From this morning's Oklahoman:
The arrival of the NBA's New Orleans Hornets in Oklahoma City should benefit other major sports franchises in town, leaders of those organizations said Wednesday at the first Mayor's Sports Summit. Representatives from the Oklahoma City Blazers, Oklahoma RedHawks and Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz said the potential competition from the NBA is outweighed by the additional visitors expected in downtown Oklahoma City.
…

Cornett came up with the idea for an annual sports summit long before the city started talking with the NBA about the Hornets' relocation. But the team dominated discussions as others in the sports community assessed where they stand now that the city is home to a major league franchise.

"Our sports market has changed over the last two weeks," Cornett said. "Most of the people that were there today tried to put the positive spin on it."
…

Oklahoma City's minor league franchises have been doing well in attendance.

The Blazers have led the Central Hockey League in attendance every season since the league reformed 13 years ago. The RedHawks broke their own record last season for the highest season attendance for minor league baseball in the state, drawing more than 540,000 fans.

The 2-year-old Yard Dawgz arenafootball2 franchise was second in attendance last season and led the league the year before.

Yard Dawgz General Manager Bob Cortese said the team's schedule does not conflict with the Hornets unless the Hornets make the playoffs.

"Whatever is good for Oklahoma City is good for all of us," he said.

> Read full article