Sounds promising that they might be coming to reality and seeing that a buyout may be their best option at this point.

What's funny is that if Bennett and company pay off their debt along with any revenue lost from the team leaving early, then there would be no other way than to look at Bennett's group as a savior for the city of Seattle and Key Arena. Think about it, such a deal would take a less than competitive asset that carries a lot of debt and make it viable again. The competitive advantage of having a debt free arena in the city's treasure chest would at least offset any benefit they currently get from the Sonics being located there, imo.

Even the amount of debt reduced by the first offer is significant, imo, and if these people in Seattle really are all about pragmatic government fiscal policy (their basic stance in not building a new arena), then they should be lighting a fire under the council to take a deal, especially if the offer increases by any real amount. By cleaning up their balance sheet in this way, their bond rating should improve a little, their competitive position in attracting arena scale events should improve, and, if they show choose, they could turn around and debt finance projects they do care about without increasing their debt balance above what it is today.

BDP - Don't discuss logic and Seattle in the same sentence. It is like trying to figure out why crazy people do crazy things. It's because they are crazy.

A 30 second spot/commercial from the Chamber ...

eVfCHDJBxZA

I think there are two things that could make the mayor of Seattle less "absolutely firm" regarding a buyout. The first would be passage of the March 4th tax proposal here, which would probably guarantee the second: approval of the Sonics' move by the BOG. If the Seattle politicians can go to their constituents and say, "Look, we'd love to keep the team, but they're moving regardless, so we're getting our debt on the Key retired by letting them leave early." then I think their flexibility might increase. Because, if we do pass the tax proposal, and the BOG approves the move, the other thing they would have to go to their constituents and say is, "We couldn't stop the team from leaving, but we're going to make them stay here the next 2 years...........(and lose money)". The latter might be unspoken, but now everyone in Seattle knows they could make some money on the deal.

That's a good ad. I'm glad it points out that this isn't just about the NBA.

I agree, betts. The opportunity cost for the city of forcing the team to stay in Seattle seems to grow each day. It's down to basically two options:

1) Take the buyout. Lose the team, but retire the debt 7 years early, get some cash for lost revenue, and ride off into the sunset.

-or-

2) Refuse the buyout. Keep the team for two more years before they leave, continue to pay on the debt of the arena with no major tenant for the period after the Sonics leave, and receive marginal benefit from hosting a lame duck team with well below average attendance for the remainder of the lease, all while continuing to fight court battles to make said lame duck team stay for an additional two years.

I agree, Kerry, that they're acting a little crazy, but I also know that they don't hold any exclusivity on crazy. It's not like we live in a hot bed of rational thought. Everyone will look a little saner once this whole thing is over with. ;)

For some reason, the commercial with the mayor has been removed ... here's another although I don't like it as well ... I though that the mayor's comments were what made the other ad pretty good ... not great, but pretty good ...

8epIuznGPz4

Yeah I prefer the one with Mick.

Sorry! I will have the other commercial featuring the Mayor back up in a jiffy! Small technical problem on my end...
Thanks!

Long and heady article in the today's Journal Record: The Journal Record - Article (http://www.journalrecord.com/article.cfm?recid=86338)


Economists at odds over proposed arena tax
by Brian Brus
The Journal Record February 19, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY – Mayor Mick Cornett has repeatedly touted the multimillion-dollar refurbishment of the Ford Center arena in downtown Oklahoma City as an economic development engine that would create new jobs as well as draw visitors and money to the area.

But weighing the projected economic impact of luring a professional basketball team against the tax cost to the public brings up questions that even economics professors at the same university can’t agree on.

“I’ve been having a number of discussions about this lately. It’s very disturbing,” said economist Jonathon Wilner at Oklahoma City University’s Meinders Business School. “This is a well-researched topic in economics. People keep saying it will have positive economic impact, and every once in a very long while it will. … But based on systemic research, they are neutral to negative in their effects.”

His peer, OCU economics professor David May, thinks otherwise. May said he would vote to support a temporary sales tax to raise $120 million for a new stadium to attract a professional basketball team to Oklahoma City.

“There are external benefits to an enterprise like this that cannot be measured directly,” May said. “Clearly, the people who go to the new arena wouldn’t be buying tickets if they weren’t realizing some sort of benefit. But also I think people who don’t go also realize a benefit just by recognizing the availability of it, or ‘existence value.’ There is some value to having a bald eagle as a symbol, for example, even though you may never see one yourself.”

Offense and defense

The issue will be decided March 4, when Oklahoma City residents vote on a 1-cent, 15-month sales tax. If passed, the tax will fund massive changes at the arena, adding public rooms, business offices and team warm-up areas, and upgrading the complex to support additional restaurants and business.

The goal is to make the arena NBA-worthy so that the basketball league’s board of governors will be more likely to allow Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett and his partners to move the SuperSonics team from its current home in Seattle. If the issue passes but the NBA doesn’t allow the team’s relocation, the tax would shrink by three months to fund $100 million in upgrades the arena needs anyway, city officials said.

Cornett is the arena’s most visible proponent, backed by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. Cornett has repeatedly said the team doesn’t stand a chance of relocation unless the arena is improved enough to establish the metro area as a “big league city.”

The chamber has sponsored a Web page, BigLeagueCity.com, in support of the issue. An account has also been created on the MySpace online social portal, using the same BigLeagueCity identity.

The issue has drawn some organized opposition, with Web page addresses such as MapsForMillionaires.org and March4Vote.org, with pointers to the unrelated FieldOfSchemes.com that tracks pro sports arena development. Those against arena subsidization point to the same economic research May and Wilner study.

“Independent scholarship in general has not supported the thesis that professional sports induce significant increases in economic activity for host cities,” economists Robert Baade and Victor Matheson say in a recent issue of the Contemporary Economic Policy journal.
Baade is a professor at Lake Forest College in Chicago; Matheson teaches at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. Among their many research projects on pro sports, they’ve analyzed the extent to which the city of New Orleans should direct its redevelopment dollars toward its sports infrastructure.

Even before Hurricane Katrina severely damaged that city, the authors say, “the lack of population base and both personal and corporate wealth places New Orleans at a considerable disadvantage in supporting and, therefore, retaining either the Saints (NFL team) or the Hornets (NBA team).”

By the latest figures available for Baade and Matheson’s study, in 2004 New Orleans had 1.36 million people, a per capita income of $30,693, and two professional league teams. At the same time, Oklahoma City had 1.21 million people and a per capita income of $30,033. If Oklahoma City were to secure an NBA team, it would be the smallest of the top 50 population cities in the country to host a professional team and near the bottom of the per capita scale, statistics show.

