Given the recent news reports (Owner: Goal to move Sonics to OKC (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2972255)), I think it's appropriate to discuss the team name now. The Oklahoma City SuperSonics just won't work. My vote is for the Oklahoma City Tornadoes. What do you think? Do you have a suggestion?

I think any discussion of this is so hypothetical right now that it's silly. We have to get a team first and even then, a name change is unlikely to be in the cards.

Agreed

Guess for right now I would vote for the OKC Hypotheticals :tiphat:

-okc warriors

with our native american past?

-okc rushers

landrun refernce?

-okc twisters

no after the movie twister. im out of ideas..

-okc warriors
with our native american past?

I don't think the NBA will allow the Golden State Warriors and the OKC Warriors. Also, there seems to be a negative trend with using Native American names for sports teams


-okc rushers
landrun refernce?

That sounds cool.


-okc twisters
no after the movie twister. im out of ideas..

I think this is the direction the team should go. No NBA team is using the reference and tornadoes are most identified with our area locally and nationally.

I don't think it's unreasonable to start brainstorming. It's a very real possibility.

OKC Thunder!

My Vote = Oklahoma City Supersonics.

Why would we change the name when it has such a historic past. Not to mention Oklahoma City is the HEADQUARTERS for the Sonic Corp. Talk about an easy corporate sponsor.

Why would we change the name when it has such a historic past. Not to mention Oklahoma City is the HEADQUARTERS for the Sonic Corp. Talk about an easy corporate sponsor.

Preparing for a shift to Nosebleed, both of these are reasons Sonics should be shelved. Leave the history with the hoops fans in Seattle, and don't make Cliff Hudson feel like he is being blackmailed.

I prefer the Oklahoma Thunder to get the whole state involved (not without precedent, see Jazz, Utah) and for a name that is both appropriate to our state and a great tie in to the WNBA Storm.

Why would we change the name when it has such a historic past. Not to mention Oklahoma City is the HEADQUARTERS for the Sonic Corp. Talk about an easy corporate sponsor.

Why wouldn't you want to make it our own? Oklahoma City Supersonics feels like Oklahoma City Hornets, which was very temporary. I want the team to represent Oklahoma City, not the Seattle's history.

Careful not to use a name which would be better suited to the hypothetical NFL, MLB and NHL franchises we might get also.

Careful not to use a name which would be better suited to the hypothetical NFL, MLB and NHL franchises we might get also.

Along those lines...Spurred on by Bennett's purchase I heard Bob Funk is looking at buying the San Diego Chargers

Can't wait til I can see LT running wild in Funk stadium :Smiley051

-
-okc twisters

..

We all know there is only one thing stronger here in OKC than a tornado.....my vote?

THE OKLAHOMA CITY GARY ENGLANDERS

Well as long as we dont name it some name that makes people in the US think of OK with the Grapes of Wrath or "Oklahoma!" images they already have.

On the other hand, many teams keep the mascot of their prior location. Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans, Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis. In other sports like baseball and football it's even more common Brooklyn to LA Dodgers, Giants, Colts etc. etc. etc.

It seemed to work out pretty well for them.

I agree with Midtowner. It's too early and hypothetical to be discussing this. Nothing is set in stone until after Nov. 1st and then the BoG vote. Then it may be appropriate to discuss it if the team moves. Anything before then seems as gloating and might come back to bite you (and OKC!) in the butt. TornadoesFan, just curious but are you from Seattle? You're new to the board and your only posts have been in this thread. I know alot of Seattlites have been joining OKC boards to stir up controversy in the last week or so.

Dont count your chickens before they hatch.....but the OKC Sonics actually works for OKC more so than Seattle when the franchise was born....Speed of sound tests were conducted at Tinker....causing the SONIC BOOM to rock the houses and community near the tests. So it seems to be a perfect fit for OKC.

I agree with Midtowner. It's too early and hypothetical to be discussing this. Nothing is set in stone until after Nov. 1st and then the BoG vote. Then it may be appropriate to discuss it if the team moves. Anything before then seems as gloating and might come back to bite you (and OKC!) in the butt.

I see your point, however what do you have to talk about on this forum if it doesn't pertain to the Sonics? The Hornets are gone for good.


TornadoesFan, just curious but are you from Seattle? You're new to the board and your only posts have been in this thread. I know alot of Seattlites have been joining OKC boards to stir up controversy in the last week or so.

