KeyArena has "gone from losing money" in the final years of the SuperSonics to being "quite profitable ... much more so" than when the team played in Seattle, according to Ashley Scoby of the SEATTLE TIMES. The facility turned more than a $1.2M profit last year, "largely from booking more musical performers." The Sonics' departure "wasn't a disaster for the city's pocketbook." The WNBA Storm, Seattle Univ. men’s basketball and the Rat City Rollergirls "now shape KeyArena’s athletic schedule, which is only a portion of what makes the venue successful." Seattle Center Communications Dir Deborah Daoust said that musical artists are "more likely to put KeyArena on their tour schedule now that the Sonics aren’t occupying the most desirable dates during concert season." Scoby notes the venue's partnership with AEG Facilities also has "helped KeyArena attract big-name artists." AEG Facilities President Bob Newman said, "There aren't many major arenas that have performed as well as KeyArena after a major departure. I think it stands at the top of the list" (SEATTLE TIMES, 10/6).
