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| The Most Persuasive Grassroots Flick of 2009
“Don't be fooled by the price tag: This pitch-perfect documentary
shows the collateral damage when a team leaves town.”
— Sports Illustrated
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| ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
“The movie's unsettling truth is out there for all to learn: A fan's love
for their team can be taken away by outside forces...
That series of
unfortunate events is expertly recounted and explained in the
absorbing documentary, Sonicsgate.”
— Pete Croatto, AMC Film Critic
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| ★★★½ out of ★★★★
“More than just a sports film, Sonicsgate also reveals some larger truths
about government and big business, that ultimately everything comes down
to ego, power and money.”
— Bob Condotta, The Seattle Times Movie Review
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| “A brilliant documentary...”
— Matt Moore, NBC Sports
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| “Sonicsgate succeeds mightily...”
— Henry Abbott, TrueHoop via ESPN.com
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| “The Sonics were stolen from Seattle — literally, STOLEN, and if
you don't believe me, watch this movie.”
— Bill Simmons, Page 2 via ESPN.com
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| “A meticulous examination of the political malfeasance, conspiracy
and media cover ups that led to the team's relocation.”
— Karen Quinn, Seattle Metropolitan Magazine
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| “Sonicsgate is a must see for any sports fan.”
— Tim Hall, Seattle PI Reader Blog
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| “The makers of Sonicsgate have reminded us that virtually no team,
however entrenched in their community, is immune to the economic and
political forces that could take them elsewhere at any moment.”
— Preston Bounds, Sports Business Daily
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| “This is unequivocally the most exciting political drama since 'All The President's Men',
another movie with some pretty heroic journalists.”
— Bill White, Seattle Post-Globe
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| “Reid's film is about love, loss and the heartache that ensues when
a beloved enterprise decides to skip town, the removal of the Supersonics
from Seattle leaving a hole the size of which still hasn't been fully calculated”
— Sara Michelle Fetters, MovieFreak.com
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| “Sonicsgate examines in meticulous detail the process by which Bennett
purchased the team from Starbucks mogul Howard Schultz, promised to
stay in Seattle, then took a chainsaw to the Sonics' 40-year roots. Director
Jason Reid masks neither his love for the Sonics nor his utter disdain for
Bennett, Schultz, NBA Commissioner David Stern or anyone else involved
in the deception perpetrated on Sonics fans, the government of Washington
and Seattle as a whole.”
— Willamette Week
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| “Sonicsgate is a rebel film both in its subject matter and its unorthodox distribution.”
— Ryan Cracknell, Movie WS
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| “The Sonics should not be gone. That is bullshit, and it's sad,
and Sonicsgate's thorough play-by-play of just how that
hoodwinker went down is a useful document for sure.”
— Lindy West, The Stranger
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| Named along with 'Heart of the Game' as one of the two
Best Seattle Sports Documentaries of the Decade
— Bill Reader, The Seattle Times
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| “This is a visceral movie. It was a project of love and hate.”
— Steve Kelley, The Seattle Times
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| “The makers of this movie deserve some kind of a special basketball Oscar.
They opened my eyes to the true evil that is Clay Bennett and the emotion
and hardship that tore through Seattle as this happened.”
— Alex Curtis-Slep, NBAtipoff
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| “Sonicsgate is interesting for the larger questions it asks about our culture:
Do cities owe teams brand new facilities every decade? Should billionaires
and millionaires receive subsidies in the name of civic pride?”
— Laremy Legel, Film.com
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| “...story of greedy capitalists lying to the American public
while pocketing millions of dollars with corporate help and then
cowardly retreating behind the walls of their empires, leaving in
their wake a hurt, wounded, and ignored citizenry.”
— Rustin Thompson, KBCS 91.3FM Seattle
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| “The effect is equal parts enlightening, tragic, and cathartic.”
— Mike Seely, The Seattle Weekly
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| “This is a must-watch film for any basketball fan... By the end,
you just want to hug a Sonics fan.”
— Matt Lawyue, SLAM Magazine Online
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| “It gives you heroes and villains, minus the white or black hats.”
— Percy Allen, The Seattle Times
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| “A sad story well told.”
— Greg Johns, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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| “A case study of how the politics of professional sports are permanently
— and dangerously — molding 21st century cities across the globe.”
