The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT March 3, 2012

After bargaining to get a possible site and new arena built in the Seattle area, it appears that the NBA might want to take its ball and run away from the Pacific Northwest.

ONCE THE Sonics bolted from Seattle for Oklahoma City, in a move you could see coming a mile away, it took a beloved franchise out of one town and put it halfway across the country.

They only seemed beloved after they left when plenty of Sonic fans pleaded to keep the team in town.

But as my memory serves me, the team was often playing at KeyArena that still had good seats available when players like Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis were with the team.

Not even Kevin Durant, who was the NBA All-Star Game MVP over the weekend, could help the team fill the arena.

And now with a new arena in the works, officials are also kicking around the idea of bringing the National Hockey League to the city via an expansion team.

That or have a struggling franchise, such as the Phoenix Coyotes, opt to move once their lease is up in Arizona. But that doesn't sound likely either, and will take at least a few years if everything goes according to plan.

Just in case anyone has forgotten, the Seattle Mariners are about to open their season.

And good tickets are still available.

Maybe not for Opening Day, but any other time after that, fans can almost pick and choose where they want to sit - even after the third inning.

FAN SUPPORT is something that needs to happen to make anything successful.

When the Seahawks were losing in the mid-90s, the owner wanted to move the team to Los Angeles after the Raiders had opted to move back to Oakland.

In recent weeks, I've seen just what a good fan base can get you when it comes to success.

Watching as the Coeur d'Alene High Viking girls basketball team finished third, the fans nearly filled a section at the Idaho Center for the first two games of their tournament. Timberlake, while having a bit smaller fan base in Nampa than the Vikings, still found a way to play for a state title.

Fans were out in force, despite all the snow and ice last Saturday, when North Idaho College took on rival Southern Idaho in the final men's and women's basketball games at Rolly Williams Court this season.

Despite the game being close, the NIC women pulled away late and the men nearly stole a victory from the Golden Eagles, but wound up losing in overtime.

THERE HAVE been plenty of games I've witnessed when a team that shouldn't have won a game did because of fan support.

If this idea of the NBA coming back and NHL coming to Seattle, it will take exactly that - support from fans and taking the risk to get them here.

Otherwise, there could be a few more long, cold winters in the Pacific Northwest.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]