Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

[Damaramu]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

People have a negative (and flat out wrong) stereotype of Oklahoma probably based off the Grapes of Wrath. I doubt any free agents are going to run away, heck the Hornets loved it here. Anytime he's asked Chris Paul goes on and on about how great it was in OKC. Sorry but the stereotype isn't right and NBA players don't exactly hate it here.

That's great Paul loved his stint in OKC. But that doesn't mean OKC can support an NBA team better than Seattle.

Sure, the money is being dangled out there right now. But will it be there five, 10 years from now? I don't see it.

(And I say that as somebody who is very familiar with OKC, spent many evenings in Bricktown and has a friend whose mother died in the Murrah Building.)

Well I say it as a lifelong OKC resident, people will support the team. Bennett is a huge basketball and sports fan and he also loves OKC. He'll continue to support the team and the people will too. The people here are starved for pro sports and it's not going to just go away after 2 years.

The support for the Hornets wasn't fake.

I have no doubt the people will support it. But, then again, the people in Seattle were still supporting the Sonics.

But will the money be there to buy luxury boxes? To build another new arena when Bennett decides the current one isn't nice enough?

Seattle's MSA is 3.3 million. OKC's MSA is 1.1 million. That alone means less money in local TV and radio deals.

Oklahoma has supported everything required for sporting venues in Oklahoma. They threw all their support in for the Redhawks stadium, threw it all in for the Ford Center and recently threw it all in for the renovations on the Ford Center. If the money is needed the people of Oklahoma will pay for it, believe me.

The people of Guymon and Poteau are stuck paying for OKC's stadia? That's some bullshirt. Or were you talking about just OKC?

And, again, a smaller MSA means less local TV/radio contracts. The Sports Animal and KOCO aren't going to be able to pony up as much as radio and TV in a 3.3M market.

I meant OKC and it's suburbs.

You know, OKC isn't as big as Seattle but it isn't exactly tiny. It keeps growing by the way. It's come a long way in just the last 10 years. So people flipping out that the Sonics are moving to a smaller market need to just hold on. The market keeps growing and the Sonics will help it grow.

Really I think people just don't want OKC to have a team.

 

[Some Guy]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

I am intimately familiar with OKC, having once covered the Big 12.
Made my first trip to Seattle this season covering the NBA.

Let me just say I'm gonna miss Seattle.

 

[ArnoldBabar]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

Damaramu, you're just too close to this. I understand that you love your town, but that's not the point. OKC is growing, but so is everywhere else. It probably seems to you like it's getting huge, but in the broader scope it's still a small market and will be for the foreseeable future.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

As far as trades go this isn't nearly as heinous as swapping Vancouver for Memphis.

Or as an acquaintance of mine who works in the NBA put it, "We traded one of the most beautiful cities in North America for a trailer park."

 

[Damaramu]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

Damaramu, you're just too close to this. I understand that you love your town, but that's not the point. OKC is growing, but so is everywhere else. It probably seems to you like it's getting huge, but in the broader scope it's still a small market and will be for the foreseeable future.

Well, we proved we deserve an NBA team. We have one now and will continue to prove we deserve it. This doesn't make us bad people and the venom and the trashing of the city needs to stop. Schultz won't win his lawsuit no matter how many times anti-OKC ESPN paid Lester Munson tells you otherwise. (seriously espn has bashed OKC every chance they get)
The NBA is here in OKC for the foreseeable future. We deserve it, people need to get over it. Sorry you lost your team Seattle, but you can basically have it back in the future.

 

[wannabeu]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

The other thing is that when Oklahoma supported the Hornets for two years, the tickets were really cheap because the team was only going to be there for a couple of years. They are not going to be that cheap for the Sonics. They will cost the same, or even more than any other NBA team. Will the fans come out to the games and pay more? They probably will for the first couple of years, but I have some doubts 5 years from now that they will be showing the same support.

 

[Damaramu]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

The other thing is that when Oklahoma supported the Hornets for two years, the tickets were really cheap because the team was only going to be there for a couple of years. They are not going to be that cheap for the Sonics. They will cost the same, or even more than any other NBA team. Will the fans come out to the games and pay more? They probably will for the first couple of years, but I have some doubts 5 years from now that they will be showing the same support.

I'm pretty sure league-wide the NBA is required to sell a certain number of cheap seats.
But when games weren't sold out for the Hornets it wasn't because the expensive seats weren't sold. The expensive seats were always sold.
People are already flipping out about trying to get season tickets.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

People have a negative (and flat out wrong) stereotype of Oklahoma probably based off the Grapes of Wrath. I doubt any free agents are going to run away, heck the Hornets loved it here. Anytime he's asked Chris Paul goes on and on about how great it was in OKC. Sorry but the stereotype isn't right and NBA players don't exactly hate it here.

That's great Paul loved his stint in OKC. But that doesn't mean OKC can support an NBA team better than Seattle.

