I would not be surprised if Buffalo loses the Bills in the next twenty years

I doubt it

I doubt it

The owner is 94, he has stated that the intentions are to have the team sold to the highest bidder when he dies, they are one of the cheapest teams to buy if someone hoped to move one. While they have a lease through 2022 (past 2019 buy out is no obstacle to any owner that had the money to buy the team, if it was to a market like LA the buy out fee is probably not a major issue if they can complete a stadium before that, though could affect if they chose to pursue them), any city without a stadium would be doing well to have one built by 2019. There metro has been loosing people since the 1970s and losing business since the importance of the Erie Canal started declining decades before that.

The owner is 94, he has stated that the intentions are to have the team sold to the highest bidder when he dies, they are one of the cheapest teams to buy if someone hoped to move one. While they have a lease through 2022 (past 2019 buy out is no obstacle to any owner that had the money to buy the team, if it was to a market like LA the buy out fee is probably not a major issue if they can complete a stadium before that, though could affect if they chose to pursue them), any city without a stadium would be doing well to have one built by 2019. There metro has been loosing people since the 1970s and losing business since the importance of the Erie Canal started declining decades before that.

the lease is until 2023 .. a 1 time only 28 mil buy out after year 7 (2020) and a 400 mil buy out at any other time .. and the county city state have formed a committee to start the process of building a new stadium ..

At one time (BT and before JJ) an Nfl Franchise was viable and talked about. Back then, the biggest opponent was OU. Might still be. Only way I see it happening is if Boone Pickens wants it in Stillwater, as in extra stadium income and he sponsors it.

At one time (BT and before JJ) an Nfl Franchise was viable and talked about. Back then, the biggest opponent was OU. Might still be. Only way I see it happening is if Boone Pickens wants it in Stillwater, as in extra stadium income and he sponsors it.

and when was this time? i know that when the NFL was expanding in 1993 for the 1995 season, they looked at many markets. and OKC didn't make it in the top 10.

Jacksonville and Carolina were the two selected. Other cities that were in consideration were:
Baltimore (the Ravens moved from Cleveland before the 1996 season),
St. Louis (after not getting a team through expansion, the Rams moved there)
Nashville (Oilers moved there in 1997)
San Antonio,
Memphis,
Orlando,
Oakland (the Raiders moved back just two years later),
Sacramento

The top 5 from that expansion was Jacksonville and Carolina of course... but we almost got the Baltimore Bombers, St. Louis Stallions, and the Memphis Hound Dogs.

At one time (BT and before JJ) an Nfl Franchise was viable and talked about. Back then, the biggest opponent was OU. Might still be. Only way I see it happening is if Boone Pickens wants it in Stillwater, as in extra stadium income and he sponsors it.

Interesting fantasy, but is a 60,000 capacity stadium acceptably big enough for the NFL?

Interesting fantasy, but is a 60,000 capacity stadium acceptably big enough for the NFL?

actually, yes... the new 49ers stadium being built in Santa Clara is only going to have 68,500... while several teams have gone for the massively large stadiums... this next set (outside of an LA stadium) will be much smaller than we would normally expect to see. The thought from the 49ers is that if we have fewer seats, we can sell out every game, and drive the prices up to get the "problem" fans out of the stadium... especially after the past few years, where it is been the niners and not that other Bay Area team who has been having problems with fan fights/stabbings/shootings

I would not think OKC would make the top 25 markets for NFL expansion. It would be more plausible to add 2 teams in LA than one in OKC.

I would not think OKC would make the top 25 markets for NFL expansion. It would be more plausible to add 2 teams in LA than one in OKC.

You surely don't mean to say that there are 25 markets ahead of OKC that currently don't have an NFL team or could add another team...There are only 21 markets w/ >1M people that don't currently have an NFL team (and that includes giving 2 to LA and adding a 2nd in Chicago). And then we haven't even started talking about why certain markets wouldn't get the nod over OKC (ex: Only 1 of Austin/San Antonio would get a team, Las Vegas may never get a professional team, etc.)