Baade and Matheson say that even given the importance of entertainment tourism to New Orleans, which is much larger compared with most of the country, sports has little overall economic value even at the most basic level.

“Despite the high salaries paid professional athletes, the spectator sports industry typically accounts for less than 1 percent of a city’s payroll,” Baade and Matheson say. “By that measure, the industry is not economically vital to cities in the United States, including New Orleans.”

Impact zone

So what leads promoters to believe in positive results? Impact studies, economists say. The typical study used by league and event promoters estimates a number of visitors expected to attend, the number of days each spectator will probably spend in the city, and the amount of money they’ll spend each day. That figure is then subjected to a multiplier to account for the money’s effect as it passes from person to person, business to business.

In January, for example, Game Plan LLC Chairman Bob Caporale told The Journal Record that if the Sonics come to Oklahoma, “The team itself will have a budget that could be close to $100 million, and those dollars will be spent primarily in the local area. And from the business of games being played, it obviously generates substantial additional revenue in and around the facility. … So you get a real ripple effect around the facility and in the community.”

Oklahoma City officials have regularly tapped Caporale and Game Plan for help on the issue. Game Plan provides consulting, financial advisory and investment banking services in the acquisition, sale and financing of professional sports teams and the development and financing of sports facilities.

Game Plan’s client is SMG, a Philadelphia-based company that manages the Ford Center and more than 200 public assembly facilities nationwide, including arenas, stadiums, performing arts theaters and convention and trade centers. Although the company does not represent the city of Oklahoma City, Cornett said officials sometimes rely on Caporale’s experience in the industry to provide perspective.
And that’s a problem, according to Baade, Matheson and Robert Baumann in a study in the Southern Economic Journal. Anytime there’s potential profit to be made, numbers become suspect.

“Leagues, team owners, and event organizers have a strong incentive to provide economic impact numbers that are as large as possible in order to justify heavy public subsidies,” the economists say. “When leagues consider expansion or franchise relocations, they frequently highlight the potential economic benefits of a new franchise in order to minimize the team’s or league’s required contribution to the funding of the stadium or arena in which the team will play.”

As Baade and his peers point out, such economic impact projections have a few problems that are rarely examined. The first is a substitution effect: Many local sports spectators are merely shifting their available entertainment budget from other restaurants, movie theaters and retailers in the same area. Such spending is not truly new economic activity.

And Wilner referred to a study of the Anaheim Angels baseball team in which it was discovered that game spectators had decided to visit the city for other reasons not directly related to the team, the local Disney park being most notable. “But they were attributing all of the money that came into the city as an economic impact due to the Angels,” Wilner said.

The host city also benefits less from ticket sales than some might believe, Wilner said. Vanderbilt University professor John Siegfried and Andrew Zimbalist at Smith College say in a recent article in the Journal of Economic Perspectives that only 29 percent of NBA players live in the same metro area in which they play. So most of their paychecks are spent elsewhere, not in the cities where their fans are paying to see them play.

In the big leagues

Ultimately, the question may be answered on personal beliefs and not necessarily numbers.

“For people who like professional sports and think that the opportunity to attend these games and be associated with these teams is something of value, then, yes, those people get some sort of emotional pleasure,” Wilner said. “But the underlying issue is that the professional team is a private company and they’re asking for public money. So is the gain to the public’s sense of well-being worth the money that’s being put in? And that’s a much harder thing to evaluate.”

May, who considers himself an environmental and resource economist, said studies in his field have tried to pin down the value of intangibles such as a beautiful view or a beachfront lot – or the presence of a sports team. For example, one study asked people how much they would be willing to spend for one extra sunny day of weather each year; the usual answer ranged from $7 to $12. In a city of a million people, that’s about $50 million over five years.

He pointed to a recent article in the Sport Management Review by economics lecturer Emily Sparvero and sport management professor Laurence Chalip at the University of Texas in which the writers say for cities to reap pro sports benefits, city leaders must shift their focus from impact to leverage.

A sports team can serve economic development indirectly by stabilizing the work force and fostering area development, Chalip and Sparvero said. Leveraging enables a team to be built into city branding, which can be complemented by tactics to attract business and tourists, and it can boost community self-esteem.

As economists Gerald Carlino and N. Edward Coulson said in a 2004 Business Review quarterly for the Philadelphia branch of the Federal Reserve Bank, “Perhaps residents should think of a professional sports team in the way they think of a new art museum or a new symphony hall. … It’s a commodity from which they receive enjoyment just by having it around.”

And that value is verifiable on the ledgers, they said: Annual housing rents in NFL cities rose by about 8 percent more than in non-football league cities, Carlino and Coulson found. Higher rents imply higher housing prices and increased property tax revenues, they conclude.

Cornett has repeatedly stressed that an NBA team would help Oklahoma City be known as a “big league city” that could compete against other major metro areas for business and tourism. And for every mention of the Sonics in the news, Oklahoma City wins exposure.

Wilner is certain the cons far outweigh the pros on the point.

“Kerr-McGee didn’t move to Houston because of the Rockets. It had a lot more to do with the economic implications of the agglomeration effects of the oil and gas businesses already down there,” he said. “You don’t develop a business community by doing this. It’s a hell of a lot of money to attract an executive. … The cost of building an arena doesn’t justify word-of-mouth or news media coverage that brings attention to the city.”

May said he will vote in favor of the tax; down the hall in their offices at OCU, Wilner said he is against it.

“Most economists would say that in the presence of perfect information, everybody makes a perfect decision. Or the marginal benefits exceed the marginal cost of that decision-making,” May said. “The problem is that almost nothing we do in real life is information-perfect.”
The 2 anti-vote websites represent "organized opposition?" Hardly. These are just a few people, some of whom are quite possibly not from Oklahoma City. It is how to see how either website would be seen as leaders ... the websites are pretty banal and useless, were I a "Vote No" person.

Still, that KFOR-TV poll taken about 3 weeks ago is pretty scary and showing votes about evenly divided with a slight edge to "No." NOTHING SHOULD BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED.

GET OUT THOSE YARD SIGNS!

Sorry! I will have the other commercial featuring the Mayor back up in a jiffy! Small technical problem on my end...
Thanks!
Try making one with the Flaming Lips! Surely Wayne Coyne is supporting the vote, right? :dizzy:

Kudos to Brian Brus for writing a balanced article on this issue.

