vvYes, it is official. Having an NBA franchise “creates” not a bit of economic activity. Who says so?

One NBA franchise.

In a delicious twist of fate which just happens to lay bare the myth of sports franchises as economic development engines, the Seattle Supersonics are arguing in court that they contribute nothing to the city. The Seattle Times reports:

The team made the argument in papers filed in U.S. District Court this week, seeking mediation or a speedy trial to allow the team to abandon city-owned KeyArena before 2010. In the documents, Sonics’ attorneys dispute the city’s contention that the team’s departure would have a broad and hard-to-quantify impact.

“The financial issue is simple, and the city’s analysts agree, there will be no net economic loss if the Sonics leave Seattle. Entertainment dollars not spent on the Sonics will be spent on Seattle’s many other sports and entertainment options. Seattleites will not reduce their entertainment budget simply because the Sonics leave,” the Sonics said in the court brief.

The Sonics also said they would produce a survey showing that 66 percent of Seattleites say the team’s exit would make “no difference” in their lives, while only 12 percent said they’d be “much worse off.”

Those sentiments belie what Sonics’ boosters — and sports teams in general — have argued when asking for taxpayer help to build a new arena. Teams and their supporters generally portray professional sports as a boon, bringing a city millions in revenue, hundreds of jobs and immeasurable civic pride.

A spokesman for the Sonics’ owners declined to comment Thursday on the court filing.

In other words, the filing was never supposed to see the light of day. Those same owners are frantically trying to convince some other sucker, er city, to take on the franchise. The likely stop is Oklahoma City.

Seattle refused to build the Sonics a new arena, rejecting the team’s then argument that the franchise would be all kinds of wonderful for the city.

As funny as the Sonics’ flip-flop has been, it merely mirrors the tortured logic of city officials, who are put in the position of crying over a team the public and elected officials have rejected. More:

Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr said he disagrees with the Sonics’ argument that the team has little or no value to the community.

“Don’t you wonder what the people in Oklahoma City think about that?” Carr asked, noting that city will vote in March on a $100 million tax package to spruce up its six-year-old Ford Center and build a practice facility to lure the team. “The impact of having a professional basketball team here is real, which is why Oklahoma City wants the Sonics, and why Seattle does, too.”

Here’s what the people of Oak City should think: This is a horrible idea we need to reject.

Via Hit & Run.