I'm not saying OKC should be next in line by any means, but Top 15 for sure and probably Top 10 in line. LA should probably get a team first, San Antonio/Austin, Virginia Beach, maybe Sacramento now that they won't have an NBA team...I'd say OKC is 8th - 12th in line.

You surely don't mean to say that there are 25 markets ahead of OKC that currently don't have an NFL team or could add another team...There are only 21 markets w/ >1M people that don't currently have an NFL team (and that includes giving 2 to LA and adding a 2nd in Chicago). And then we haven't even started talking about why certain markets wouldn't get the nod over OKC (ex: Only 1 of Austin/San Antonio would get a team, Las Vegas may never get a professional team, etc.)

I'm not saying OKC should be next in line by any means, but Top 15 for sure and probably Top 10 in line. LA should probably get a team first, San Antonio/Austin, Virginia Beach, maybe Sacramento now that they won't have an NBA team...I'd say OKC is 8th - 12th in line.

I don't think OKC is anywhere near the top 25 for an NFL franchise.... Again, this thread isn't a topic that should even be discussed.

I don't think OKC is anywhere near the top 25 for an NFL franchise.... Again, this thread isn't a topic that should even be discussed.

Care to make something more than an unbacked claim?

Care to make something more than an unbacked claim?

Read all my posts in this thread. They explain very clearly why OKC isn't even close to being a financially viable market for the NFL. You have chosen to not read them or just plain ignore them, but it doesn't make it any less true...

Before me a poster said that LA would get TWO teams before OKC would get one... That is a true statement. And, considering LA doesn't even have a team, it should tell you how far OKC is from even talking about it.

Read all my posts in this thread. They explain very clearly why OKC isn't even close to being a financially viable market for the NFL. You have chosen to not read them or just plain ignore them, but it doesn't make it any less true...

Before me a poster said that LA would get TWO teams before OKC would get one... That is a true statement. And, considering LA doesn't even have a team, it should tell you how far OKC is from even talking about it.

So if there was a special NFL game held at the OU stadium and it filled to capacity, that woild be no sign that OKC is ready for its own NFL team?

So if there was a special NFL game held at the OU stadium and it filled to capacity, that woild be no sign that OKC is ready for its own NFL team?

Not in the slightest. Filling up a college stadium for a super rare event that no one would ever consider happening is really, really different from supporting your own franchise.

So if there was a special NFL game held at the OU stadium and it filled to capacity, that woild be no sign that OKC is ready for its own NFL team?

In the 2 NFL exhibition games that OU has had in its stadium were very poorly attended.
It not so much that the OKC area isn’t ready for the NFL it’s more like a cultural issue that makes it a waste of time to ever seriously consider....... and there isn’t anybody with the money who is stupid enough to even try.

Are there any NFL teams that share a stadium with a college team? Are there any NFL venues that prohibit beer sales?
As an aside, when the USFL was in business and when it was a summer league, OU would not let the OUTLAWS play there.

Are there any NFL teams that share a stadium with a college team?

If I'm not mistaken, the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes play or played in the same stadium.

Are there any NFL teams that share a stadium with a college team? Are there any NFL venues that prohibit beer sales?
As an aside, when the USFL was in business and when it was a summer league, OU would not let the OUTLAWS play there.

The Arizona Cardinals used to play at Arizona State's Sun Devil Stadium before they built their new one and the LA Rams always shared the Coliseum with USC.

The Arizona Cardinals used to play at Arizona State's Sun Devil Stadium before they built their new one and the LA Rams always shared the Coliseum with USC.

Forgot about the Cardinals and Sun Devils. It's not common, but it's also not unheard of for NFL and College teams to share the same stadium. Not that that raises the chances of OKC/Norman getting an NFL team sooner (no pun intended) if ever, but it's fuel to the fire, for whatever that's worth.

and i think that both the Chargers and San Diego State play at Quialcomm

I think the question was more about NFL teams playing at college stadiums but you're correct.