Sure, the money is being dangled out there right now. But will it be there five, 10 years from now? I don't see it.

(And I say that as somebody who is very familiar with OKC, spent many evenings in Bricktown and has a friend whose mother died in the Murrah Building.)

Well I say it as a lifelong OKC resident, people will support the team. Bennett is a huge basketball and sports fan and he also loves OKC. He'll continue to support the team and the people will too. The people here are starved for pro sports and it's not going to just go away after 2 years.

The support for the Hornets wasn't fake.

I have no doubt the people will support it. But, then again, the people in Seattle were still supporting the Sonics.

But will the money be there to buy luxury boxes? To build another new arena when Bennett decides the current one isn't nice enough?

Seattle's MSA is 3.3 million. OKC's MSA is 1.1 million. That alone means less money in local TV and radio deals.

Oklahoma has supported everything required for sporting venues in Oklahoma. They threw all their support in for the Redhawks stadium, threw it all in for the Ford Center and recently threw it all in for the renovations on the Ford Center. If the money is needed the people of Oklahoma will pay for it, believe me.

The people of Guymon and Poteau are stuck paying for OKC's stadia? That's some bullshirt. Or were you talking about just OKC?

And, again, a smaller MSA means less local TV/radio contracts. The Sports Animal and KOCO aren't going to be able to pony up as much as radio and TV in a 3.3M market.

I meant OKC and it's suburbs.

You know, OKC isn't as big as Seattle but it isn't exactly tiny. It keeps growing by the way. It's come a long way in just the last 10 years. So people flipping out that the Sonics are moving to a smaller market need to just hold on. The market keeps growing and the Sonics will help it grow.

Really I think people just don't want OKC to have a team.

Good gosh, don't get your Okie up over this. I'm looking at it solely from a business perspective.

Smaller market means less revenue.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

The people in OKC are some of the friendliest you'll ever meet.

But it's a minor league city and it always will be. You can say the Hornets loved playing there but they also knew they weren't staying.

 

[ArnoldBabar]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

Damaramu, you're just too close to this. I understand that you love your town, but that's not the point. OKC is growing, but so is everywhere else. It probably seems to you like it's getting huge, but in the broader scope it's still a small market and will be for the foreseeable future.

Well, we proved we deserve an NBA team. We have one now and will continue to prove we deserve it. This doesn't make us bad people and the venom and the trashing of the city needs to stop. Schultz won't win his lawsuit no matter how many times anti-OKC ESPN paid Lester Munson tells you otherwise. (seriously espn has bashed OKC every chance they get)
The NBA is here in OKC for the foreseeable future. We deserve it, people need to get over it. Sorry you lost your team Seattle, but you can basically have it back in the future.

Let's be honest, the only thing you proved is that you have some rich guys. "Deserve" ain't got a thing to do with it.

Sorry people are trashing your town. Hopefully we haven't been doing it here, which i don't think we have.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

Damaramu, you're just too close to this. I understand that you love your town, but that's not the point. OKC is growing, but so is everywhere else. It probably seems to you like it's getting huge, but in the broader scope it's still a small market and will be for the foreseeable future.

Well, we proved we deserve an NBA team. We have one now and will continue to prove we deserve it. This doesn't make us bad people and the venom and the trashing of the city needs to stop. Schultz won't win his lawsuit no matter how many times anti-OKC ESPN paid Lester Munson tells you otherwise. (seriously espn has bashed OKC every chance they get)
The NBA is here in OKC for the foreseeable future. We deserve it, people need to get over it. Sorry you lost your team Seattle, but you can basically have it back in the future.

Let's be honest, the only thing you proved is that you have some rich guys. "Deserve" ain't got a thing to do with it.

Sorry people are trashing your town. Hopefully we haven't been doing it here, which i don't think we have.

Uh, I'm pretty sure I just did.

 

[wannabeu]

Re: UPDATE: Sonics headed to OKC, money headed to Seattle

The other thing is that when Oklahoma supported the Hornets for two years, the tickets were really cheap because the team was only going to be there for a couple of years. They are not going to be that cheap for the Sonics. They will cost the same, or even more than any other NBA team. Will the fans come out to the games and pay more? They probably will for the first couple of years, but I have some doubts 5 years from now that they will be showing the same support.

I'm pretty sure league-wide the NBA is required to sell a certain number of cheap seats.
But when games weren't sold out for the Hornets it wasn't because the expensive seats weren't sold. The expensive seats were always sold.
People are already flipping out about trying to get season tickets.

The ticket costs were significantly less for the Hornets home games than any other place. Expensive seats and the cheap seats. The cheap seats were $10 for most of the upper deck of the Ford Center. When the team moved there, the plan was for cheaper seats all the way around because of the limited time the Hornets were going to be in OKC.
The tickets for the Sonics will be more than for the Hornets, a lot more.