"Sonicsgate: Requiem For A Team" launches on Hulu

SEATTLE - Feb. 13, 2015 - PRLog -- Webby Award-winning documentary "Sonicsgate: Requiem For A Team" today launched on web streaming services Hulu and Hulu Plus.

The film exposes scandalous corporate dealings and political failures that led to the SuperSonics NBA team's 2008 relocation to Oklahoma City after 41 years in Seattle. Exclusive interviews, federal court documents and unearthed archive footage pace this riveting case study on the business of pro basketball.

The full 44-minute film is now available for ad-supported free streaming on Hulu as well as its subscription service Hulu Plus.

"Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team" previously aired nationally on CNBC television and is currently airing on ESPN Classic.

One of the documentary's lead antagonists is Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who is featured on the cover of TIME Magazine this month. Schultz sold the Sonics to Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett for $350 million in 2006. The TIME article portrays Schultz as a visionary business leader with political ambitions, but his true colors emerge in "Sonicsgate" as he betrays Seattle by selling out one of the city's cultural institutions. To this day, Schultz refuses to acknowledge his complicity in the loss of the Sonics, and it's a topic he consistently deflects in his frequent media appearances.

Last year's league MVP Kevin Durant and 2008 Sonics draft pick Russell Westbrook will represent the Oklahoma City Thunder in this Sunday's NBA All-Star Game, twisting the knife further into Sonics fans since both players were drafted as Seattle SuperSonics. Durant played the 2007-08 season in Seattle, earning Rookie of the Year honors, and Sonics drafted Westbrook less than one month before relocating to OKC.

Seattle's roller coaster NBA saga continued this week, as a new investor group broke its silence regarding the rumored alternate arena proposals in Seattle suburbs Tukwila and Bellevue. According to Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times, this investor group represents competition to Chris Hansen's arena plan in the SoDo neighborhood adjacent to Seattle's two existing stadiums. More details about the new group: http://seattletimes.com/html/sports/2025687538_nhlarena12...

Hansen's SoDo arena plan remains relevant, having cleared many political hurdles since its proposal in 2011. The Seattle City Council and King County Council voted to approve the SoDo Arena MOU though 2017 pending a final Environmental Impact Study, which has seen repeated delays in the past year.

According to the MOU, Hansen would need to acquire an NBA team before breaking ground on the SoDo arena. Specific financing language of the MOU would need to be amended for an NHL-first model.

While the NHL has expressed some interest in expanding to Seattle, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has stated that his league has no plans to expand in the near future, meaning that a Seattle NBA team would likely need to come via relocation.

Hansen had a signed agreement to purchase the Sacramento Kings franchise from the Maloof brothers and move it to Seattle in 2013. But Mayor Kevin Johnson put together a plan to publicly fund a new arena at the last minute, and then-NBA Commissioner David Stern helped persuade the league's owners keep the Kings in Sacramento.

After the Kings sale fell through, Hansen's partner Steve Ballmer went on to purchase the Los Angeles Clippers for a record $2 Billion in 2014, but he says he will keep the team in the LA market.

Elected officials in Milwaukee are currently evaluating proposals to fund and build a new Bucks arena before the NBA's 2017 deadline.

Watch "Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team" now on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com

About The Film

"Sonicsgate" explores the perfect storm of controversial business dealings and political failures that led to Seattle's 41-year NBA team and its championship history being ripped away in 2008. The film features rare archive footage and exclusive interviews with experts and insiders including Gary Payton, George Karl, Kevin Calabro, Sherman Alexie and Slade Gorton. Following its revolutionary online release in 2009, the two-hour Director's Cut of "Sonicsgate" won the Webby Award for Best Sports Film in 2010.

In 2012, the producers re-cut the film into a licensable 44-minute version titled "Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team" that aired nationally on CNBC television and is currently airing on ESPN Classic. In addition to the Hulu streaming launch, "Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team" is available on DVD via Amazon and Digital Download/Rental via iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Xbox, PlayStation and VUDU.

More info at http://www.sonicsgate.com