I think the question was more about NFL teams playing at college stadiums but you're correct.

Whatever it was about, the point is still the same. ;) lol

Not really, MDot. A pro team being willing to use a college stadium is not the same as a college team using a pro stadium.

In the 2 NFL exhibition games that OU has had in its stadium were very poorly attended.
It not so much that the OKC area isn’t ready for the NFL it’s more like a cultural issue that makes it a waste of time to ever seriously consider....... and there isn’t anybody with the money who is stupid enough to even try.

In that case the NFL ought to try an exhibition game in Pickens Stadium. And have it with at least one NFL team popular around here.

Not really, MDot. A pro team being willing to use a college stadium is not the same as a college team using a pro stadium.

Yes really, lj. My point was that there are a few college and pro teams that share the same stadium. That was my only point.

Read all my posts in this thread. They explain very clearly why OKC isn't even close to being a financially viable market for the NFL. You have chosen to not read them or just plain ignore them, but it doesn't make it any less true...

Before me a poster said that LA would get TWO teams before OKC would get one... That is a true statement. And, considering LA doesn't even have a team, it should tell you how far OKC is from even talking about it.

That's fine and good. I never said that OKC is in a position to handle the NFL right now.

...I also didn't make the ridiculous assertion that there are twenty-five markets in front of OKC right now that don't have a team or could use a second one.

So if there was a special NFL game held at the OU stadium and it filled to capacity, that woild be no sign that OKC is ready for its own NFL team?

The issue is not filling the stadium. The issue is paying for the team. You have so many more players to pay for and only 8 regular season games to make it work. Your staff is also a lot bigger.

OKC could handle an NFL team in 2015 if Exxon and Wal-Mart relocated here and were the underwriters for the bulk of the financial stuff. OKC just needs the business climate to support the outlandishly priced tickets $15k/game suites and what not.

While there are threads in the Sports section dealing with the OKLAHOMA INDIANS baseball, the OU pressbox, Big 10 expansion, Penn State/NCAA sanctions, etc. there is nary a thread on the NFL playoffs or Super Bowl itself. It would not appear that there is much interest in these parts on the pro game based on the lack of discussion concerning the game itself.

WE WILL NEVER GET AN NBA TEAM!!! We aren't big enough or rich enough. Never going to happen.

Oh wait..... never mind.

WE WILL NEVER GET AN NBA TEAM!!! We aren't big enough or rich enough. Never going to happen.

Oh wait..... never mind.

I think most people thought that we had enough corporate support for something of the scale of an NBA team... at least here locally. But, to try to compare that to an NFL franchise, again, illustrates that you are another person in this thread that really has NO IDEA about the financial realities of the NFL vs. the NBA.

I think most people thought that we had enough corporate support for something of the scale of an NBA team... at least here locally. But, to try to compare that to an NFL franchise, again, illustrates that you are another person in this thread that really has NO IDEA about the financial realities of the NFL vs. the NBA.

Since "Liking" isn't working right now, I'll just offer you a big hairy

THIS!!!

Remember that OKC made a strident effort to land an NHL team long before they even had a notion of snagging the NBA. That's why we built the arena, and its failure is why the baseball team is now named the Redhawks instead of the 89ers. So there most certainly was the idea that there might be enough support for a pro sports franchise of the proper scale. In retrospect, the NHL played us, but our city leadership played its cards perfectly to pursue the Hornets. I don't think most folks realize just how perfectly those dominoes had to be aligned for the Thunder to end up here the way they did.

Scope and perspective, folks: Pricetag for the Bricktown Ballpark: $40M (then). Chesapeake Arena: About $90M. A new NFL-caliber stadium: $325 MILLION-$1.6 BILLION (range for costs of Gillette Stadium, Ford Field, to Met Life Stadium, to Cowboys Stadium).

The bottom line? You're talking about a minimum of a ten-fold increase in expense just to build a stadium, one you don't even have a team to play in it. And that's another staggering pile of money.

