finish line (2014) and mr. irrelevant ...
jason reid, producer, editor: jason is the principal and founder of 2r productions where he is an award - winning editor, producer and director of independent documentaries, narrative shorts, music videos and commissioned corporate videos. he directed and produced the emmy® award - winning man zou: beijing to shanghai (2010), the webby award - winning sonicsgate: requiem for a team (2009) and webby honorees the finish line and mr... .
the film’s producers will distribute free dvd copies to all attendees after the screening, which is the only way the general public can obtain the film in this format. more than 60, 000 people have already watched the full movie online at sonicsgate. org, and producers plan to make the dvd available for sale sometime in 2010. for now, director jason reid says they are giving away these exclusive promotional copies to spread the film’s message throughout the local community .
# keephoopalive! never forget the 41 - year basketball legacy of our region. buy an official sonicsgate shirt and dvd, watch and share the streaming links. stay politically active in support of all efforts to build a modern and sustainable arena facility for nba, nhl, concerts, conventions and community events in seattle. contact your local elected officials and political candidates asking that they support arena efforts benefiting our entire region. with your help, we will bring back our seattle supersonics !
“ediaj” tells the story of small - time hustlers and yoga enthusiasts, quickly accelerating into a hilarious, operatic crime drama involving numerous kidnappings and unexpected pathos. the project features some of seattle’s rising filmmakers and actors, including a breakout performance by nate quiroga a. k. a. buffalo madonna of the notorious rap group mad rad and the acclaimed new indie band iska dhaaf. notable chapter directors include christian palmer (“william never married”) and webby award winner jason reid (“sonicsgate”) .
nba commissioner david stern’s credibility has been under fire as disgraced referee tim donaghy’s book “personal foul” hit shelves this week. donaghy served time in federal prison for gambling on games he officiated while under control of the mafia. his book alleges that the nba instructs its officials to make certain calls for specific star players and extend playoff series to maximize television revenue. “sonicsgate” is an equally devastating scandal that has been largely swept under the rug, until now. please direct media inquiries to the film’s producers :
sonicsgate was both a significant voice and a major strategic participant in efforts to retain fan enthusiasm after the team' s departure. they don' t get enough credit for the subtleties of their messaging, the tactical consideration they applied to every move and the timeliness of their efforts. they stepped up right when our efforts at save our sonics were feeling lost and directionless. a new crew with fresh energy stepping up to fill the gap was amazing. they were so, so smart and effective .
named it
the most persuasive grassroots flick of 2009 .
when
sonicsgate
won the webby award for best sports film in 2010, the filmmakers brought legendary sonics point guard gary payton with them to accept the award and deliver the customary five - word webby awards speech :
bring back our seattle supersonics .
the film and associated bonus features have received more than two million online views since 2009. a recut version of the film aired four times on national cnbc tv in 2012 .
a true labor of fan dedication ,
sonicsgate: requiem for a team
traces the history of the seattle supersonics from its early championship era to the politics that led to the franchise' s relocation as the oklahoma city thunder. the documentary won a webby award for internet achievement in the sports - video category recently. sonics legend gary payton accepted the award on behalf of the production crew. we caught up with director jason reid shortly after the festivities to get his thoughts on the glove and moving on as a fan :
first of all, if you watch sonicsgate through the end credits, you will see that the movie is dedicated to squatch. but it is funny you mention him. we were thinking about tracking down the old squatch outfit and bringing him along to the webby awards with us to accept our award, but we couldn' t make it happen. last i heard, he was spotted hitchhiking outside of kansas city. i' d be into him roaming around like the famous chicken. anything we can do to help preserve the history of the seattle supersonics .
sonicsgate: requiem for a team is, as jones has put it, a
digital primal scream
that details the franchise' s history in seattle, the sale of the team from barry ackerley to starbucks magnate howard schultz, and from schultz to bennett, and the ultimate machinations that led to the team' s move to oklahoma city. no one is spared, from local and state government officials, to schultz, to stern. bennett, obviously, gets hit pretty good, but also is given props for simply acting as a businessman would .