Nope, I'm not from Seattle and not interested in stirring up trouble. I was real close to the Charlotte Hornets departure and the arrival of the Bobcats so I know the pain of your team leaving (sorry Seattle) and a new one coming (go Bobcats). From my experience with the Hornets, OKC should feel confident the Sonics are leaving. It's all about the arena and the bill that passed last year has killed the likelihood of any arena deal going through in Seattle. Since the new owners are from OKC, my money is on OKC. I think you're going to see the same thing here. Everyone (including David Stern) will say the right things, but the team is headed to OKC. Been there, done that.

Also, the only reason I joined OKCTalk.com was for the Hornets/Sonics forum. Back to topic, I still like the sound of the Oklahoma City Tornadoes or something similar.

I forgot to mention, this whole Sonic Drive-Ins and hypothetical OKC Sonics idea is the dumbest thing I've heard. Yeah, just what OKC needs for a tie-in, the nation's fattest city (according to many polls), tied into their first major league franchise. Get real. I'm all fine with Sonic Drive-Ins being a sponsor when we land an NBA team, but thinking they will be the "signature" sponsor just because of the teams name is ridiculous. Don't you think Chesapeake, Sandridge, Devon and others will still want to retain those rights? After all they are the owners of the Sonics as well as they stepped up to the plate when the Hornets were here. Where was Sonic during that time?

Well- everyone shouldnt get their panties in a wad over a name.....They aint changing the name people. And if they do....Well heck that will be great.

Oklahoma City sonic boom tests
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The Oklahoma City sonic boom tests, also known as Operation Bongo II, refer to a controversial experiment in which 1,253 sonic booms were unleashed on Oklahoma City, Oklahoma over a period of six months in 1964. The experiment, which ran from February 3 through July 29 inclusive, intended to quantify the effects of transcontinental supersonic transport (SST) aircraft on a city. The program was managed by the Federal Aviation Administration, which enlisted the aid of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Air Force. Public opinion measurement was subcontracted to the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) of the University of Chicago.

It was not the first experiment, as tests had been done at Wallops Island, Virginia in 1958 and 1960, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada in 1960 and 1961, and in St. Louis, Missouri in 1961 and 1962. However, none of these tests examined sociological and economic factors in any detail. The Oklahoma City experiments were vastly larger in scope, seeking to measure the boom's effect on structures and public attitude, and to develop standards for boom prediction and insurance data.

Oklahoma City was chosen, as the region's population was perceived to be relatively tolerant for such an experiment. The city had an economic dependency on the FAA Aeronautical Center and Tinker Air Force Base, both of which were based there.

metro....Think you are on to something

Looks like a bona fide troll alert is appropriate here

$100 on a "Look they are already naming the team" thread out there on the Sonics forums

Even though I think others have already pulled out that trick months ago on here

"Don't you think Chesapeake, Sandridge, Devon and others will still want to retain those rights? After all they are the owners of the Sonics as well as they stepped up to the plate when the Hornets were here. Where was Sonic during that time?"

Handing out free coupons for tater tots if the Hornets had five dunks in the third period. Sheesh! Oh, and the winners of section volleyball got a free cone.

OKC Outlaws....
Thats all I got.

OKC BOOMERS

After all, they were the ones who really waited in line to get a legal spot to live in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City Thunderbolts!!! with a nickname of 'the bolts'.

I brought this up before, Thunderbolts/bolts would be a great name for OKC. It is not hick at all and still pays homage to the area's perception. Plus, Thunderbolt would make a terrific mascot and marketing tool. And, since many teams have nicknames (ala Seattle Supersonics -> Sonics, Portland Trailblazers -> Blazers, New York Knickerbockers -> Knicks), Thunderbolts -> Bolts follows this scheme, which provides yet another marketing angle (ie, bolts this or that).

I dont think we/you are being premature. As a Seattle resident, I do hope Bennett does retire the Supersonics name here. If we get another team, we could continue our NBA heritage.

You can have the WNBA Storm name tho, as it fits OKC. In fact, the NBA Thunderbolts and the WNBA Storm both fit OKC and even flow well together!!!

Talk about a HUGE marketing opportunity which would virtually ensure the success of an OKC marketed team. Even people in China or Kazacstan or wherever, who hear NBA Oklahoma City Thunderbolts/WNBA Oklahoma City Storm will IMMEDIATELY be able to assess what is meant by the name and make a connection.