Scope and perspective. There's dreaming, dreaming big, and then going straight to hallucination....

WE WILL NEVER GET AN NBA TEAM!!! We aren't big enough or rich enough. Never going to happen.

Oh wait..... never mind.

The least profitable NFL franchise is still worth significantly more than the most profitable NBA franchise.

Just keep thinking small.

All stadiums don't cost. A billion. The Nets spent a billion on there new arena. Doesn't mean all new NBA arenas cost that.
BTW, Buffalo, Green Bay, Jacksonville, New Orleans....all not mega cities.

Just keep thinking small.

All stadiums don't cost. A billion. The Nets spent a billion on there new arena. Doesn't mean all new NBA arenas cost that.
BTW, Buffalo, Green Bay, Jacksonville, New Orleans....all not mega cities.

No, not all stadiums cost a billion. That's why I included a range of $325M-$1.6B to demonstrate a representative range, and then compare that to the cost of the Brick and the Chesapeake Arena. Whether you compare $90M for Chesapeake or $40M for the Brick, the jump from that range to a minimum stadium cost is 3x-8x. That's a cost element people are just too ready to ignore because we've "done" the NBA, so the NFL "can't be much different." Sad truth it is.

Yes, all those cities are small cities. And Buffalo is prime on the current list of franchises that may be moving. Green Bay exists due to its unique public ownership characteristic that is no longer possible in the NFL, and Jacksonville is a failing franchise by virtually any measure. There's even speculation the Jags could move to London.

I realize its next to impossible to sound like anything but a wet blanket on this NFL discussion. My heart tells me, "Oh, Boy, the NFL, let's do it!!", but when I see the way cities have run like moths to a flame and sold their financial souls to get a stadium, then find themselves on the wrong end of a bunch of red ink, I look at Oklahoma City and just beg the well-iintentioned people advocating an NFL effort to learn what these cities did not, to really look at the kind of financial obligation required of a city to make it happen, and realize it just isn't prudent. I don't want to see Oklahoma City suffering in hindsight from the mistakes other cities have already made, but chose not to learn from them.

Look at it like this. A small town somewhere is on the cusp of landing a WalMart, they know the market is there. WalMart arrives, opens and sure enough it's successful. Then some begin saying the town needs a Nordstrom, we just need to dream big! People try to reason with them that just because the community is a slam dunk for WalMart doesn't mean it could support a Nordstrom. The gulf and comparison is just about the same between an NBA arena and team and an NFL stadium and team. Leave some room for hyperbole in this analogy, but it's actually pretty much the kind of thinking that could doom a town, or a city in our case.

Just keep thinking small.

All stadiums don't cost. A billion. The Nets spent a billion on there new arena. Doesn't mean all new NBA arenas cost that.
BTW, Buffalo, Green Bay, Jacksonville, New Orleans....all not mega cities.

If "thinking small" is what you call reality. And I can't believe you brought up Buffalo and Jacksonville as your support argument, both cities are endanger of losing their teams to MUCH bigger markets, although it's not guaranteed either team will relocate. Green Bay is the third oldest franchise in the NFL, founded in 1919 and SoonerDave already explained the public ownership they have, so you can't really compare the two. New Orleans is the only real argument; the only time they were at the end of the relocation talk was during Katrina.

It's not about building a stadium, we could manage building a stadium if we really wanted to. Facilities are the easy part. It's about the corporate partnerships that are required to make any team realistic. We just don't have that, and it's probably not coming in the near future. We've got a few companies that are carrying the Thunder on their backs and, lo and behold, one of them isn't doing too well right now. A single market shift and what happens? Could Integris and NewsOK support the Thunder on their own if the energy market goes down? Probably not, and corporate ownership is more important for the NFL. We're not anywhere close to being able to support two teams.

Jacksonville (Who doesn't have any other big-4 sports franchise) and Buffalo could both very well lose their teams in the not so distant future, they're on such shaky ground. Green Bay is owned by the city in a manner that the NFL would never approve nowadays. So none of them make a very good comparison.