dope ass documentary style flick for bball fans. personally as a person from a big market city like ny where you never ever have to worry about the yankees or the knicks, or giants ever leaving, i really really enjoy the drama, pain, agony, back stabbing, & deceit which goes into the pro sports team ownership employ to leave the state they dont want to be in anymore for a better situation! fans forget these teams are nothing more than toys of the wealthy that generate money. the relationship is a business one. this is an excellent flick! sonicsgate: requiem for a team
we made sonicsgate to bring the nba back to seattle ,
reid said .
i think it' s the nba who set this precedent. they took a stand here in seattle, and they said no team is safe. if they aren' t making money, we will move them to a different market if there' s a willing owner, and we will allow for that. and so the rules have been set. the stage has been set. we' re just fans. we' re pawns in their game. all we can hope for is (the) nba back in seattle .
with a mission to educate the public about the plight of all sports fans in the modern era, the film dissects the modern business of professional sports, nationwide public subsidy of arenas, corporate malfeasance, political impotence and the true helplessness of die - hard fans toiling against these powerful forces. espn’s bill simmons, author of the # 1 new york times bestseller “the book of basketball” recently wrote: “the sonics were stolen from seattle – literally, stolen, and if you don’t believe me, watch this movie. ” (saturday, oct. 31, 2009, espn. com). more reviews at sonicsgate. org / reviews .
adam brown – co - producer, co - editor: adam serves as the co - producer and marketing director for the film. adam won a webby award as producer of the documentary “sonicsgate: requiem for a team” (2009). he has also produced many music videos, commercials and documentaries including “k2: siren of the himalayas” (2012), “evergreen: the road to legalization” (2013), “the finish line” (2014) and “mr. irrelevant” (2014). he most recently produced “backfire: how to destroy a presidential candidate” (2016) for espn films / fivethirtyeight. adam owns film production company lucid visual media .
is this a tale of disenfranchised and powerless sports fans? or is it a tale of one city wronged by another? this matters. the first story is universal. the second one is a seattle - only story. sonicsgate makes one big mistake, in my estimation, in this regard. when clay bennett is on the screen, as often as not there' s essentially the hokiest jaw harp music imaginable - - the message is that he' s dumb because he' s not from seattle, and it doesn' t wash. he outmaneuvered everyone and got his team against long odds - - he' s clearly not dumb .
i was a life - long sonics fan, having grown up south of seattle. with the sonics being stolen away, the nba is dead to me. this movie is an excellent look at how easily egos, short - sightedness, ignorance and pettiness conspired to rob seattle of something that truly contributed to the city' s culture, pride and, yes, economy. my only qualm with the film is that it isn' t the original, full - length version from sonicsgate. i still give it five stars, but it would have been nice for the dvd to have the full - length film as well. still, an excellent piece of work .
as a st. louis rams season ticket holder for several years, i was interested in comparing the circumstances that led to their departure with the sonics' departure to okc. there were many similarities (greed for a bigger & better arena, corruption in the hierarchy of the league office, etc .). if anything, i wish
sonicsgate
would have provided more in - depth coverage and interviews. that would have turned this 45 minute documentary into a very reasonable 60 minute documentary. overall, it was well done, but painful to see how some owners / leagues really don' t care about their fans if they believe more money can be made in another city .
i am still an avid fan of the nba, despite what happened in seattle. in fact, i still subscribe to league pass and am in a 20 - team fantasy league with many of the guys who put together sonicsgate. it is, and always will, be my favorite sport. i tried to attach to the blazers because they have guys with seattle ties (nate mcmillan, brandon roy, martell webster) and geographically are closest team to seattle, but it wasn' t the same as rooting for the sonics. so i drifted, following denver, memphis and a few other teams, until i finally decided to just root for overtime. it' s much easier .
darren lund – editor: darren is an editor and cinematographer on many award - winning films including “sonicsgate: requiem for a team” (2009), “man zou: beijing to shanghai” (2010), “k2: siren of the himalayas” (2012), “evergreen: the road to legalization” (2013), “the finish line” (2014) and “mr. irrelevant” (2014). in addition to editing documentaries, music videos, live concert films and commercials, darren has also worked as a director and editor of live events on a weekly highlights show for fsn / root sports. he most recently edited “backfire: how to destroy a presidential candidate” (2016) for espn films / fivethirtyeight .