Here's a quote by Zimbalist, one of the other sports economics gurus that deals with a special issue that applies to Oklahoma City. Zimbalist says: "Indeed, it is noteworthy that statistically significant, positive team coefficients were found only in cities west of the Mississippi. It may be that western cities in the US are more geographically isolated in a sports sense (no other team is present within several hundred miles)and are therefore more likely to have a regional following. In other words, these cities are more likely to export their sports services and thus add to aggregate spending in the city."

If Seattle moves to Oklahoma City, I am going to try to get tickets and watch my team, the Orlando Magic kick Seattle's asses :fighting3

If Seattle moves to Oklahoma City, I am going to try to get tickets and watch my team, the Orlando Magic kick Seattle's asses :fighting3

Haha! Here's hoping you get a chance. Just don't sit behind me! Some scalper bought the whole row behind me when the Hornets were here, and so frequently fans from other teams were sitting there, especially when we were playing Texas teams. It got old, especially when we were losing and they were gloating.

Ninja Betts! :fighting3

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/ford2.gif

Here's an op-ed piece from the DOK today:

By Berry Tramel
The Oklahoman

The NBA is up to us.

Us being the registered voters of Oklahoma City, who on March 4 will decide whether the Seattle SuperSonics relocate to the Ford Center and OKC becomes America's 45th major-league city. Did you read that clearly?

Once, Oklahoma City's NBA dreams rested in the power of others. The whims of an individual, like George Shinn. The response of another city, like Seattle. The weather, which cast a plague upon New Orleans and gave Oklahoma City a chance to shine. David Stern's NBA itself. No longer. The power is ours. The Sonics are coming, if OKC says come on.

It's up to us. If the voters want a team, they've got one. Pass that March 4 sales-tax extension, which would renovate the Ford Center, and that's the day of transformation.The day Oklahoma City goes permanent major league. No other result is possible after the revelations of the past few days. The NBA has played its cards, with the commissioner saying it's over in Seattle. Seattle officials admitting as much, even to the point of talking about negotiations to break the KeyArena lease.

Stern last weekend revealed that the Sonics had made a $26 million buyout offer, which was rejected, and here was a response from Seattle city council president Richard Conlin, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "As an opening gun in negotiations, while it's not an offer we'd accept, it's not that far from a credible offer. So I don't think it's a bad-faith effort on their part.” That's a civil thing to say, and civility has been in short supply from Seattle officials during the last year.
The sides appear on the verge of genuine communication, now that the Sonics' exit is inevitable, and the only question is where are they going.

The answer is Oklahoma City, if March 4 goes yes, or who knows, if the vote goes no. Early polls say the vote will pass. Both sides have valid points. The yes side says Oklahoma City would be transformed, and that's no doubt true on this level: It would elevate us into that rare club of major-league cities, and while we can debate the benefits of rubbing shoulders in public perception with the likes of San Antonio and Kansas City and Nashville — if not New York, Chicago and Los Angeles — it is absolutely certain that those shoulders will be rubbed.

The no side says public money should not be used to pad the pockets of millionaires (a bogus claim) or build facilities that only a certain segment of the population can afford to use (much more legitimate charge). When someone asks how much Clay Bennett, Aubrey McClendon and the other Sonic owners are going to contribute to the NBA-in-OKC cause, there's an easy answer: $400 million, for starters. That's about what they've spent so far in reaching this point, with more to come.

They (over)paid $350 million for the Sonics in the first place, which insured an Oklahoma City group owned an NBA franchise, then they spent millions more on trying to get a new arena in Seattle. Whether or not anyone believes they truly wanted to stay in Seattle or not, those millions were spent. And now it's going to cost them tens of millions more to leave early.

Truth is, $121 million, the estimated price tag on the Ford Center vote, is a pretty cheap price to join the Major League Club.

But again, people who argue there are better ways to spend tax money are not nuts. It's possible major-league status isn't worth it. I think it is, but I could be wrong.Some say the Sonics could come even if the vote fails, but I don't see it. Oklahoma City, like San Antonio and Salt Lake City, is a marginal NBA market even with all oars rowing. And that includes an elite arena. No way the NBA settles for the current Ford Center, which was a glorious short-term solution for the Hornets and has been a steal for Oklahoma City at $90 million. But the Ford Center is not a long-term NBA solution.

If the March 4 vote fails, then Stern and his board of governors say, no way, let's try San Jose. Or Kansas City. Or most likely Anaheim. The NBA does not want another Sacramento, a market crazy about its product but playing in an arena that won't sustain the league's Monopoly-money economics.

If the March 4 vote fails, my guess is Bennett and Co. withdraw the relocation application and eventually sell to the highest bidder. Someone who doesn't live in the 405 area code. So this is the chance. This is the opportunity to go major league. It will not pass this way again for perhaps decades. We've got local owners, in possession of a franchise that can be moved, to a market hot on the NBA's radar.

All that's missing is this vote. It's up to us.

Any idea where we can vote?

I think the vote will easily pass, I'll be suprised if it didn't

Any idea where we can vote?

Your voter registration card will tell you where to vote. If you've lost it, here is a number for the country election board, and they can tell you where your precinct voting site is. (405)713-1515

If you don't have a voter registration card, it's a good idea to take a picture ID with you when you go to vote. Shockingly, they don't always ask for one, but they might.

I've generally not been a big fan of Berry Tramel's fact predictions, but the article Betts quoted above is 4-square and hits the nail right on the mark, and whether Okc becomes an NBA city is truly in our hands. On March 4. On March 4, we will know. We will not see another March 4 in our lifetimes ... at least, I won't in mine.

This space in time presents one of those rare convergences of events that one rarely sees duplicated in one's lifetime and I think that our Mayor shares that perception. That sounds dramatic if not melodramatic, but I really think that it is really and actually just such a thing. Consider the following ...


1. In Okc, Mayor Ron Norick's Maps initiative was passed in 1993. In 1998, it became evident that the generated revenue would not fund the arena element of the plan. Norick's successor, Mayor Kirk Humphreys, was elected on the proposition of finishing Maps "right" and when the 6 month Maps extension passed what would become the Ford Center became funded. Construction started in 1999 and the arena opened June 8, 2002, as the Ford Center. But for this, all else which follows would be irrelevant and we'd not be having this discussion today. The NBA would be irrelevant to us as a city. But for some preliminary discussions between Mayor Cornett and the NBA Commissioner pre-Katrina, we weren't even on the NBA's radar -- David Stern suggested that we consider approaching the NHL instead. As it would develop, those early conversations lead to something completely unexpected and unforseen.