Are there any NFL teams that share a stadium with a college team? Are there any NFL venues that prohibit beer sales?
As an aside, when the USFL was in business and when it was a summer league, OU would not let the OUTLAWS play there.

I think the primary issue preventing this type of arrangement would be the prohibition of alcohol sales in the stadium. Besides that, I'm not at all sure OU would be crazy about having to turn over their stadium in very short order after (as an example) a Saturday night game followed by a noon Sunday NFL game on a regular basis. Logistical headaches abound.

I think the primary issue preventing this type of arrangement would be the prohibition of alcohol sales in the stadium. Besides that, I'm not at all sure OU would be crazy about having to turn over their stadium in very short order after (as an example) a Saturday night game followed by a noon Sunday NFL game on a regular basis. Logistical headaches abound.

Not only logistical headaches, but a competitor for limited entertainment dollars. With the cost of OU tickets on par with some pro teams, I don't see OU agreeing to any arrangement that will impact their bottom line. If OU has a down season, they still have a captive audience. Bring in an alternative to a down OU team, you take a hit at the attendance. I believe OU would be cutting the baby in half. Why ruin a good thing they have going now?

I think the primary issue preventing this type of arrangement would be the prohibition of alcohol sales in the stadium. Besides that, I'm not at all sure OU would be crazy about having to turn over their stadium in very short order after (as an example) a Saturday night game followed by a noon Sunday NFL game on a regular basis. Logistical headaches abound.

if the nfl played at owen field they would sell beer and FYI they already sell beer in the club level .. and in the suites

All this talk that's been going on about having an NFL team here in Okc should be just that. ... Talk.

There are too many unfinished projects around town that need to be completed, in addition to the rest of the MAPS projects that were promised. And after all that is finished, this city needs to concentrate on roads and infrastructure before it tries to do anything else to be a "big league city"

if the nfl played at owen field they would sell beer and FYI they already sell beer in the club level .. and in the suites

Boulder, heard about this, but are you certain *OU* is the one selling it, or is it the Touchdown Club?

I'm not sure OU, as an entity, legally has the option to sell beer at events like that. I remember the big stink a few years ago when folks who rented some of the new east deck suites under the belief OU would be selling alcohol, only to find out they'd be required to bring in their own private stock. Lawsuits were threatened, law was cited, it was a mess. But the general alcohol sales issue has arisen before and I don't think it was 100% an arbitrary decision on OU's part. I remember *years* ago, back in the Big 8 days, hearing about, for example, Colorado selling beer at their games forever, why didn't OU, and the response was always "State law won't let 'em..." and the requirement for suite renters to bring in their own stash seemed to mesh with that....although there was some legend about Molly Boren being involved in it, too.

Anyway, if one of our resident legal beagles could clarify this, I'd be curious.

if the nfl played at owen field they would sell beer and FYI they already sell beer in the club level .. and in the suites

From 2003:

OU Special Events Catering initially catered beer for the first two home football games, Annis said.
However, an incident occurred in the club level at the first home game against North Texas that resulted in banning alcohol on the club level. After the second game, the Athletic Department also requested that the caterer no longer provide beer to the suite-holders.
"We provide the food, and we were providing the beer on the suite level," Annis said. "With the change in university policy, it was decided that we would continue with the food but that we would no longer sell beer on that level."
During the first two games when OU was catering beer to suites, the suite-holders were not allowed to bring their own beer, but only liquor and wine, said suite-holder Stan Deardeuff. It was not until after the caterer stopped providing beer to suites that suite-holders were allowed to bring their own beer, as well as liquor and wine, Deardeuff said.
If suite-holders decide to provide their own alcohol, the alcohol must be brought up to the suite the Friday prior to the game, Deardeuff said. If they choose to order alcohol from the third-party vendor, orders must be faxed in by 5 p.m. the Wednesday before the game. Suite-holders may also request a bartender, he said.
The alcohol controversy arose during the first home game, in which alcohol was available to club seat holders who donated a minimum of $1,000 on top of paying the season ticket prices of about $700 for their seats.
When it began to rain during the game, club members rushed the bar inside the club area and began to drink.
"They had people drinking too damn much, and they had some security problems," Deardeuff said. "They had some damage done."
After the incident, President David L. Boren announced that alcohol would no longer be sold in the stadium on game days.
On Sept. 22, OU Athletics Director Joe Castiglione issued a press release in which he took full responsibility for misleading club seat holders to believe that alcohol would be served on game day.
"The facts are clear," Castiglione said in a press release. "The athletics department administration had no authority to change the practice of several decades that no alcoholic beverages would be sold on game days in the stadium.

