Jan 15, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Supersonics former guard Gary Payton and former forward Shawn Kemp react to a play during the the second half of a game in which their sons Oregon State Beavers guard Gary Payton II (1) and Washington Huskies forward Shawn Kemp, Jr. (40) play at Alaska Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Some people may be surprised by the Seattle Supersonics’ nomination for FanSided’s Fandom 250, a ranking of the world’s best fan bases, but they shouldn’t be.

FanSided has launched an exciting new project, called Fandom 250. They will rank the top 250 fan bases in the world, in sports, entertainment, pop culture, fashion, politics, lifestyle and other areas.

FanSided started releasing the fan bases on November 1st in batches of 10, as part of a countdown to the unveiling of the official rankings on December 6th. And wouldn’t you know it, the Seattle Supersonics have been nominated.

Understandably, a lot of people will wonder how a team that doesn’t currently exist, has made its way onto the list?!?! In short, this speaks volumes about the passion Seattle sports fans have for their beloved Sonics.

No doubt, cynics will then ask why Seattle lost the franchise, if the fan base is so dedicated to its team? However, anyone who closely followed the events, knows there were a whole host of reasons the Sonics moved, which were outside the control of the fans.

Seriously, we could go on all day about the circumstances which led to the departure of the 1979 NBA champions. For a start, there’s Howard Shultz selling the team to Clay Bennett, who lied about his intent to keep the team in Seattle.

Then there’s David Stern, who showed petty vindictiveness against the city after they refused to bow to his demands. And let’s not forget mayor Greg Nickels, who backed down at the 11th hour, after originally demanding the Sonics stayed for the final two years of their lease at KeyArena. (Which, ironically, could have resulted in the team staying, due to the recession in 2008.)

Of course, this is only a very brief summary of what happened and no doubt, some of you will still be thinking these are all just convenient excuses for fans who didn’t show enough support for the Sonics. As such, check out the award-winning Sonicsgate documentary below, for a more thorough understanding of the sequence of events.

Once you’ve watched it, you will be in no doubt that Seattle did not deserve to lose the team. In addition, you will have more of an appreciation for why the Sonics fan base is more than worthy of their nomination for FanSided’s Fandom 250.

Whether you’re a Sonics fan or not, what’s your take on their nomination for FanSided’s Fandom 250? Do they deserve to be included in the list or not, and why? Let us know in the comments section below.