The Northwest sports landscape is about to take a dramatic turn for the better.

A region once littered with struggling professional franchises and college teams mired in mediocrity finally has hope, thanks to encouraging developments in the Emerald City.

Ranked in 2011 by Forbes magazine as the “Most Miserable Sports City,” Seattle has seen its share of devastation.

At 20-5, the former Seattle Supersonics now have the best record in the NBA. The Seahawks haven’t been a serious Super Bowl contender since 2006, and the Mariners haven’t made the playoffs since 2001.

However, 2012 brings with it reasons for unchecked optimism.

Recent Seattle Times articles indicate the NBA and NHL, along with a state-of-the-art multipurpose arena, could be on their way to Seattle. San Francisco hedge fund manager Christopher Hansen is currently working with city officials to build a privately-funded arena in Seattle’s Sodo district.

Both facing financial uncertainty, the Phoenix Coyotes and Sacramento Kings could be playing in Seattle as early as this fall. NBA Commissioner David Stern said recently he remains open to the NBA returning to Seattle. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has long expressed a desire to bring professional hockey to the I-5 corridor. Stern said the Supersonics could play in the Keyarena until the new facility is completed.

With Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins leading a talented young nucleus, Seattle could become a basketball town again. Dreary Northwest winter days could turn into electric nights filled with NBA action as fans watch LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard.

While Hansen, a Seattle native, plans to energize the region’s sports scene, progress continues to be made on the diamond and the gridiron.

The 7-9 Seattle Seahawks are a quarterback away from being one of the best teams in the league. In 2011, General Manager John Schneider spurned conventional defensive wisdom by becoming bigger instead of faster. The Seahawks surrendered just 19.7 points per game.

The most storied Seattle franchise must continue to build by resigning Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch and signing a free-agent quarterback capable of leading them to the playoffs. With a solid offseason, the Seahawks could easily make a deep playoff run next year.

The Mariners, however, are a few summers away from serious contention. While Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak and Jesus Montero should improve the offense dramatically in 2012, Texas and Anaheim simply made too many strides this offseason.

I can’t imagine the Mariners contending for the division deep into August. However, it should be thrilling to watch Ackley develop into a perennial All-Star and Smoak become the 30 home run, 100 RBI producer his tools indicate he can become. 

Fortunately, just as the Mariners approach irrelevance in late August, the WSU football team will kick off fall camp. If early reports from the grueling offseason conditioning program run by Head Coach Mike Leach are any indication, WSU will improve dramatically next season. A Pac-12 North title is not out of the question.

The days of supporting losing teams are done with.