OUDaily.com | Fans still drink in stadium (http://oudaily.com/news/2003/oct/17/fans-still-drink-in-stadium/)

Got anything newer that contradicts this article?

From 2003:

OU Special Events Catering initially catered beer for the first two home football games, Annis said.
However, an incident occurred in the club level at the first home game against North Texas that resulted in banning alcohol on the club level. After the second game, the Athletic Department also requested that the caterer no longer provide beer to the suite-holders.
"We provide the food, and we were providing the beer on the suite level," Annis said. "With the change in university policy, it was decided that we would continue with the food but that we would no longer sell beer on that level."
During the first two games when OU was catering beer to suites, the suite-holders were not allowed to bring their own beer, but only liquor and wine, said suite-holder Stan Deardeuff. It was not until after the caterer stopped providing beer to suites that suite-holders were allowed to bring their own beer, as well as liquor and wine, Deardeuff said.
If suite-holders decide to provide their own alcohol, the alcohol must be brought up to the suite the Friday prior to the game, Deardeuff said. If they choose to order alcohol from the third-party vendor, orders must be faxed in by 5 p.m. the Wednesday before the game. Suite-holders may also request a bartender, he said.
The alcohol controversy arose during the first home game, in which alcohol was available to club seat holders who donated a minimum of $1,000 on top of paying the season ticket prices of about $700 for their seats.
When it began to rain during the game, club members rushed the bar inside the club area and began to drink.
"They had people drinking too damn much, and they had some security problems," Deardeuff said. "They had some damage done."
After the incident, President David L. Boren announced that alcohol would no longer be sold in the stadium on game days.
On Sept. 22, OU Athletics Director Joe Castiglione issued a press release in which he took full responsibility for misleading club seat holders to believe that alcohol would be served on game day.
"The facts are clear," Castiglione said in a press release. "The athletics department administration had no authority to change the practice of several decades that no alcoholic beverages would be sold on game days in the stadium.

OUDaily.com | Fans still drink in stadium (http://oudaily.com/news/2003/oct/17/fans-still-drink-in-stadium/)

Got anything newer that contradicts this article?

from this season ... they started selling beer in the club level again ..

and they started selling beer at the soonerclub basketball pregame at the LNC

Boulder, heard about this, but are you certain *OU* is the one selling it, or is it the Touchdown Club?

I'm not sure OU, as an entity, legally has the option to sell beer at events like that. I remember the big stink a few years ago when folks who rented some of the new east deck suites under the belief OU would be selling alcohol, only to find out they'd be required to bring in their own private stock. Lawsuits were threatened, law was cited, it was a mess. But the general alcohol sales issue has arisen before and I don't think it was 100% an arbitrary decision on OU's part. I remember *years* ago, back in the Big 8 days, hearing about, for example, Colorado selling beer at their games forever, why didn't OU, and the response was always "State law won't let 'em..." and the requirement for suite renters to bring in their own stash seemed to mesh with that....although there was some legend about Molly Boren being involved in it, too.

Anyway, if one of our resident legal beagles could clarify this, I'd be curious.

osu sells beer at their stadium on the club level also .. ou restarted it this season after several regents were at osu OU games the past 2 years in stillwater and then wonder why they sell beer on the club level and OU didn't ..

