Can you provide a source? I heard Bennette wanted the opposite to happen. Also, the commish talked about tulsa in the presser as well. I'm not saying your wrong, it would just be a surprise to me.
I'm an OKC guy myself. Born and raised in Edmond, but I think all of oklahoma should enjoy the team and so I think it would be better to call it the "Oklahoma ____" rather than the "Oklahoma City _____". It would also be better for gaining more fans.
Here ya go.
http://newsok.com/article/3232124
I like how they thinkk there there are no rich people in oklahoma only poor people and we don't even have enough people in the state to fill the stadium... I didn't realize Seattle was this delusional..
Scientists are trying to fight global warming by changing animal flatulence. - Hold the Farts
"The choices we discern as having been made in the Constitutional Convention impose burdens on governmental proceses that often seem clumsy, inefficient, even unworkable, but those hard choices were consciously made by men who had lived under a form of government that permitted arbitrary governmental acts to go unchecked." INS v. Chadha, 462 U.S. 919 (1983) (Burger, C.J.)
Stern pwned the Seattle media at the press conference yesterday..Bennett did a great job as well
Bazinga
watch 'em b!tch and whine when the team name is Oklahoma City Tulsans
or perhaps, much like they've had to share the hornets... the Tulsa/Oklahoma City Sonics
Even better, they pull an Angels in the Outfield move: The name starts off "Oklahoma Sonics," but then gets changed to "Oklahoma City Sonics" to favor the city they're in. Realizing that they need a better market for royalty money, they play off a city they're not from at all for better t-shirts and hats: THE TULSA SONICS OF OKLAHOMA CITY
thoughts?
Cuban claims it was more because he thinks this part of the country is becoming saturated with teams and doesn't have the overall television market to support it, especially as far as potential market growth. He said better for most of the teams to be where the bulk of the country's population is. I suspect it is more to do with the potential to lose Oklahoma fans of the Mavs, but that's just me. He also just likes to be a contrarian, and I sort of like that about him.
As for Paul Allen, like it has been mentioned, his roots are deep in Seattle, and he doesn't want to **** off his neighbors. Plus, I think some Seattle fans will likely gravitiate to his team (he needs all the help he can get right now), and he didn't want them to hate him for voting "yes." Allen also owns the SEATTLE Seahawks, and is trying to get an MLS expansion team for SEATTLE. Mostly a PR vote, I agree.
Last edited by BigRedJed; 4/19/2008 at 06:51 PM.
Well, crap.
that is great, great news. people sometimes assume that if they don't live in a franchise city, they won't support it. but after a few years you begin to identify with the team and not necesarily the location. there are tons of people who like the cowboys, mavs, kc chiefs etc, that live outside of those markets.
if the nbas team was in tulsa, i wouldn't reject it because i live in okc. i would support them if i liked the players, coach etc.
Uh... ...based on what? The team is owned wholly by Oklahoma City businessmen, plays in the Oklahoma City taxpayer-funded Ford Center in downtown Oklahoma City, is here almost entirely because the Oklahoma City mayor envisioned his city as an NBA market some years ago, and wouldn't take no for an answer when David Stern tried to brush him aside.
The team is coming here largely because Oklahoma City voters bought into a vision by Oklahoma City's leadership 15 years ago, and paid $370 million dollars (including $85 million for the Ford Center) out of their pockets to try to elevate Oklahoma City to major league status.
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans 2 1/2 years ago, Oklahoma City, looking for a chance to prove itself, stepped up and embraced the Hornets, damn near selling out a season where there was only about a month for the team to mount a sales effort. Oklahoma City's corporate community gave the team more in corporate sponsorship than nearly any team in the league. Not a single one of those "Pioneer Partners" was located even as far away as Edmond or Norman.
Then, when the opportunity presented itself to embrace another team, and Oklahoma City voters were told that they needed to dig deep again and fund $125 million in improvements to the Ford Center, they didn't bat an eyelash and then lined up in unprecedented numbers to overwhemingly tax themselves, again.
NOW you want to say that this team "is... ...not OKC's?" That, my aggie friend, is downright offensive. How 'bout if people in Weatherford or Guymon were demanding that your pokies played part of their football or basketball season in that town instead of Stillwater, and that OSU's longsuffering fans (those that go to games), those who donate to the university and the athletic programs, had to give up their season tickets to accomodate the people in Guymon? Personally, I would think that was wrong. And heck, OSU truly IS a state institution.
Look, like I've said many times on here by now, I hope and believe that people from all over this state jump on board. There is room for everyone. Though the OKC metro provided the vast number of fans, fans did and will come from all over the state. I hope Tulsa gets some preseason games, since a number of those are typically travel games to build league fan support. I'd be happy if that was the only away city the team played at during the preseason.
But Oklahoma City is perhaps more DESERVING of an NBA team, and as a community has worked harder to get one, than any city in the history of the league. We have jumped through hoops that most cities have never even DREAMED OF to get to this point. Don't even think about saying that this is not OKC's team.
Well, crap.
And yes, I know I'm wasting my breath, since the FC lease is already done, for all home games. Just wanted to vent a little.
Well, crap.