Maybe I should submit my idea to Bennett/Aubrey and the boys, since they will have to move quickly (less than one year) to get everything up and running b4 next season.

I like the Thunderbolts, as I can already hear all the negatives about some of the others:
Tornadoes- cause devastation; Boomers-linked with OU (Okay with me!); Warriors-teams are trying to disengage from Native American names . . . list goes on and on. But I don't think it is too early to throw names around.

I like Thunderbolts, and see no reason the name shouldn't be submitted to them. But I'll still believe the Sonics are coming the day I see the sign up on the Ford Center and hear the ads for season tickets. I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

I wonder why people think there should be a name change. Yes, this is all hypotheotical talk, I understand that, but to suggest that the Sonics neeed a name change is silly. If any team needed a name change to match something about the region,it would be the Utah Jazz.

I think "Utah Jazz" is actually an oxymoron.

-- and an indication that a name change would not be in the cards.

I hope we get the team and keep the name Supersonics. There is some tie-in with Tinker, as I remember sonic booms as a kid.


But if we really want some local flavor, how about the Oklahoma City Noodlers? :)

Oklahoma City Teradactyls

Let's use something original!

Here we have it:

http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~shunkofamily/baltimore/13teradactyl-pp.jpg

I think they should be called the Oklahoma City Counted, But Unhatched Chickens.

Don't know how that'd fit on a jersey, though.

I vote for the Pteradactyl's.

Personally I like the name Oklahoma City Surge... It would somewhat tie in with Chesapeake and Devon having to do with energy... Plus as we all know ( from previous Hornets games) the Ford Center can be absolutely ELECTRIC at times. Especially when it comes to those nail biters. One more thing, I'm not a huge fan of the OKC Thunderbolts it just doesn't roll off the tounge like it should. I agree with what someone mentioned in another thread... The announcer at games sayin something along the lines of " OKC's going NUTS for the BOLTS!!!" that just kinda sounds corny to me.

Sorry... I just couldn't get enthused about the Thunderbolts. It sounds like the name a bunch of seven year old boys would use for their double-secret, no girls allowed club. Here are some alternatives:

The Oklahoma City Ogles - there must be at least 5 of those boys around this town who can suit up for some b-ball. They look reasonably athletic and we know they can TALK a good game.

The Oklahoma City High Rollers - a nod to our growing national reputation as the land of 10,000 casinos. You can't find wine in our grocery stores or cold beer in our liquor stores but apparently gambling is progressive. The WNBA franchise would be the OKC Bingo Playing Grannies. 20 free scratchers with every season ticket purchase!

The Oklahoma City Welders - a tip of the hat to the most prolific vo-tech system in the country. We may not have enough college graduates to land a Whole Foods but lots of our gas stations weld toys for free. Take that Connecticut!

The Oklahoma City Small Men - one more reminder that Dallas is the big boy and we're only playing in their backyard. Sure, we think we compete with them but when will we learn. The OKC Pintos was considered too similar.

The Oklahoma City Huevos Divorciados - combines our heritage of fine Mexican food with our nation-leading divorce rates

The Oklahoma City Pioneer Women - it was good enough for one of the quarter designs, it is good enough for the WNBA.

On second thought, Sonics sounds just fine to me.

...The Oklahoma City Huevos Divorciados - combines our heritage of fine Mexican food with our nation-leading divorce rates...
The Divorved Eggs? Here I thought my name was silly!

The Oklahoma City Pioneer Women - it was good enough for one of the quarter designs, it is good enough for the WNBA.



Well okay, but why not pay homage to the winning quarter design by adopting the name Oklahoma City Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers.

Hey great name REDLAND ............the OKC RedLanders!

I vote for the Pteradactyl's.


--pretty fly......

I think "Utah Jazz" is actually an oxymoron.



LOL Mid....my son spent a week in the hospital there....he didn't think it was so Jazzy.

I kinda like the Thunderbirds.

Oklahoma City Castrators :yeahthat: LOL, just kidding...



NewsOK: Oklahoma-Texas football rivalry leads to near-castration (http://newsok.com/article/3124340/1189619527)

Unlike some people...I think we should name them after our weather.

The Oklahoma Tropical Depressions.

Or just The Oklahoma Flood.

How about the Oklahoma City Tornaders?