the new version was made specifically to fit in a 60 - minute tv slot (43 - min run time). this is the only version that is available to purchase. proceeds go toward recovering the costs that went into producing the film, dvd and website. the original 2 - hour director' s cut released in 2009 is not available on dvd. sonicsgate: requiem for a team (2012) features new interviews, unearthed archive footage, new evidence and completely revamped graphics in a fast - paced story that pulls no punches. the dvd also contains a digital copy of the film with seven exclusive bonus features starring gary payton, shawn kemp, george karl, jeff ament, sherman alexie, kevin calabro and more !
the success of sonicsgate is an encouraging story about the power of a grass roots movement in the sports world. it began in 2009 as a free online film and has now traveled slowly but surely to the largest sports company in the world, winning several awards along the way. to see the film come to espn is a big day for the producers of the film and for seattle basketball fans hoping to get their team back. although this will be the second airing on national television, there' s a big difference between airing on cnbc and airing on espn, even if it is the classic network that has seen distribution drop over the years. and it will provide another boost in awareness for the cause of resurrecting the sonics .
jason reid – producer, editor: jason is the principal and founder of 2r productions where he is an award - winning editor, producer and director of independent documentaries, narrative shorts, music videos and commissioned corporate videos. he directed and produced the emmy® award - winning “man zou: beijing to shanghai” (2010), the webby award - winning “sonicsgate: requiem for a team” (2009) and webby honorees “the finish line” and “mr. irrelevant” (2014). he was also the producer and editor on “k2: siren of the himalayas” (2012), “evergreen: the road to legalization” (2013). he most recently directed and produced “backfire: how to destroy a presidential candidate” (2016) for espn films / fivethirtyeight .
they have often been misinterpreted by the league. i' ve heard them described as
an anti - nba terrorist organization .
and know that in some ways we pay a price for the perceived conflict between the fans of seattle and nba leadership. this attitude totally disregards their overwhelming message that they were taking desperate actions based on their love of the product and desire to bring the nba back. while i am sure that there are people in the league office who don' t like being constantly reminded of their own failings and the botched execution here in seattle. what they don' t understand is that the stark honesty with which sonicsgate approached the situation was an essential component to help us all process the pain and move forward. we could not have done it otherwise .
richard conlin has proven to be smug, short - sighted and out of touch with the citizens of seattle during his 16 - year reign on the council. he needs to be removed from office to send a message that entrenched politicians aren' t untouchable when they go against the will of the people. i believe it is important to have new blood with a healthily dissenting voice on the council. although sawant has not taken an official position on the sodo arena mou, her campaign shares in our outrage that seattle was robbed of the sonics by powerful, corrupt forces and that many local politicians, including conlin, own a share of the blame. the sawant campaign has met directly with the sonicsgate team and will maintain an open dialogue on this issue. we believe seattle' s citizens will have a real voice in her administration. living wage jobs and the enjoyment of sports are both rights we should enjoy in our community .
the stadium financing game is messed up and wrong all over this country. it' s a national battle, but, as it pointed out in sonicsgate, it' s fought locally. you ever play risk? all over the map, it' s 60 armies going against one little army after another. whatever city doesn' t feel like paying, the big army can march over there and pick them off. the cities are vying against a bigger opponent, and instead of working together they work against each other, with predictable results. throughout the documentary, people like ross hunter and the people from citizens for more important things make principled arguments that say, in essence, we can' t pay for a stadium when we don' t have enough money for good schools. hard for anyone to tell them they' re wrong. however, like a lot of people with strong ideals, they may lack pragmatism... when the ceo of microsoft has his checkbook open ready to fix up your stadium, you play ball .
i think that the move of the sonics was a perfect storm of not only bad luck, but political malfeasance, corporate greed, lies and betrayals, and promises broken. i also believe that the nba set a very dangerous precedent with how the handled the situation in seattle, the precedent that no team is safe, especially mid to small - market cities. if it could happen to seattle it could happen anywhere. we had 41 years of history, a championship, and despite what the nba and clay bennett want you to believe, we have an amazing fan base who supported this team through a string of bad owners and years of mediocrity, which ultimately led to the sonics drafting kevin durant .
