I have a Vin Baker jersey.

And it may become a collector’s item because the NBA is trying to take my childhood away.

When I was in grade school, I went with my dad to a Milwaukee Bucks game, and I’ve been a sports fan ever since. And though the other teams of my youth, growing up in Wisconsin, have been much more successful and much more interesting, the Bucks have always held a special place in my heart.

I’m well aware I’m speaking to an audience of, almost exclusively, Bulls fans. While you grew up in the 1990s watching Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen create a dynasty, I was going to a half-empty arena to watch a semi-conscious Baker, Sherman Douglas and Shawn Respert phone in another losing season in those hideous purple jerseys. They were, and still are, losers. But they’re my losers.

However, in the current economic climate, they may not be for long.

Watching the Sonics bail on Seattle for Oklahoma City was, for someone in my position, very unsettling. The Sonics were about as old as the 41-year-old Bucks but with a far richer tradition and a much more supportive fan base. The downtrodden economy paired with the Bradley Center’s inefficiencies and an underachieving team that lacks marketability make the Bucks a horrifyingly logical candidate for relocation.

The worst part is that, unlike with the Sonics, there’s not even anyone working to prevent what‘s looking like an inevitability. The Bucks’ owner, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), has proven to be neither a bleeding heart nor a ‘spendocrat’ as he sits idly, completely refusing to invest any money in Bradley Center renovations or, more importantly, team renovations. First-year GM John Hammond has assembled a winning core of youngsters, but Kohl doesn’t appear likely to pony up the dough to keep it intact.

Unfortunately, reality is likely to win out. More well-equipped cities like Las Vegas, Kansas City, St. Louis and Anaheim are waiting on their chance to hijack a franchise much in the manner OKC did. And the Bucks aren’t the only club in trouble; relocation is almost assured at this point for the Kings while the Pacers are in such dire financial shape that retraction hasn’t even been mentioned. Half the teams in the league are receiving financial aid from the NBA.

So the big question now is, if I lose my team… what the heck do I do? The Sonics’ relocation ushered in an unintentionally fascinating social experiment as some fans hitched onto the Portland bandwagon, some continued watching from afar, and some just quit caring entirely. I love basketball too much to quit caring, and I’ve been riding this Bucks express to nowhere for too long to jump ship. It’s quite a quandary.

In any case, after spending the better part of 21 years enjoying every minute of watching my terrible team that I love so much, it looks like the almighty dollar may very well win again.

I may be about to lose my team. And though you may not think it, with the economy the way it is and franchises struggling as they are, it could happen to you, too.

But at least I’ll always have the memories and a Vin Baker jersey.

I doubt many other people can say that.