OU also sell beer/alcohol in the union for party's

Not only logistical headaches, but a competitor for limited entertainment dollars. With the cost of OU tickets on par with some pro teams, I don't see OU agreeing to any arrangement that will impact their bottom line. If OU has a down season, they still have a captive audience. Bring in an alternative to a down OU team, you take a hit at the attendance. I believe OU would be cutting the baby in half. Why ruin a good thing they have going now?I say this with a high degree of confidence I don’t think there will ever be a day when OU lets its stadium be the home venue for an NFL team.
The culture in Oklahoma for football is mostly about college football.

It’s going to be real interesting to see what happens to the fan support for the Thunder in a few years when the novelty of having an NBA franchise wears off and when players have aged and they are not winning nearly as much.
The Thunder would be hurt, perhaps seriously, if the price of oil crashes and stays low for an extended period of time.

this is the 7th year of the nba in OKC .. pretty sure the "novelty" is over

this is the 7th year of the nba in OKC .. pretty sure the "novelty" is over

7th? The team relocated here in June or July of 2008. So it will be 5 years as of this summer.

this is the 7th year of the nba in OKC .. pretty sure the "novelty" is over


I don’t think the extent of the novelty will really be known until the Thunder has a few poor seasons in a row.

I could be wrong but I thought I had read somewhere that OSU was considering Beer sales at its football games next season that would be available to anyone over 21….If true, I hope the find a way to limit how many beers somebody can buy.

7th? The team relocated here in June or July of 2008. So it will be 5 years as of this summer.

plus 2 year of the hornets

I'd still be interested to know from someone authoritative, such as an attorney, what the legal rule is for an entity like OU or OSU to sell beer/alcohol at sporting events. If someone else knows that alcohol has been sold at recent sporting events, then I'm certainly in no position to dispute that, but I also wonder if it is literally OU selling the beverage, or if its a "private entity" selling it within the confines of a restricted access club (or other similar legal construct) to make it permissible.

Borrowing a bit of a post from another thread, there's a bit of a legend at OU that some big alcohol/beer company approached OU about footing the cost for rebuilding/bowling the entire south endzone, provided that company would get beverage/promotion rights, but the alcohol rules made the notion a non-starter. I stress here, as I did there, that I hold this to be mostly urban legend, as I've never heard it confirmed from anyone other than a "friend of someone who overheard it at 31 Flavors last night..." :)

On the broader issue (regardless of legality) I tend to agree with ou48A that the likelihood of open beer sales at OU home games is next to nil. I don't have a dog in the fight (don't drink), but having been to a few professional arenas where it is allowed, I'd be just as happy if OU never chose to go down that path. And, frankly, I think they won't. I think the logistical hassles + wear/tear on the facilities would prove to be more than OU would want to get into.

Starting at the age of 13 in 1971 I have attended exactly 260 OU football games and never once did I even think about drinking beer.
I am not going to say that people can’t drink responsibly but there are those who can’t or won’t and look at a football game as a reason to get drunk.

I have attended OU games in other stadiums that did sell beer….. I have seen several people puking all over the place, bloody fights and arrest……. I am just fine with the current OU stadium drinking policy and the goal of keeping it a family environment.

Starting at the age of 13 in 1971 I have attended exactly 260 OU football games and never once did I even think about drinking beer.
I am not going to say that people can’t drink responsibly but there are those who can’t or won’t and look at a football game as a reason to get drunk.

I have attended OU games in other stadiums that did sell beer….. I have seen several people puking all over the place, bloody fights and arrest……. I am just fine with the current OU stadium drinking policy and the goal of keeping it a family environment.

This ^^^^^^^

I would be so very disappointed if OU started selling beer in the whole stadium. I mean it's not like the fans can't get plenty leading up to and after the game anyway. And, if you can't go 4 hours without getting blitzed, then that's just sad. I've never understood the point of having tickets to go see a live football game, then doing everything you can to drink so much that you can't even stand up, much less remember the game. Just don't get it...