— Jamilah King, Wiretap Mag
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| “Sonicsgate wraps it all up into a tidy two hour package that provides
additional color and back-story with plenty of interviews with key players”
— Michael Nank, Examiner.com
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| “It was as if the filmmakers had created a kind of funeral for the fans.”
— M. Haubs, The Painted Area
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| “You think this sort of thing could never happen to your team,
but it can and it could.”
— BountyBowl, IgglesBlog
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| “We cared. It just didn't matter... a hard lesson in the realities of pro sports.”
— Constable Echelon, Hot Dog & Friends
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| “The wailing wall all Sonics fans deserve.”
— Caleb Hannan, Seattle Weekly
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| “If this film doesn't tell our story, what will?”
— SuperSonicSoul
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| ★★★★½ out of ★★★★★
“Blazer fans have it pretty darn good right now, but don't think it couldn't
happen to us someday. Sonicsgate serves as a reminder that professional
sports have less to do with civic pride than cold, hard, business.”
— Tony Robinson, KATU News Portland
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| “How the Sonics were stolen by an Oklahoma tycoon, and how Seattle
let it happen — you'll never take the Blazers for granted again”
— Ned Lannamann, Portland Mercury
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| “Like many Blazer fans who watched what happened to the Sonics,
I often worry about our Blazers getting Oklahoma City-ed by some Texas,
Florida or other sunbelt city or even Seattle. If you want to watch and
worry alongside many other basketball and Blazer fans, it should be an
interesting time”
— PDX Pipeline
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| “A spectacular, independently-produced, full-length documentary about
the move of the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City. A must-see for
any NBA fan and, specifically, any fan of a smaller-market franchise.”
— Ben Golliver, Blazer's Edge
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| “One thing is for certain, this wasn't some routine NBA buy and sell, and the Sonics
weren't just your ordinary ball team.”
— Ace Jones, Mandom Magazine
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| “...really got my blood boiling.”
— Casey Olson, Federal Way Mirror
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| “...chronicles the 'Great Seattle Robbery'. We now have an outlet for redemption.”
— Blame Starbucks
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| “The fact that the City took the deal...was the ultimate Fuck You to all of the Sonics fans.”
— Ken, Ken's Ramblings and Gramblings
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| “Powerful and moving.”
— Eric Flatness, The Jibsheet
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| “An absolute must see. ”
— Seattle Sports Net
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| “...incredibly moving piece that should strike to the heart of any sports fan
who loves the bond between city and team.”
— William Yoder, The Nats Blog
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| “Think 'An Inconvenient Truth' meets your recorded VHS tape of the
1991 Rose Bowl; a disturbing call to action combined with an unparalleled
personal connection and reminder of the good days.”
— SeaTown Sports
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| “Sonicsgate delves into the dirty truth behind one of David Stern's
biggest regrets as NBA commissioner. Should be required viewing...”
— Rhymin & Stealin
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| “Highlights everything that's wrong with the business of basketball. It could
be an addendum to Michael Moore's new film, 'Capitalism, A Love Story'.”
— Fear The Beard
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| “...the true behind-the-scenes story of what really happened...”
— IT Sports
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| “The rise and fall of a proud franchise... Well worth the time to watch.”
— Fan IQ
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| “This documentary is worth watching, regardless of
where you stand on the issue.”
— pookeyguru, Evil Cowtown: A Sacramento Kings Blog
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| “Sonicsgate will hopefully make its rounds all over America, with the
rest of the public seeing what happened here, and trying to avoid those
exact circumstances in the future.
Sacramento, Milwaukee and Indiana
are cities that come to mi
— Kevin Nesgoda, Bleacher Report
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| “Any basketball fan — with the possible exception of those living in
Oklahoma City — can sympathize.”
— NBA Fanhouse
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| “Unlikely to make David Stern's 'Best Documentaries of 2009' list...
Sonicsgate doesn't disappoint.”
— Can't Stop The Bleeding
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| “The movie looked and sounded great, and they had a ton of
great interviews.”
— cheesecake, The Sun Break
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| “An original educational work created by loyal Sonic fans.”
— Mandom Mag
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| “Excellent. A fantastic in-depth look at how Seattle was robbed of their Sonics team.”
— NBA Roundtable
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| “Grab some popcorn and pull up to your computer. It'll be time well spent.”
— Pat Walker, Game Ops
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| “It is my second-most favorite documentary of all time after Tupac: Resurrection.”
— Zane, 14 year-old Sonics Fan
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