As the seconds ticked away during the Super Bowl, FOX showed a montage of the city's championships. Well, it was not really a montage as a statement that Seattle has not won a championship in a men's major professional sports league since the 1979 Seattle Supersonics, led by coach Lenny Wilkins, feather power forward Jack Sikma and 'Downtown' Fred Brown.
This, the broadcasters said, was the last time a team from Seattle won a championship. They left out the men's and major professional sports league part.
And that had fans of the WNBA's Seattle Storm extremely angry (h/t Jayda Evans of The Seattle Times).
What's up w/reports re "no champ in Seattle since '79"? @seattlestorm 2004 AND 2010! @NFLonFOX @espn @espnWnews @wnba @nba #Respect
— Karen Bryant (@KBSeattleStorm) February 3, 2014
That was Storm President and CEO Karen Bryant. And here is Storm star and former WNBA Finals MVP Lauren Jackson:
We were good enough then and we are certainly good enough now to be acknowledged. @seattlestorm #littlerespectplease pic.twitter.com/qWcqpzKtmN
— Lauren Jackson (@laurenej15) February 3, 2014
Several other Storm fans and personalities also chimed in at the snub.
Behind Sue Bird and Tanesha Wright, the Storm won their first of two WNBA championships in 2004. The Storm won another behind Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson in 2010.
Those are very much basketball championships. Those banners hang at Key Arena and the Storm are one of the best franchises in the WNBA.
It was only after this stink began to raise and people began pointing out that actually a team from Seattle did win the championship that the term "men's major professional" began being used as an adjective when stating this fact. Some went so far as to say they would not count the Seattle Sounder if they had an MLS Cup.
Call it a minor victory of recognition for the WNBA. We will not forget those great tams that keep the tradition of Seattle basketball alive and well.
