Thinking of it conjours up that episode of the Simpsons where Bart discovers that nearly every store in the mall was either already a Starbucks or soon to become one. Hilarious.

However, what Howard Schultz, CE0 of the latte giant, said recently about his new acquisition, the Seattle Supersonics, was no joke. In fact, it wasn't even funny, but it was worth reading.

As the season draws to a close for the Rockets and the Sonics, both teams find themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Both teams have been through difficult seasons with ups and downs. Both have gone through serious organizational instability - the Rockets with the arena and Seattle with the change of ownership.

The Rockets seem to be heading in the right direction on the floor while Seattle's future is hazy, but the Sonics' attendance has improved while the Rockets average only 12,557 per game, about 1,000 fewer than their next closest rival in that category, putting them dead last in the league.

Differences and similarities aside, Schultz' comments in a Seattle Times column recently weren't just refreshing for an owner or surprising for the NBA, they were long overdue for sports in general.

I yearn for the Sonics to represent what's best about team basketball and to display character and integrity on and off the court. I want to see a commitment by the players, the coaches and the entire organization to the community. Everything we do has to be for the fan.

On the surface, my first instinct is to say, "Yeah, right!" This sounds like the fervent words of a new owner trying to put fans in the seats of his arena. Cynical, huh? Well, no surprise when talking about the NBA or professional sports. It comes with the territory.

The level of athleticism and talent in the NBA is the best it's ever been - and the envy of the world. But all those things that have hurt the NBA are being filtered down to the high school level. At the McDonald's game, I saw dollar signs everywhere.

I saw agents, scouts and coaches all fawning over these 17- and 18-year-olds. I saw the individual style of play, which has become so rampant in the NBA, where a guy made a great move and then went to center court to perform his own little shimmy dance. These kids have gotten the wrong message: They think that the NBA is more about ego than about teamwork.

Today, we have more stars than heroes. Basketball at its best is a team sport based on selfless play.

Now, that is more like it. I don't really care whether kids do the "shimmy dance" (is that what they are calling it these days?), but we do have more stars than heroes in sports today. Agents, scouts and coaches are fawning over kids and making matters worse.

The number of players jumping either from their first or second year of college is terrifying enough to college coaches, but now more and more high school kids are making the leap straight to the NBA, opting for the big bucks over an education and a college career. Who can blame the kids? If someone offered me $4 million a year to skip college and take my dream job, I'd ask any of you to slap me silly if I refused.

The problem is that all of that temptation is available in the first place. A youngster's value is in how tall he is and how high he can jump. If he can block a shot or hit a jumper, who cares if he's not even mature enough to balance his checkbook? That attitude is shrinking college careers and turning amateurs into professionals far too quickly.

At the heart of great championship teams is a shared understanding that individual players will sacrifice statistics and self-glorification for the team to win.

You certainly see that today in the WNBA. Women players, including those on our Seattle Storm team, still demonstrate the authenticity of basketball. That's why I'm excited about owning the Storm, too.

That's a first! An NBA owner actually called WNBA players better than their NBA counterparts. Of course, he wasn't talking about skill level, but it is an important point to make nevertheless. The WNBA is a passionate league supported by rabid fans. It is only a fledgling which makes it unstable and unpredictable but creates intense loyalty at the same time.

WNBA players still stop and sign autographs for fans whether they are paid for it or not. More than signing autographs, they are accessible. They display teamwork and discipline not often found on the floor in the men's game. No one would go so far as to suggest that the NBA should model its game after the WNBA, but in the way they treat the fans? They could do a whole lot worse.

I know you can't superimpose the Starbucks culture on a different industry. But the similarity between Starbucks and the Sonics is this:

The fan is the customer.

AMEN! It seems that the NBA has become so bogged down in corporate sponsorship and endorsement deals, it has forgotten that, at the heart of any entertainment event are fans. Once a marketing machine, David Stern's baby has gotten out of control.

The post-Jordan era (God, I hate that phrase!) has resulted in lackluster attendance and poor television ratings. The marketing genius forgot that there were a few hundred other players and 28 other teams in the league. For many, Jordan's leaving was like the dagger three pointer by the opposition. Just like the fans that stream towards the exit when a game is decided, Jordan's leaving caused many to stop going in the first place and turn off their tv sets when a game came on. The league marketed Jordan so well, they forgot to market the rest of the NBA.