:bright_id

The Gaylords.

Oklahoma City Bricklayers - to tie in with Bricktown, in conjunction with a horrible team

J/K

Oklahoma City Robbers... seems to be the perception among some out-of-staters...

How about that Kevin Durant?

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, but how about the Oklahoma City FLYERS!
It ties in with our aerospace heritage and represents our two popular aviators in Will Rogers and Wiley Post.

Oklahoma City ENERGY.

Enough said...

Oklahoma City Villains

Is the name "Okies" out of the question?

"Don't you think Chesapeake, Sandridge, Devon and others will still want to retain those rights? After all they are the owners of the Sonics as well as they stepped up to the plate when the Hornets were here. Where was Sonic during that time?"

Handing out free coupons for tater tots if the Hornets had five dunks in the third period. Sheesh! Oh, and the winners of section volleyball got a free cone.Wait a minute. Are you insinuating that Sonic is not a good corporate citizen? Sounds that way to me. Your awful quick to run to Bennett and Companies defense when you think their being attacked. Sonic Drive-Ins provide 100's of jobs, not to mention 100's more Corporate jobs. They also generate tons of sales and property tax revenues for this City, let alone this State.

Cliff Hudson has spent alot of his money to help make this a better City. He has donated countless hours of his free time to make our school system the best that it could be. This vailed sarcastic criticism is pitiful

Wait a minute. Are you insinuating that Sonic is not a good corporate citizen? Sounds that way to me. Your awful quick to run to Bennett and Companies defense when you think their being attacked. Sonic Drive-Ins provide 100's of jobs, not to mention 100's more Corporate jobs. They also generate tons of sales and property tax revenues for this City, let alone this State.

Cliff Hudson has spent alot of his money to help make this a better City. He has donated countless hours of his free time to make our school system the best that it could be. This vailed sarcastic criticism is pitiful

Actually, although it looks as if I made both those statements, the first one was a quote. I was not using the "quote" feature, but rather copied and pasted someone else's comment.

My comment, the second one, was a joke, was meant to be lighthearted. I now realize it's impossible to determine that if one doesn't include a smiley face, but I'm not much of a smilie person.

I'm a big fan of Sonic. The food. The commercials. Everything. Always have been. I have perhaps not followed Cliff Hudson's activities as well as I should have, but I don't have any children in the Oklahoma City Public Schools. But none of the above was meant to be anything more than silly. My family got a big kick out of the "free tater tots for five dunks" promo, and trust me, we used our coupons.

Actually, although it looks as if I made both those statements, the first one was a quote. I was not using the "quote" feature, but rather copied and pasted someone else's comment.

My comment, the second one, was a joke, was meant to be lighthearted. I now realize it's impossible to determine that if one doesn't include a smiley face, but I'm not much of a smilie person.

I'm a big fan of Sonic. The food. The commercials. Everything. Always have been. I have perhaps not followed Cliff Hudson's activities as well as I should have, but I don't have any children in the Oklahoma City Public Schools. But none of the above was meant to be anything more than silly. My family got a big kick out of the "free tater tots for five dunks" promo, and trust me, we used our coupons.OK I'll buy that. I feel your pain. Sometimes my silly, playful jokes blow up in my face also.

Hey, on the DOK podcast regarding the Sonics today, Mike Sherman is pushing Thunderbirds as the name for the Sonics, if we get them. I've got to agree.

Thunderbirds...I really like that. Would create a positive image for OK, not using Outlaws or Rustlers sounds great to me!

I REALLY REALLY hope they have a public voting on what the team should be named.... With logos and team colors would be nice too, but i seriously doubt they would do that. FOR SURE... a vote on the name though. Thunderbirds just doesn't sound good to me for some reason... maybe because when i was 12 yrs. old that was our teams name, kinda sounds like a youth basketball team.

Oklahoma City Hicks.

Just kidding.

I bet they leave the name Sonics. But, I hope they change it.....Seattle has used that name for years, and we need to make this team our own.

I will say if the Hornets came to town though, I'd want it left Hornets. Hugo is the best mascot in the NBA IMO.

Well yesterday in the newsletter they mentioned something about offering the city of Seattle 26.5 million and the rights to the name "Sonics", unless i read it wrong.

Maybe Seattle can name their D-league team that, if they're lucky enough to get one, after the NBA leaves. The NBA is not coming back to Seattle.