2. Katrina hit New Orleans in late August 2005 making it impossible that the Hornets play in New Orleans for the 2005-06 season . In September, a deal was struck that Okc would host the Hornets as the home for most home games during the season. Before that was agreed upon, the Commissioner suggested Okc to George Shinn who said, "Oklahoma where?" George learned where even though he could not remember the city's name at the opening regular season game (even though 2 pre-season games had already been played here). Season ticket sales in Okc amazed the NBA world. Corporate sponsorships did, too. As for the fans, the Hornets opening pre-season game in Oklahoma City occurred on October 23, 2005 ... my 1st NBA game.


3. The 2005-2006 Hornets season in Okc amazed not only the NBA world, but Oklahoma Citians, as well. Me included. Oklahoma City fans poured into the Ford Center with sellout and/or near sellout attendances for most of the games, despite the abysmal Hornets 2004-2005 season of 18 wins and 64 losses. "Loud City" was born. In time, Berry Tramel virtually promised Okc that the Hornets would not be returning to New Orleans. Why should they? A hidden gold mine had been discovered in Oklahoma City. Shinn wanted to stay .... at least for one more season but other reliable reports indicate that he wanted to stay permanently. They did stay one more season. An effort was made by Clay Bennett et al. during the 1st season to acquire an interest in the the Hornets. A "handshake" deal was announced by Berry Tramel. Whether so or not, the "deal" didn't happen. Oklahoma Citians owned nothing in and of the NBA.


4. Not until July 18, 2006. That's when Professional Basketball Club LLC (Bennett et al.) purchased the Sonics and Storm from Howard Shultz, Starbucks coffee magnate. Clay Bennett announced his intention and preference to keep the teams in the Seattle, but with conditions: A new arena (other than the Key) and a new contract were required to be agreed to by October 31, 2007. Otherwise, all bets were off.


5. Bennett's group spent a good bit of money, hiring perhaps the best arena designer firm in the country, to come up with a plan, and a location was found in Renton. Bennett did not initially want the matter be presented to a vote of the people, Seattle's Proposition 91 being fresh in memory. During the legislative session, he relented and agreed that the proposed legislation which would partially fund the new Renton arena be submitted to a vote of the people. Notwithstanding, in the Legislature, the proposal died in committee, and the legislative approach was dead.


6. Other not-very-serious initiatives occurred but nothing really happened as the October 31, 2007, "deadline" approached and, then, passed by. On November 2, 2007, Bennett's group petitioned the NBA Board of Governors to move the teams to OKC. Later, the Storm (the women's team) was sold to a Seattle group and then it was just down to the SuperSonics.


7. Without reviewing the history of the litigation which ensued, suffice it to say that Seattle's litigation to enforce a specific performance provision in the lease which expires in 2010 is set for trial in June 2008. The litigation will determine whether the Sonics can leave and pay monetary damages if they want to leave before the end of the lease, or whether the specific performance elements of the lease are to be enforced so that the team would be required to stay in Seattle through 2010.


8. In the meantime, the Sonics offered Seattle $26.5 M and the privilege of keeping the team's name in exchange for an early exit. Seattle declined. Whether additional buy-out negotiations will occur and/or succeed is anyone's guess.


9. In December 2007, Mayor Cornett who had been in discussions with the NBA (David Stern, Commissioner, and his aides, most probably) let the mayor know what Oklahoma City's "terms of entrance" into the NBA would be. Hence, the emergency March 4 vote was placed on the City Council's January 2008 agenda and it was decided that the pending measure, to be decided on March 4, would be put to a vote of the people, notwithstanding the haste with which the proposal had been put together.


10. Saturday, February 16, Commissioner Stern as much as said that the Sonics would be moving from Seattle, as soon as the pending litigation and/or settlement of that litigation would allow, and that could be as early as the 2008-2009 season. While the Commissioner was rather clear about that, he was less clear about where the Sonics might be moving to. While Oklahoma City may be inferred/presumed, if the March 4 vote does not pass, it may well be elsewhere than Oklahoma City.


11. The March 4 vote occurs.


12. The Board of Governors meets in April 2008 to determine its decision on Bennett's group's request to relocate to Oklahoma City.

Each of the above points is important in the chain which has led to today. The points range from "act of city" (Maps), "act of God" (Katrina) and the other "acts" by those described above.

Whether these events are serendipitous or fate or god based, I am not in a position to say. But, it is my very serious guess that the confluence of these events will not occur again for a very very long while.

What it all adds up to at this point is simple: Oklahoma City faces a door on March 4. If Okc opens that door, Okc has an NBA team. If it doesn't, Okc says goodbye to the NBA for the foreseeable future.

Tramel finally got it right.

The longer commercial featuring the Mayor is now posted on Home | Vote Yes March 4! (http://www.BigLeagueCity.com) as well as the Chamber/CVB YouTube channel at YouTube - VisitOklahomaCity's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/VisitOklahomaCity)
Thanks!

Thank YOU, Julie!

Fdca_d3WjvU&rel=1

I'm really disappointed in the quality of this campaign thus far. I really think they could have done a better job with promotions and the graphic design on items. Oh well, I'll do everything I can to help get it passed.

I like the graphics.

I've got bumper stickers, small and large bronchures and yard signs. If anyone wants stuff, let me know. I don't work for the Chamber, I'm just volunteering.

See Sound Off | OKG News.com (http://www.okgazette.com/Default.aspx?p=12738&a=1712&ReturnUrl=LwBEAGUAZgBhAHUAbAB0AC4AYQBzAHAAeAAslash AHAAPQAxADIANwAzADgA)

Why I'm voting yes
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
By Bill Bleakley

On March 4, Oklahoma City voters will decide whether to extend the MAPS for Kids penny sales tax expiring in December 2008 for a year to fund improvements to the Ford Center and for another three months to fund a practice facility if the NBA selects the city for a team.

The first year is expected to generate $97 million for the Ford Center improvements and, if extended three months, an additional $18 million to build the practice facility.

I'm voting yes for the tax extension, and here's why: First, the Ford Center is a key element of our downtown economy. Although we depend on conventions to bring in people from outside Central Oklahoma to spend dollars downtown, it's the Ford Center that brings in folks from neighboring cities and counties to spend money while attending the multitude of events it hosts.

The Ford Center has always been considered a work in progress. While its basic infrastructure is adequate, there were not sufficient monies in MAPS to fully dress it out with the amenities that are necessary for a state-of-the-art arena. Whether or not we get an NBA team, the city still benefits from making these needed improvements.

Finishing the arena will attract more events and generate greater attendance, satisfaction and spending from all events. Landing an NBA team because of the improvements is more than icing on the cake.

