NBA team to use OKC in name

[sethsrott]

"By Bryan Dean
Staff Writer

An agreement approved by the Oklahoma City Council this morning will require the Sonics to include Oklahoma City in its name when the franchise moves into the Ford Center.

The agreement, which focuses on splitting the revenues from concessions and restaurants in the arena, settles the question of whether the team will be named for the city or for the state.

At a news conference after the NBA's vote to relocate the team earlier this month, NBA Commissioner David Stern suggested the team should be named Oklahoma rather than Oklahoma City to take advantage of the proximity of Tulsa and help lure more fans from outside Oklahoma City.

Mayor Mick Cornett disagreed with Stern, saying at the time that the team name would be after Oklahoma City. Whether the franchise will retain the Sonics nickname is still a question.

Team officials have suggested they would be willing to leave the team name and colors in Seattle if that helps in negotiating a way out of the team's lease with Key Arena. Seattle officials have filed a lawsuit against Sonics' owners to force them to honor the lease, which runs through 2010.

The team has signed a lease with Oklahoma City to play games at the Ford Center. That lease will take effect in 2010, after the team's lease with Seattle ends, or earlier if the team can negotiate a settlement with Seattle."

[Karried]

Woot! Great news.

[metro]

Glad to hear they are making an agreement on this. Tulsa will be disappointed. Now let's definitely stay progressive and not be like Seattle and pass an I-91 prohibiting us to vote to use taxpayer dollars for a new arena.

[BDP]

Maybe we should... That way, if they ever want to leave because of it, we can claim it was their fault and sue them for bad faith.

[OKCisOK4me]

I'm glad to hear they will be the Oklahoma City ________. Of course, the commentators in the future will refer to us as the OKC ________ like the title of this thread is.

In regard to keeping the team in Seattle through 2010, I don't think that's a bad idea. It will allow time for all of the new renovations in the Ford Center to be completed. When does the current penny sales tax end?

[Nixon7]

If they stay up there until 2010, keep the 'Sonics' name. If they want it so bad, let it be part of the buyout. OKC Sonics works for me.

[solitude]

If they stay up there until 2010, keep the 'Sonics' name. If they want it so bad, let it be part of the buyout. OKC Sonics works for me.

I hope not. Leave the name in Seattle. It would only make matters worse and look like we're rubbing it in their noses. No need for that. I remember when the Colts left Baltimore, it wasn't really the leaving that hurt so much as taking the Colts name to Indianapolis. When the owner was afraid Baltimore would seize the team by eminent domain after passage of a law by the Maryland legislature to allow them to do that - they picked up everything the team owned in an hour or two, put them in big moving vans -- and left in the middle of the night! True story. He later said he would have liked the time to work out a deal to leave the Colts name and their history in Baltimore, but there wasn't time. I say leave the Supersonics history in Seattle and begin our own legacy with our own colors and name.

[betts]

I hope not. Leave the name in Seattle. It would only make matters worse and look like we're rubbing it in their noses. No need for that. I remember when the Colts left Baltimore, it wasn't really the leaving that hurt so much as taking the Colts name to Indianapolis. When the owner was afraid Baltimore would seize the team by eminent domain after passage of a law by the Maryland legislature to allow them to do that - they picked up everything the team owned in an hour or two, put them in big moving vans -- and left in the middle of the night! True story. He later said he would have liked the time to work out a deal to leave the Colts name and their history in Baltimore, but there wasn't time. I say leave the Supersonics history in Seattle and begin our own legacy with our own colors and name.

Couldn't agree more. It's the fastest way to end negative commentary from journalists and it's the right thing to do for the people who have supported the team all these years. If they build an arena, the Sonics should play in Seattle again.

[Nixon7]

So if they stick it to the owners and "bleed" them after they win the court case (just a guess), we should be nice and leave them the name and colors?

[solitude]

So if they stick it to the owners and "bleed" them after they win the court case (just a guess), we should be nice and leave them the name and colors?

Yes. Because "they" does not include the thousands and thousands of everyday fans of the Seattle Supersonics since 1967. It's not leaving the legacy of the Sonics to Schultz or anybody else making things difficult for the PBC. It's leaving it to the former players and their (innocent in all of this) fans.

[Nawfside OKC]

Leaving the name is the right thing to do. Ultimately the fans will have to realize that it was all business Not a theft. Oklahoma City investors saw the potential, and so did the ''Yes'' voters from the buying of the team to the arena being upgraded.That's why it should also be named (OKC ? ).

[metro]

If they stay up there until 2010, keep the 'Sonics' name. If they want it so bad, let it be part of the buyout. OKC Sonics works for me.

End of 2009. Technically the tax won't really go into effect until then and depending on if we land the Sonics, will run until end of 2010 or early 2011.

[Kerry]

If the City of Seattle wants the name Sonics then they should pay for it. That name has a real economic value. If the city doesn't want to buy then Bennett can sell it to anyone or keep the name and keep selling Sonics merchandise in the Seattle area.

[OKCMallen]

With them being so vindictive, I say don't use the name, but don't sell it back to them either. Just keep owning it and let it die.

[OKCMallen]

(that's right, I roll hardcore )

[Nawfside OKC]

so if bennett doesn't sell the name they would have to move their confrence and world championship titles(the city's only champioship title out of all their professional teams) to the ford center.That would really suck for seattle when they see those banners hanging from the roof in the FC,but they act like that's what they want.

[Nixon7]

With them being so vindictive, I say don't use the name, but don't sell it back to them either. Just keep owning it and let it die.

I like that idea better.

[JLCinOKC]

I feel guilty, but I thought exactly the same thing about letting the Sonics name die.

But, humanity takes over and I think the high road would be to give the name to Seattle. The average Sonics fan is not to blame for the course a certain few in Seattle are taking and absolutely nothing would be served by being mean spirited.

Of course, I do think that the rights to the name would have to be part of a lease buyout agreement.

[FFLady]

moved this text to SOnics thread

[kevinpate]

the owners bought the team, the colors, the logo, the name, all that was the Sonics. Fan feelings aside, these things are business assets, and as such, PBC should make sound business decisions in regard to these areas.

Don't mean to be heartless, and perhaps a goodwill value outwieghs any economic value but giving away just to do so, or mothballing, again just to do so, well neither makes sense to me.

[centaurian]

Seattle needs to get over it. If they were so big on this team why didnt the community support a new arean,and why did the goof own it sell the team.

Keep the name , dump the name, i d say we should come up with our own name, and let the sonic name go bye bye

it will be just one more thorn in the side of the booo hoo seattlites to cry about, if we keep that name