The only way to get fans back is to win them back. Knee-jerk rule changes and bobble head dolls won't do it. You have to reach out to the community at large and work directly with them. You have to bring the players back down to the fan's level even if their paychecks remain in the stratosphere. You have to demand excellence in every aspect of your business. Professional sports need to recognize that before they are lost in a shuffle of DVD's, video games and satellite television.

To find out why some fans feel disconnected, I've decided to hold a series of meetings with fans. I want your input on how we need to change in order to regain your loyalty and interest - and to attract new fans.

That's a good start. Reconnecting fans to the teams that, in so many senses, belong to them is essential to building a strong base of support. With the lack of loyalty displayed by pro players and franchises, it is no wonder fans are disenchanted.

At this moment, two NBA franchises (Charlotte and Vancouver) are on the verge of moving to new cities. One is moving for what would seem to be viable financial issues. The other will leave if a new arena isn't built for them. Sound familiar? In Orlando, the Magic are saying they need a new arena to stay afloat. The saga continues and it won't get better. Eventually, all the cities will be used up and teams will have to re-think their business model. Until then, we are stuck in the cycle of building and rebuilding. At least we have 30 years before we have to think about it again.

Like franchises, players usually do not remain in one city for a career. Players like Hakeem Olajuwon are a dying breed. Free agency and the increasingly demanding rigors of the NBA cause teams to abandon players and players to abandon teams. As a result, fans suffer. The more players move, the harder it is for fans to connect and grow attached. Eventually, we just assume players won't be here and we avoid the attachment rather than get our hearts broken. That lack of attachment turns into lack of interest before long.

Furthermore, either the continued upward spiral of salaries or the repeated disputes over them must end. They can stop spending or stop striking, but they have to do somehting other than what they've been doing. In a free market economy, teams and players should be free to seek as much income as they can for themselves, but they also must be wary of the alienation of fans that come with it. At some point, a balance between rising incomes and dwindling fan bases must be struck or it will spell disaster for professional sports.

It will take more than just a proactive stance by franchises. It will take a willingness to explore new territory and courage to change old habits. At some point, fans will come first or teams and leagues will fold.

My father and I spent some of our greatest times watching Knicks basketball way up in the rafters because those were the only seats he could afford. Those people are the real fans. I want to keep them in mind in everything I do.

These may be the two most important statements he made.

First, he recognized the incredible power of sports to bond people together. Friends, family members and even total strangers share bonds in sports fandom that can be deep and long-lasting. The shared joy of experience can be passed from one generation to the next through the time-honored tradition of spectator sports.

No one should underestimate the positive feelings that can be created as a reslut of these shared experiences. Schultz goes a long way in relating his own personal experiences to that of current NBA fans.

Second, he aknowledges that the true fans are those who don't sit, hands folded, in the expensive courtside corporate seats. He knows the real fans in NBA arenas are those fathers and sons, mothers and daughters that occupy the seats furthest from the floor.

For too long, the NBA and most other major league franchises have ignored the fans who cheer the loudest. I've seen countless arena designs filled with luxury suites and club seats, but I have yet to see a "family section" in the lower bowl. Players feed off of crowd noise and yet the loudest fans are almost always relegated to nosebleed seats where they are barely heard.

I understand the economics of the situation and I respect that, but there has to be some give and take. Any dcecent customer service specialist will tell you that a satisfied customer is a returning customer. Make fans happy and they will reward you over and over again. Fans don't just want a winning team on the floor. They want a winning attitude from the organization. They want to be connected to the event and the teams. They want to feel a part of what is going on out on the court and not feel like they are being abandoned off of it.

Personally, I hope Schultz fails miserably in getting the Sonics a championship. As a team, I'd prefer to see them losing more than winning.

However, as an owner and an influential member of the NBA, I do hope his fan-friendly philosophy is a huge success. I hope his passion for the game and desire to win fans back to the game is genuine. I hope he is able to set an example for the rest of the league. Lord knows they need it.

Oh, and while he's at it, maybe he could get me a double tall, half-caf, non-fat cappucino to go. On second thought, just make it a hot chocolate.