An NBA team provides a level of recognition that would help Oklahoma City transcend the negative stereotypes with which we are usually associated, such as dust bowls, tornadoes and a bombing. Only 29 cities in the world have an NBA team, and we could be one of them.

Some opponents to the tax extension feel that the owners of the Seattle SuperSonics have more than enough money to pay for these improvements themselves and should do so. Such an approach is not realistic.

Locating NBA teams is a seller's market. Despite Seattle's reluctance, there are other cities ready to use public financing to get a team. Just over our shoulder is Kansas City, Mo., with a facility ready to go.

The bonus we get with the Sonic owners is that they are our rich guys, who, hopefully out of civic loyalty, will be less likely to pull up the team and move it to another venue in the future.

There's another important advantage to full-public ownership of the arena. The taxpayers' representatives can better negotiate at arms length on the rent to be charged to all users. Jim Couch, city manager, and Tom Anderson, who oversees Ford Center contracts, have made assurances that the city will be getting fair-market rent from all users, including an NBA team. They are honorable men and we take them at their word, although we'll still be watching.

Some voters question why just the citizens of Oklahoma City should pay for the improvements to the Ford Center arena when it is enjoyed by citizens throughout Central Oklahoma. This concern is lessened by considering that the city gets the sales tax revenues from the arena and surrounding businesses.

If the voters of Oklahoma City impose this sales tax upon themselves to upgrade the Ford Center arena to NBA standards, an important quid pro quo should be repealing the statute passed in 2006 to accommodate the temporary relocation of the New Orleans Hornets that exempted sales taxes on NBA ticket sales.

Oklahoma granted that exemption out of compassion for the unique - situation the Hornets were in. Now, let's get to business by extending the penny sales tax, making the improvements, rescinding the sales tax exemption, getting the team and playing ball. Everybody wins!

Bleakley is publisher of Oklahoma Gazette.

How can we get Yard Signs? I'll plaster them all over my yard if it would help .. but I'm in Edmond .... ugh

How can we get Yard Signs? I'll plaster them all over my yard if it would help .. but I'm in Edmond .... ugh
As Betts said above, she has some ... that might be more convenient than going downtown to the Chamber's office on Park Avenue to get some.

Great piece from the Gazette!

and I just had to comment on something


As Baade and his peers point out, such economic impact projections have a few problems that are rarely examined. The first is a substitution effect: Many local sports spectators are merely shifting their available entertainment budget from other restaurants, movie theaters and retailers in the same area. Such spending is not truly new economic activity.

This doesn't hold water at all because it ignores the fact that the NBA games as well as other events draw people from outside of OKC, that would not be spending their money here otherwise.

I posted this above, but it bears repeating. Zimbalist is one of the other major sports economists writing about arenas and their impact on cities.

Zimbalist says: "Indeed, it is noteworthy that statistically significant, positive team coefficients were found only in cities west of the Mississippi. It may be that western cities in the US are more geographically isolated in a sports sense (no other team is present within several hundred miles)and are therefore more likely to have a regional following. In other words, these cities are more likely to export their sports services and thus add to aggregate spending in the city."

In other words, we're more likely to get people in from Tulsa for an NBA game than they are in NewJersey, where the teams play less than 10 miles apart, and those people may spend money in Oklahoma City that would otherwise have been spent in Tulsa. Reportedly, 20% of the season ticket sales to the Hornets were to Tulsans, at least the first year.

One of the problems sports economists face is that they have such a small sample size. Then, they can't control variables. One city with a population of a million may be situated by mountains, but difficult to reach, another may have no attractive geographic features. One may have raw materials and transportation ease that encourages manufacturing and another might now. If you have 1,0000 cities with profesional teams, you'd be able to generalize better. There may not have been a city close enough in character to OKC to predict economic impact. There's no way to completely prove your hypothesis when you cannot control your variables.

very intelligent points on sample size betts. I hadn't thought of that. I think it's safe to say that OKC is very different from NYC or even Seattle when it comes to how major league sports will affect our economy.

..and are therefore more likely to have a regional following. In other words, these cities are more likely to export their sports services and thus add to aggregate spending in the city.

Let me say this about that. I lived for a very short period of time in Altus. I drove to Norman one Saturday when OU was playing Pittsburgh. I noticed several cars with OU flags traveling from Altus to Lawton. When I got on I-44 in Lawton a large number of cars had OU flags (several with Texas tags). When I got off I-44 on to Highway 9 in Chickasha it was bumper to bumper cars with OU flags. All of those fans were coming from somewhere besides Norman.

I am not saying the NBA will have 75,000 per games (OU Capacity back then) but they will have 18,000 per games 41 times per season and a fair amount of them will come from outside OKC.

Karried, I thought you live in that area north of Quail Springs that has an Edmond address and is in the Edmond school district, but is technically in OKC? I live near NW 164th and Western (Edmond address, Edmond schools), but I am in OKC. I will be voting YES!

How can we get Yard Signs? I'll plaster them all over my yard if it would help .. but I'm in Edmond .... ugh


If you can tell me where you'd like them dropped off, I could do so. You can send me a PM.

Just saw a trailer for tonight's 10 o'clock news on CBS/9. News9 is doing a sweeps package about "What we can gain if we do get an NBA team, what we might lose if we don't." (sorry, I don't remember the exact quote.) It sounds like they are going to talk to people in Houston about their experiences in trying to solicit an NBA team.

This was an interesting post found on a DFW Forum post. It is a study done by the University of Texas at Arlington economist....

Study: Pro games depress tax revenue
NFL, NBA cited, but hockey, baseball said to boost economic activity slightly



09:55 PM CDT on Saturday, June 24, 2006
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News


ARLINGTON – Football may be king in these parts, but that doesn't mean much at the cash registers.

A new statewide study co-written by a University of Texas at Arlington economist found that sales tax revenue drops by more than $560,000 every time a city hosts a regular-season NFL game.

NBA games lower sales tax revenue by $16,000 per game, the study found, while NHL and Major League Baseball games tend to boost average sales tax revenue by small amounts.

DallasNews.com/extra

Read the complete study
"When it comes to NFL games, that number seems awfully large and negative, but I'm convinced it's there," said UTA's Craig Depken.

Large traffic jams that accompany Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans games also lead to what Dr. Depken calls the "hunker-down" and "skedaddle" factors. Fans might spend money in Irving during a Cowboys game, but more residents are likely to avoid gridlock by staying home or driving to a neighboring city to shop or dine.

