From the Mariners to the NBA, Mike Salk’s 10 ways to improve the Seattle sports scene

The Seahawks’ success under Pete Carroll has given them a huge following and made them the state’s top sports team. But after the Seahawks, how can the Seattle sports scene be improved?

“Brock and Salk” posed that exact question, and Mike Salk came up with his top 10 list:

Related: O’Neil: No plausible scenario for NHL or NBA to return to KeyArena

1. Mariners need to win. “It’s that simple. There’s nothing you could do to the Seattle sports scene that’s better than the Mariners winning. There’s nothing more fun in sports than a pennant chase.”

2. Husky football competing annually for Rose Bowls and occasionally the national title. “I mean, legitimately the Rose Bowl is an expectation every year and national titles are an occasional possibility.”

3. Husky hoops competing annually for Pac-12 titles and making the NCAA tournament. “I have it above the NBA simply because I think the sport is more fun to watch and I think the success is more sustainable. I have issues with the NBA and how challenging it is to remain a good team year after year. I think the Huskies would have a better chance of actually getting there.”

4. Bring the NBA back to town. “Everybody romanticizes the idea of the NBA and how great things were, and I’m sure they were cool – when you had Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton.”

5. Get an NHL team. “It would give Seattle a swing sport for the winter and it would galvanize contact-sports fans in this city who have really come to sports because of the success of the Seahawks. Plus, the league is just incredibly fun to watch if you truly invest in it.”

6. Have an annual PGA event. “Wouldn’t it fit the region pretty well? I think it would show off the city in a cool way.”

7. WSU football winning 7-9 games annually. “I don’t think you could legitimately expect them to be an annual Rose Bowl or national championship-style team, but if they were to shoot for seven to nine (wins) and be that good … They’re just not close enough. It’s only because of the location. If the Cougs were closer to Seattle I would say that it would be way up on the list.”

8. Seattle U basketball annually making the NCAA tournament. “It would be a local mid-major. This could be Gonzaga happening right here in Seattle.”

9. WSU hoops relevancy. “They’re behind Gonzaga at this point, even here in Seattle. There doesn’t seem to be that same commitment.”

10. Sounders winning the MLS Cup. “The league just needs to improve in order to make winning the MLS Cup that important.”

You can hear the full conversation here.

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