There have been many cities throughout sports history that have had a string of bad luck. In present time, that city would now be Seattle. I would consider Seattle as the most depressing in sports. I don't have a personal vendetta against the city, but they are currently in the dark days sportswise.
The two professional teams that occupy the city are the NFL's Seahawks and MLB's Mariners. They had the Sonics as of a couple of years ago, but moved their storied franchise to Oklahoma City. They also have the NCAA's Washington and Washington State, which both are on the uprise at least. They have all had their high points, but they have moved onto something much worse.
Seahawks: On December 4, 1974, the NFL officially awarded Seattle a franchise, but they were nothing more than a laughingstock their first few seasons. The franchise began play in 1976 in the NFC West division, but a year later, they were switched to the AFC West. They are the only team to switch leagues, also. The additions of QB Jim Zorn and WR Steve Largent in their first two years made the team better, but they were still not a good team. The Seahawks didn't make their first playoff appearance until 1983, their seventh season in the league. This also marked the first time that they would reach the conference's championship game. They made their second appearance the following year, behind newly-elected QB, Dave Krieg. Also, in 1984, management asked if they could retire the number 12 as a tribute to the fans. The Kingdome advertised the loudest fans in the NFL and they were known as the "12th man". The Seahawks made the playoffs in 1988 and 1989, but the latter would be their last playoff appearance for a decade. Chuck Knox, the head coach since 1983, was fired in 1991, as the Seahawks wanted to go in another direction. Tom Flores, most notably known for leading the Raiders to a Super Bowl victory in the 70's, stepped in as head coach after being the General Manager for the three previous seasons. In the three seasons Flores was Head Coach and GM, he compiled a 14-34 record and left the franchise after the 1994 season. In 1991, the Seahawks used their first round selection on QB Dan McGwire (yes, Mark's brother). He turned out to not live up to the hype and two seasons later, they drafted QB Rick Mirer third overall. The Seahawks were doomed for almost the rest of the decade.
In 1999, the Seahawks got ex-Packers coach, Mike Holmgren, to become their new leader. Holmgren turned out to be one of their better decisions, as he led them to the playoffs for the first time since 1989. The next year, the Seahawks drafted future NFL MVP Shaun Alexander in the first round. In 2001, Holmgren convinced the front office to trade for Packers back-up QB Matt Hasselbeck. These two decisions marked a huge turnaround for the Seahawks. RB Shaun Alexander rushed for 1,880 yards with 27 touchdowns (a then NFL record). They made their first and only Super Bowl appearance against the Steelers in Super Bowl XL. The Seahawks eventually lost the game, 21-10. After his MVP season, Alexander declined heavily and was released by Seattle before the 2008 season. Hasselbeck battled injuries (and still does) and the Seahawks just haven't been the same team. The eventual retirement of OT Walter Jones and departure of OG Steve Hutchinson left them with a big hole in the offensive line. They have yet to fully recover since the 2007 season and have failed to make the playoffs since.
In 1989, the Mariners drafted young phenom, Ken Griffey Jr., with the first overall pick. They also traded for hard-throwing pitcher, Randy Johnson, to round out their rotation. Johnson and Griffey were supposed to turn the franchise around. Even though they were both putting up amazing stats, the Mariners still couldn't help carry the load and didn't make the playoffs until the mid-90's. In the 1993 draft, the Mariners had the #1 overall pick again. Who'd they take? Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez and Griffey formed a nice tandem, but the other Mariners couldn't create any runs. Johnson led the pitching staff, but with no offense, there were no runs piling up. They made the playoffs for the first time in 1995 and again two seasons later in 1997. On July 31, 1998, the Mariners traded their best pitcher ever, Randy Johnson, to the Astros and thier corps of great players started falling apart. Ken Griffey Jr was traded to Cincinnati on February 10, 2000, and Alex Rodriguez was granted free agency almost eight months later, and eventually signed with the Texas Rangers. The following season, 2001, the Mariners had the #1 overall pick. They drafted Ichiro Suzuki, a great hitting prospect from Japan. Ichiro would go on to win not only AL Rookie of the Year, but he was also named AL MVP. The Mariners would go on to win a record-tying 116 games that year, but would not advance as far as they had hoped. They ended up playing the New York Yankees in the American League Championship series and put up an absolute embarrassing performance, losing the series 4-1. This would be the last time they made the playoffs up until now.
The Mariners have made some embarrasing free agent and trade acquisitions recently, also.