The research released last week also found that NBA Finals games, like the ones held recently in Dallas, provide only a modest boost in economic activity. A Game 7 for the Dallas Mavericks would have been expected to increase sales tax revenue in Dallas by more than $65,000, based on the statewide average, the study said. But that bonus would not have made up for the average $128,000-per-game loss in the previous playoff rounds.

The study found that college football games aren't big moneymakers for larger cities but that they can boost the economy of small towns like Prairie View or Kingsville.

The study crunched sales tax data from 126 Texas cities from January 1990 to April and analyzed the effects of professional and college sporting events.

Critics of the study say it is too focused on sales tax revenue and doesn't take into account many benefits of professional sporting events.

Linda DiMario, president and CEO of the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau, said she's seen plenty of studies like Dr. Depken's in the past. Most have a narrow focus, she said.

The teams promote civic pride, attract millions of dollars in free publicity and help support adjacent businesses, Ms. DiMario said. Local sports teams generate hundreds – in some cases thousands – of jobs, she said. Arlington is home to the Texas Rangers and is building a stadium for the Cowboys.

"There is more at stake when a city hosts an event than the sales tax that accrues to the city coffers," Ms. DiMario said.

Previous research has shown that the average three-game Rangers homestand pumps about $2 million into Arlington's economy, she said. That's about half of what Dr. Depken's study estimated.

Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said he doesn't believe the research – especially the data on the negative sales tax effects of football games.

"To me, it's implausible," he said.

Dr. Cluck said he trusts a city-commissioned study estimating that the new Cowboys stadium, which will open in 2009, will generate $1 million to $1.5 million in new sales tax revenue annually.

Maura Gast, executive director of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that nothing in the study surprises her. Cowboys games attract few out-of-towners staying in Irving hotels, and traffic around Texas Stadium probably depresses the city's economy on game day.

"As a local, when you think about where you are going on the weekends and have errands to run, do I want to do it in a 50,000-person traffic sprawl?" she said.

Football has increased Irving's name recognition, Ms. Gast said, but all people know is that the Cowboys play there and it's near Dallas. That doesn't necessarily translate into a big boost in tourism.

Daniel Oney, economic development research manager for Dallas, said the study appears to be reasonable. He said that he would have projected a higher sales tax impact by the Mavericks but that the figures are still in the ballpark.

"The net impact is never as big as it's being claimed by the boosters," he said.

Dr. Depken warned that his research wasn't meant to predict the future, only to analyze the past. The study isn't a forecast for what will happen when the Cowboys leave Irving for Arlington in a few years.

The planned Glorypark shopping center, which will be wedged between the Cowboys and Rangers stadiums, could brighten the economic outlook on Cowboys game days if fans stick around after the game to eat, drink, shop or watch a movie, Dr. Depken said.

The study contains few explanations about why, among other things, NHL games boost sales tax and NBA games depress it. Dr. Depken said that he and his research partner are conducting further research to try to determine contributing factors.

Another study expected by the end of the summer will look at the "spillover" effect on cities neighboring a stadium's home city. That data has been collected but hasn't been analyzed.

One issue Dr. Depken won't tackle is whether a city should spend its tax dollars to build a stadium or how a stadium should be funded.

"Those are questions I'm not really qualified to answer," he said.

The study, which also was researched by Dennis Coates of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will be presented this week at the Western Economic Association International conference in San Diego.

E-mail jmosier@dallasnews.com


GAMES' ECONOMIC FOOTPRINT



Game Estimated sales tax impact per game *
NCAA football $22,346
NCAA bowl ($1,486,158)
NFL ($566,866)
NFL playoffs ($155,675)
Super Bowl $2,500,837
NBA ($21,208)
NBA playoffs ($128,709)
NBA All-Star $1,616,465
NBA Finals $65,578
MLB $22,216
MLB playoffs $461,383
MLB All-Star ($285,310)
MLB World Series $1,159,910
NHL $21,424
NHL playoffs $138,561
NHL Finals $341,267
Political convention ($1,491,518)

*Numbers in parentheses are negative

SOURCES: Craig Depken, Dennis Coates

I guess it all depends on the size of the city the arena/stadium is in. When the Jags play in Jacskonville it has 0% impact on my shopping. I live 8 miles from the stadium and there is not any traffic at my house. Maybe in a small geographic city like Irving there might be a drop in shopping during the game but I seriously doubt someone in Dallas is saying "oh crap, we can't go the Galleria mall because there is a game in Irving." I also think the sample size of just using Texas sales tax data is more than a little misleading. Texas has 3 NBA teams. I don't think that is enough to make any kind of scientific claim one way or another. I guess you need to show some kind of research for that grant money though.

Karried,

I think you should STILL post the VOTE YES signs in your yard, even though you live in Edmond and obviously can't vote.

This is MORE than JUST an Oklahoma City city issue, this is Oklahoma CITY as a brand (which is the whole central oklahoma area, if not the whole state).

I say, even people in Tulsa and Lawton (even Wichita and Ft Smith) should show their support for the Oklahoma City vote, definitely OKC suburbs should!!

The whole state benefits with Oklahoma City becoming a MAJOR LEAGUE CITY!!!

glenn, I think you're trying to compare two completely disparate things, as I pointed out above. That's why economists findings have to be taken with a grain of salt. There are very big difference between Oklahoma City and Dallas that make it almost impossible to extrapolate data. Dallas has 4 teams, and Dallas has traffic patterns very different than ours. The traffic patterns created by MLB and NFL games are far different than those caused by NBA games, having gone to all of the above in Dallas, OU football and Hornets' games here. The point Zimbalist (above) was making is that in some cities, the fact that there is no other professional team closer than 200 miles away means that you pull people in to sporting events from a much farther radius, which does mean outside money coming in.

The other thing is that no one is talking about only economic factors. We've all been discussing the intangibles, which I believe exist. Although it wouldn't be the only factor, recreational options in a city are surely considered by people looking to relocate a business. If you've got two comparable cities you're considering, one has a professional team and one doesn't, that city with the team may be the one you choose. Especially since Oklahoma City doesn't have lots of natural features to attract people (such as mountains or ocean). In addition, advertising on ESPN runs about a million dollars a thirty second spot. During NBA season, your team (and city) are on ESPN probably close to 100, if not more, nights a year. If you host a nationally televised game, views of your city are featured when they cut away to commercials. Our city will be featured in every major newspaper in the country during NBA season. All of that is expensive advertising and "branding" for your city. Having a team can be a source of pride for a city an add to quality of life. In addition, we've got a better chance of landing the Big Twelve tournament again, which was a source of revenue, and great fun for the city.