I read something from Darren Rovell (ESPN's sports biz guru) about Minnesota, maybe Wisconsin, selling beer at football games last year. First, they said it brought in about $1million in revenue (thats why schools are interested). Second, school officials said they had fewer in game alcohol related incidents. They attriibuted it to the fact that fans werent "loading up" before the game and getting too drunk because they knew they could buy in the stadium. They also only had like 3 or 4 places to buy beer so it wasnt feasible for all fans to be able to buy a bunch of beer throughout the game.

I remember reading from Rovell about WVU bringing in about a million from there beer sales as well.

And as far as wanting to know the legal rule on an entity about OSU or OU selling alchohol...Im guessing A) its legal since OSU has been selling it in its club level since it opened and B) probably an institutional decision. I imagine if Boren wanted to, OU could sell alchol at games.

I don’t think the extent of the novelty will really be known until the Thunder has a few poor seasons in a row.

Bingo.

The first two years of the Hornets were a novelty, when we got our own team, we got to ride the euphoria of having a real OKC pro sports team, which helped when they weren't very good. Then they got good before that ever wore off. Now we're showing that we can support a good team, well whoopie, that's easy. Any championship team will get support.

When Durant and/or Westbrook leaves, when the team starts doing poorly and an NBA title isn't even in the discussion? That's when a fanbase is really tested and determined. We haven't had to support a bad NBA team yet that didn't have the novelty of being new, but the Thunder won't be good forever. That's the real test of a viability of a market just getting to the pro sports level.

This ^^^^^^^

I would be so very disappointed if OU started selling beer in the whole stadium. I mean it's not like the fans can't get plenty leading up to and after the game anyway. And, if you can't go 4 hours without getting blitzed, then that's just sad. I've never understood the point of having tickets to go see a live football game, then doing everything you can to drink so much that you can't even stand up, much less remember the game. Just don't get it...

I think you and other likeminded people can rest assured that the OU football drinking policy will not change as long as Boren is around to have a voice in what goes on at OU.

Bingo.

The first two years of the Hornets were a novelty, when we got our own team, we got to ride the euphoria of having a real OKC pro sports team, which helped when they weren't very good. Then they got good before that ever wore off. Now we're showing that we can support a good team, well whoopie, that's easy. Any championship team will get support.

When Durant and/or Westbrook leaves, when the team starts doing poorly and an NBA title isn't even in the discussion? That's when a fanbase is really tested and determined. We haven't had to support a bad NBA team yet that didn't have the novelty of being new, but the Thunder won't be good forever. That's the real test of a viability of a market just getting to the pro sports level.


To your point….. During the 1990’s during the very worst stretch of OU football in history OU’s average attendance never dropped below the 69,000 mark in a roughly 75,000 seat stadium. That’s standing the test of time and shows what our culture is. Today there is a lengthy waiting list to buy OU season tickets.

How hard is it to by a Thunder season ticket during these better times? I don’t know.

How hard is it to by a Thunder season ticket during these better times? I don’t know.

There's a waiting list, several years long at this point. Whether it remains, we'll have to see. It's a good sign right now, though, that there are so many people who want to get them. We'll see if CHK's struggles will open up a bit more supply in the coming years or if they'll keep their huge blocs of seats.

This ^^^^^^^

I would be so very disappointed if OU started selling beer in the whole stadium. I mean it's not like the fans can't get plenty leading up to and after the game anyway. And, if you can't go 4 hours without getting blitzed, then that's just sad. I've never understood the point of having tickets to go see a live football game, then doing everything you can to drink so much that you can't even stand up, much less remember the game. Just don't get it...

The overwhelming majority of legal drinkers do not drink till they can't stand up. Having a cold one or two during the game is not "getting blitzed". The ones you are referring to do it pre-game or sneak in a boot bottle. It seems like class warfare when the only ones who can enjoy a cold one are "Joe Six House" while "Joe Six Pack" is only afforded watered down sodas or overpriced water.
Boren though will allow wine spritzers before beer, IMHO.