- 2007: Signed SP Carlos Silva to a 4-year/$48 million contract
- 2009: Signed 2B Chone Figgins to a 4-year/$36 million contract (currently batting .231)
- 2004: Signed 3B Adrian Beltre to a 5-year/$64 million contract
- 2004: Signed 1B Richie Sexson to a 4-year/$50 million contract
- 2005: Signed SP Jarrod Washburn to a 4-year/$37.5 million contract- 2008: Signed C Kenji Johjima to a 3-year/$24 million contract extension (opted out after one year)
Sonics: The NBA awarded the city a franchise in 1967 and finished their inaugural season a disappointing 23-59. In 1970, they brought in future star and coach, Lenny Wilkens. Along with Bob Rule, Wilkens formed a nice duo and both represented Seattle in the All-Star game.
In 1975, ex-Celtics great, Bill Russell, was officially named as Head Coach of the Sonics. He would lead them to their first playoff appearance ever, eventually falling to eventual champion, Golden State. The next year, they would make the playoffs again and lose to the Phoenix Suns in six games. After the 1976-77, Bill Russell left the organization. The team hired Bob Hopkins to become their new coach. After a horrible start, Hopkins was fired and former Sonics player, Lenny Wilkens, was brought in. They finished 47-35 and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time ever. They were up three games to two against the Washington Bullets, but they lost the final two games along with the series.
In the 1978-79 season, the Sonics won their first division title ever. They advanced through the playoffs yet again, and set up a rematch with the Bullets. The Sonics would end up winning the series, 4-1, and win their first and only championship. Dennis Johnson was named MVP of the Finals. In the 1979-80 season, the Sonics finished the season 56-26, which was second in Pacific Divison. They played in the Western Conference Finals for a third straight season, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. The beginning of the 1990's was the start of something different in Seattle. They drafted Shawn Kemp in '89 and Gary Payton in '90 to form one of the best tandems in the NBA. They made the playoffs the following season and hired George Karl as their Head Coach in 1992. In 1993, they had the best record, 63-19, but suffered one of the biggest chokes in NBA history. They went into the playoffs as the #1 seed, but lost to the #8 seed Denver Nuggets. In my opinion, their best team was 1995-96. They had a deep roster and most people predicted them as being the champion. But, the Bulls dynasty topped them in the Finals in 6 games. They would also do very well the next few seasons, but would never reach the Finals again.
They were mediocre at best from the late 90's to early 2000's. Franchise player, Gary Payton, was dealt to Milwaukee in the 2002-03 season for sharpshooter, Ray Allen. The 02-03 season was also the first time the Sonics were sub .500 in eleven full seasons. Rashard Lewis, drafted by Seattle in 1998, formed a nice tandem with Ray Allen, but couldn't get back to what they once were. They exceded potential in 2004-05, but couldn't do anything in the playoffs. However, that would be the last time the Sonices franchise would be in the postseason. On the 2007 draft day, the Sonics traded mainstay, Ray Allen, to the Celtics. However, they drafted future scoring champion, Kevin Durant. They finished the season 20-62, officially becoming the last season in the rainy city.Clay Bennett, an Oklahoma businessman, wanted the team out of Seattle and into Oklahoma City. They finalized the deal in 2008 and the move was officially sold to Clay Bennett and his group. The Seattle Storm WNBA franchise was also sold in the process for $350 million.
I never understood why the Sonics were the ones chosen to leave their city. I always thought Toronto should be moved. Since it's not in the United States, it's not televised too much and it's a very small market. Chris Bosh has virtually gone unseen since he got drafted there in 2003. I don't think Seattle should have gotten moved because they had a up-and-coming star in Kevin Durant and they were just in a re-building process. The Sonics were the only Seattle team ever to win a major championship and now, there is really no heritage in Seattle. To me, the Thunder will always be the Sonics, and it was really the Sonics taking on the Lakers this year in an exciting opening round series. They will always be the Sonics to me.
Overall: Seattle has got to be the saddest sports city in America. The Sonics came in 1967, Seahawks in 1974, and Mariners in 1977, so if you tally all of the years up, it would be 112 years combined. And they only have one championship? They don't deserve, but that's the way life works. There are just some that can't catch a break and some that have all the luck in the world. Seattle, unfortunately, has not had much luck as they have failed to represent their city successfully. As I said earlier, I have no personal vendetta against the city of Seattle, but they really need to work on their sports first, rather than their coffee.