When you list sales tax revenue generated by events above, that also fails to recognize that hotels, restaurants and stores are being utilized by visitors, and that supports the local economy. Why do you think the Bricktown and Western Avenue merchants are endorsing passage of the tax? It's good for business to have a team, especially if you get a chance to host playoffs, the NBA finals or an All Star game, as those are attended by people from all over the country. The latter two generate international attention as well. Those would all be great things for Oklahoma City.

From the Oklahoman at NewsOK.com Article (http://newsok.com/article/3207331/1203650541)


Fri February 22, 2008
Questions and Answers with Jim Cowan

Q: The Bricktown Association's board of directors recently voted to endorse the March 4 sales tax vote to improve Ford Center. Why?

A: The Bricktown board voted to endorse the sales tax because of the huge economic role the Ford Center plays in the district year-around. From concerts to conventions, sporting events to Sesame Street, the Ford Center helps make Bricktown a destination.

Q: The new and improved Ford Center would include restaurants, clubs and family recreational areas. Won't these improvements be in competition with Bricktown merchants?

A: When you have in excess of 12,000 people attending an event at the Ford Center, it's hard for everyone to get into Bricktown. Not to mention that many people will go to Bricktown before or after an event, because they want the complete entertainment experience, not just a two-hour event.

Q: How much of an impact did the Hornets have on Bricktown during their two years in Oklahoma City?

A: The Hornets played a huge role in Bricktown. They brought business during the "off season.” November through February, Bricktown really appreciates business from the Ford Center, especially on weeknights.

Q: Is the absence of the NBA this winter having an impact on business?

A: Bricktown misses the NBA this year. The restaurants and clubs miss the extra people it brought, but we also miss the excitement it brought to the district. You never knew what players you would see walking the streets of Bricktown.

Staff Writer Steve Lackmeyer

From the Oklahoman at NewsOK.com Article (http://newsok.com/article/3207331/1203650541)

Good stuff. Bricktown is another reason I'm voting "YES". Business will come alive with the NBA downtown.

That's exactly what I wrote on the other thread.. Bricktown was an amazing place to be before and after the games.. I loved it.

There isn't really a huge reason for me to go there now other than the occasional concert.

You can tell how much the Mayor and council loved it.

tctmao6rJxE

Once is enough, doncha think? Do we really need this in three threads now?

FritterGirl is correct, David. I think that I already mentioned to you how double-posting is regarded ... triple-posting all the less.

I'm assuming that you will offer discussion on your views ... written words would be good. Then, some of us might even be able to persuade you, who can say?

Mr. Glover,

indeed we have not seen someone quoted (other than the mayor) as saying that if this fails, the Sonics don't come, but that is a very real possibility. Do we want to risk that?

You complain about schools and roads and bridges, yet we just passed a huge bond issue for roads, bridges, and parks, and Maps for Kids is ongoing.

Community pride benefits

By Dick Hefton

Pro basketball doesn't hold any fascination for me. I can recall attending no more than a few Hornets games while they were temporarily based in our town, and then only as a guest of real fans and the more community-minded supporters. Nevertheless, I was greatly impressed with the positive impact the interlude had on community spirit as well as on our area economy. From this experience, it was clear that Central Oklahoma was enabled to test its ability and willingness to support a major league sports venue at relatively low cost. That fortuitous experience helped considerably to take the gamble out of enlarging our Ford Center, which will house a professional basketball program and enable our city to host many future conventions and other attractions that would otherwise go to larger metropolitan locations. With the advent of a new and permanent pro team, I don't expect to make much use of the expanded center. But what I do know is, my family and I can count on increased property values and more opportunities.

Community pride comes with the uplifted status a pro team brings. Pride may be an intangible benefit, but enhanced property values and a better business environment — producing more and better job opportunities — are direct and obvious.

The main objections to the question make it out to be some kind of subsidy for the already rich; and that the investment should be borne entirely by basketball fans. The economic reality of the matter, unfortunately, is that most every major league program is financed in like fashion and we happen to be lucky enough to be in the hunt for one of the limited franchises. And, we are so situated because we have a group of community-minded "rich” guys who are willing to bet a fortune on our collective community confidence.

Revenue bonds financed entirely by ticket sales or user fees alone aren't a practical approach and would likely require some kind of public obligation. A continuation of our already successful sales tax approach allows tourists and other visitors to help pay the bill. Furthermore, the argument that community improvements should be paid exclusively by users is a selective view that could be applied to parks, schools and other general services, all of which make for overall community betterment.

Central Oklahoma is enjoying favorable attention and envy nationwide because of our innovative approach to community development. A rising tide lifts all ships; community improvements improve everybody's well-being. Let's keep our community pride on the move. Vote yes on March 4.

Hefton, of Oklahoma City, is a former newspaper publisher and retired military official who has been active in chambers of commerce and industrial foundation work in Oklahoma.

Questions and Answers with Jim Cowan

Q: The Bricktown Association's board of directors recently voted to endorse the March 4 sales tax vote to improve Ford Center. Why?

A: The Bricktown board voted to endorse the sales tax because of the huge economic role the Ford Center plays in the district year-around. From concerts to conventions, sporting events to Sesame Street, the Ford Center helps make Bricktown a destination.

Q: The new and improved Ford Center would include restaurants, clubs and family recreational areas. Won't these improvements be in competition with Bricktown merchants?

A: When you have in excess of 12,000 people attending an event at the Ford Center, it's hard for everyone to get into Bricktown. Not to mention that many people will go to Bricktown before or after an event, because they want the complete entertainment experience, not just a two-hour event.

Q: How much of an impact did the Hornets have on Bricktown during their two years in Oklahoma City?

A: The Hornets played a huge role in Bricktown. They brought business during the "off season.” November through February, Bricktown really appreciates business from the Ford Center, especially on weeknights.

Q: Is the absence of the NBA this winter having an impact on business?

A: Bricktown misses the NBA this year. The restaurants and clubs miss the extra people it brought, but we also miss the excitement it brought to the district. You never knew what players you would see walking the streets of Bricktown.

Staff Writer Steve Lackmeyer

I wanted to put it where people were talking about it.

As said above David, it doesn't help your cause (especially being a new member) to triple post the same exact thing. Just FYI.

Doug Dawg was the one that suggested the posting places. I am new and just took his suggestion: this is his email to me, I apologize.

