This sounds familiar. Robert Sarver, who has a net worth of $400 million, and owns the Phoenix Suns—a professional basketball team—has threatened to move his team to either Las Vegas or Seattle if the city (which is mostly a suburb) does not spend a fortune "modernizing" the Talking Stick Resort Arena.

And it appears that Phoenix's city council has been paralyzed by the threat.

Steven Hsieh of the Phoenix New Times, and former news editor of this paper, writes:

The Phoenix City Council plans to delay a vote on the $230 million deal to renovate the Talking Stick Resort Arena, according to a council source. Interim Mayor Thelda Williams, as well as council members Laura Pastor and Debra Stark, will submit a letter to City Manager Ed Zuercher requesting that the council postpone the vote...

...Depending on who you talk to, the deal is either a giveaway to Robert Sarver, the wealthy and unpopular Suns owner, or a necessary investment in Phoenix's oldest and most iconic pro sports franchise.

The key city here is, of course, Seattle.

Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver is threatening city counsel with move to Seattle or Las Vegas if new arena deal doesn't pass, per @LaurieRoberts pic.twitter.com/HlGTkC5avc
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 12, 2018

Seattle, a city that lost its professional and iconic basketball team, the Supersonics, a decade ago because it refused to fund the renovation of an arena that had already been renovated at great expense a decade before, is now used as a stick to beat other cities into submission. This city in the forest, this green city, this city with lakes and nearby volcanoes, this team-less city—this is what happens to you if you don't play ball with the billionaires and millionaires. Seattle, of course, will never get the Phoenix Suns. This not a real threat, but it is a real beating. Seattle, the NBA's switch.