how did you first get in contact with gary payton? walk us through how you prepared to get him to accept the award and deliver the acceptance speech at the awards ceremony .
we spent months trying to track down gary payton for the film before finally getting ahold of him through his agent [ which was ] only after they had seen our trailer for the film, only a month before the premiere. gary said he would be willing to do the interview if we could be in vegas the next day. we promptly booked a flight and the next day we were at gp' s house! we decided that we' d stay in town that night - - just in case he wanted to go out on the town. sure enough, as we were about to leave he asked ,
what are you guys doing tonight? wanna come out to my fantasy football party at the mgm grand ?
giddy as schoolchildren we quickly accepted his invitation .
we ended up hanging out with gp, his wife monique, and their friends and family for the whole night, and everyone had a blast. so when the webby awards came up, we asked him if he would be willing to deliver our five - word acceptance speech and he was more than happy to come to nyc to help the cause .
in the limo on the way to the event, and then again at our table before going on stage with his wife and daughter. they kept on giving him unsolicited advice to which gp, playfully reminiscent of his trash talking days on the basketball court, assured them that he had the five words down .
) and deliver the message that everyone associated with the film, the sonics, and the city of seattle wanted to hear: bring back our seattle supersonics .
the success of the sounders has been fun to watch, but for me it in no way replaces the sonics and nba basketball. that' s my sport, that' s where my love is. soccer is great and i' m really happy that so many people in seattle have embraced it, but i want to see lebron james, kobe bryant, and the other great nba athletes playing in my town during the cold, rainy winter months .
i think the success of the sounders though is a testament to how great a sports city seattle is. if we can support the sounders at this level, i have no doubt that when nba basketball returns to this market, it will be embraced with the same excitement .
i think there are still bridges to mend between the nba and the city of seattle, but if a new owner steps up (say, microsoft ceo steve ballmer), i think they will be embraced with open arms. it would be a civic gesture on their part to restore the history and legacy of the seattle supersonics and i feel like that' s what everyone wants, so i don' t think it will be as hard as it seems .
that being said, i think the nba, not necessarily the new owners, has a lot of work to do in this community. david stern insulted this community for years in the way he handled the sonics situation and there are a lot of people who want nothing to do with a league run by someone who disrespected our fan base in the way that he did. i think a formal apology and addressing this issue directly by the league and david stern could go a long way to restoring people' s faith in the league .
seattle supersonics - - always and forever! we need to restore the history (including the name) of this great organization and as long as it' s in the greater seattle area, they will be known as the seattle supersonics. period .
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the seattle skyline, in a photo taken from the upper queen anne neighborhood, shows the area where key arena sits .
he remembers the day in olympia, the state capital, when the seattle supersonics were trying to convince the washington state legislature' s ways and means committee, one last time, to build a new arena. otherwise, the sonics - - the newly - bought - by - clay - bennett - from - oklahoma - city - sonics - - were almost certain to leave town, and everyone knew it, even if bennett was swearing he hadn' t yet made up his mind. of course, big lo was there. big lo was always there.
sonicsgate : requiem for a team is a 2009 documentary film chronicling the history of the seattle supersonics . the supersonics ( a.k.a. the sonics ) were a professional basketball franchise based in seattle , washington , that was a member of the national basketball association ( nba ) . the sonics played from 1967 until 2008 , but relocated from seattle to oklahoma city , oklahoma , and were renamed as the thunder . 
sonicsgate: requiem for a team is a 2009 documentary film chronicling the history of the seattle supersonics. the supersonics (a.k.a. the sonics) were a professional basketball franchise based in seattle, washington, that was a member of the national basketball association (nba). the sonics played from 1967 until 2008, but relocated from seattle to oklahoma city, oklahoma, and were renamed as the thunder.
sonicsgate: requiem for a team is a 2009 documentary film chronicling the history of the seattle supersonics. the supersonics (a.k.a. the sonics) were a professional basketball franchise based in seattle, washington, that was a member of the national basketball association (nba). the sonics played from 1967 until 2008, but relocated from seattle to oklahoma city, oklahoma, and were renamed as the thunder.