From Doug:
"Ok. I've thought about it and I don't know why it didn't occur to me
initially. Here's your solution ... post your thoughts (and you can even
embed your YouTube video) at OkcTalk where there is ongoing discussion
on this topic in at least three different threads. The one in which I
mentioned you last night (following the meeting) is
http://www.okctalk.com/okc-metro-area-talk/12113-roy-williams-speak-answer-questions-urban-neighbors-meeting.html

Another is
http://www.okctalk.com/okc-metro-area-talk/11441-nba-okc-megathread.html
and another is
[url]http://www.okctalk.com/okc-metro-area-talk/11945-why-i-am-voting-no.html[/ur"

The Hornets played a huge role in Bricktown. They brought business during the "off season.” November through February, Bricktown really appreciates business from the Ford Center, especially on weeknights.

At least this resembles a legitimate reason for having the upgrade, although I'm not sure it's a good enough reason.

Personally, if no one even mentioned the NBA, if we were just presented with the option to vote for an upgrade of the Ford Center, I'd vote for it. I'd like to see us remain competitive with Tulsa, Omaha and Kansas City (heck, even Wichita) in terms of the quality of our facility. As a city, we are in competition with other cities, whether we like it or not.

And, it's true that when people are deciding where to live or where to locate a business, schools are an important part of that decision. But, so are leisure time activities. We don't have an ocean or mountains, or even particularly attractive surrounds. So, we have to have more artificially created leisure time activiites. We have a really nice zoo, which is great, and I'm delighted that we're proceeding on our new "Central Park", we have a beaufiful baseball stadium (which hosts a private team and was paid for by public dollars, interestingly), we have a downtown art museum now and a nice new downtown public library. But, professional sports teams have an allure that it's hard to achieve with a really nice zoo, public library or art museum.

I'm all about improving our schools. I voted for MAPS for Kids. It has raised a lot more money than this tax proposal will....at least 5 times more. But part of having better schools is having better teachers. First of all, new teachers are young, and they like having more leisure time options (I know this, as my kids have all left or are leaving, because Oklahoma City is too "boring"). A lot of our graduates leave for Houston or Dallas, and it's about more than money, since we have such a low cost of living that the salary increases are probably virtually negated by the cost of living in those cities. Second of all, I believe having a more vibrant downtown will encourage more people to live in the city, near downtown. That improves the tax base, which is probably the most obvious way to improve schools.

betts, that's all so true ... what people aren't seeing is the big picture and the trickle down effect.

This shortsightedness is what is so frustrating to me!

'Build it and they will come' ... 'they' doesn't just mean NBA players!

It's all part of a bigger package which includes starting from the ground up and creating a major league city.

We have the great success of MAPS and the schools have seen much improvement but where's the national recognition that makes regular citizens take note and say, 'wow, that Oklahoma is the place to be!" ? 'I think I'll move my family or company there' ....

I haven't seen enough of that.

What was it that Shinn said when it was first proposed? " Oklahoma, Who?' Or something similar.....

I do know when traveling to other places while we hosted the Hornets, we were on the national radar... I couldn't bring up Oklahoma and not have people say things like, 'wow, that city is really supporting that team.. etc etc.. ' 'Looks fun there, I'm so surprised, never knew OK was like that..etc, etc..'

Now we have owners knocking on Our door, not the other way around and it kills me to think we might lose this opportunity.

Though I got there late, I had a great time at Saturday morning's "Bricktown Bash." I've done a blog post already, Doug Dawgz Blog: NBA Bricktown Bash (http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2008/02/nba-bricktown-bash.html) , but it is essentially duplicated below. Enjoy!

Following Thursday's Urban Neighbor's event at Cafe Do Brazil, on Saturday morning, 2/23/08, the venue for the Major League City campaign moved to the more fashionable ;) (and roomier) Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill in Bricktown! This post is largely eye-candy with a little tongue-in-cheek thrown in.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_0.jpg

Click the links below for larger images

It was a cloudy cool day outside ...

Larger image: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_1.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_1s.jpg

... but it was warm and lively inside ...

Larger image: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_2.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_2s.jpg

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_3.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_3s.jpg

Roy Williams Talks to the media ...

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_4.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_4s.jpg

... and to the assembled motley crew!

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_5.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_5s.jpg

TV Camera Guys were there ...

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_6.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_6s.jpg

... as were gorgeous ladies from the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz ... Dancers!
Hoo-Ahh! Damit ... old guys get all the luck!

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_7.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_7s.jpg

Left to right ... Brittany, Kamwin, and Tesh

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_8.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_8s.jpg

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_9.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_9s.jpg

Hey, wait a minute ... I forgot ... some would say (wrongly)
that Doug Dawg is an old guy, so that would include me! Most excellent!

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_9a.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_9as.jpg

After being dazzled by all the above, David Glover jumps
the "No" ship, signs the big letter to the millionaire Commish, puts
his arm around him, and says, "I will love you till the day I die." *

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_10.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_10s.jpg
* Just kidding. He was there, cordially arguing his cause
to the end to anyone who would listen.
Important public service announcement: No media reports of suicides were made during this period of time
ala the movie Airplane.

And then there was this guy, in the midst of having a serious wardrobe identity crisis ...

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_12.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_12s.jpg


Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_13.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_13s.jpg

... but the drawing for a prize resulted in this fine young
lady getting an Okc jersey ... uh, make that a dress ...

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_14.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_14s.jpg

Here she is with her proud mama ...

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_15.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_15s.jpg

And, as I depart the premises, a good time was had by all!

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_16.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_16s.jpg

And, yes, YES is all that there is!

LOVE that David Stern came to the party! That was pretty funny.

where's the national recognition that makes regular citizens take note and say, 'wow, that Oklahoma is the place to be!" ? 'I think I'll move my family or company there' ....

That would be "Right to Work," the chamber initiative that put Oklahoma on the map, created a corporate utopia that attracted all the Fortune 500 companies and created quality, high-paying jobs for every Oklahoman.



http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/NBA/tobykeiths_2_23_08_12s.jpg


Well, I take everything back. This clearly proves we're a sophisticated major league city ready to take our rightful place among -- whatever other places people dress like this.

Sorry, bornhere (as was I ... I assume you mean Okc) but all your comment reflects is that you've got a stereotyped notion of how people who are having fun should look, in your vision of that world. Tie, suit, tuxedo, what? I gather from your comment that the images posted are not suitable to you in the context of just having fun.

What's your problem? Can't you accept just plain fun dress as "anything goes?" Or do you have a definition for that in your scheme as for how everything should be "just so?

What is it the "sophisticated" dress that you would prefer everyone wear in this context? No shorts? No mismatched shorts/top? What is your "definition" of how these people should have been dressed to be "sophisticated?"

And how did you get to become the judge over everyone else in this regard?