Paycom Center (formerly Chesapeake Arena)

[Snowman]

BOK Center was built as a slightly nicer Ford Center/Paycom Center in 2008. I would find it hard for the NHL to move to Tulsa to what would be a 20 year old fairly basic arena, when OKC is going to have a brand new billion dollar arena down the turnpike.

From a metro population to number of pro sports teams ratio, it would be an easier decision to go to Tulsa than OKC, even with a better arena in OKC.

Plus either city it probably only happens if a local ownership group wanted to bring one in, in OKC most of the potential owners are probably already tied into the Thunder, and bringing in another team risks both being viable.

[PhiAlpha]

BOK Center was built as a slightly nicer Ford Center/Paycom Center in 2008. I would find it hard for the NHL to move to Tulsa to what would be a 20 year old fairly basic arena, when OKC is going to have a brand new billion dollar arena down the turnpike.

BOK at least seems to have a much larger footprint than Paycom and doesn't suffer from some of the logistical issues that Paycom does (loading docks for example). Definitely feels quite a bit larger when walking around the concourses. It could likely be renovated and brought up to the level of some of the newer arenas being built today (though obviously not the more elaborate ones). It seems newer than Paycom even now though doesn’t have as nice of interior finishes in some cases.

[Laramie]

From a metro population to number of pro sports teams ratio, it would be an easier decision to go to Tulsa than OKC, even with a better arena in OKC.

Plus either city it probably only happens if a local ownership group wanted to bring one in, in OKC most of the potential owners are probably already tied into the Thunder, and bringing in another team risks both being viable.

Sure BOK Center will need a few tweaks and renovations--somewhere in the $50 - $75 million range. Much like the PNC Center in Raleigh, N. C. it has the space for a second advertising ring above the luxury suites.

Tulsa (IMO) is ready for an NHL franchise.

[OkieinGeorgia]

As a die-hard OKC and Thunder supporter, I would become a die-hard fan of an NHL team in Tulsa. I'm not completely convinced it's the best financial decision, but as a fan and an Okie I love the idea of Tulsa getting an NHL team and the whole state rallying around it like they have for the Thunder. To me that's a great way for the state to be best utilizing all of its assets to raise the profile of the state as a whole. I've never been a hockey fan and have never been interested, but if Tulsa got a team I'd be all swagged up and would plan on many trips to the BOK to see games. That would be amazing.

[BDP]

NHL hockey is amazing in person. So much different than on TV and way better than any hockey we've had in OKC. I'd don't follow it or anything (couldn't even tell you who's in the playoffs right now), but I'd definitely go to Tulsa for a game or two a year if it was there. Beyond that, I'll admit that I would probably just be a fair weather fan. Honestly, I'd probably be a fair weather fan if the NHL was in OKC, too, since the NBA is here. I certainly wouldn't have season tickets to both. Nobody's got time for that, lol.

[Bill Robertson]

NHL hockey is amazing in person. So much different than on TV and way better than any hockey we've had in OKC. I'd don't follow it or anything (couldn't even tell you who's in the playoffs right now), but I'd definitely go to Tulsa for a game or two a year if it was there. Beyond that, I'll admit that I would probably just be a fair weather fan. Honestly, I'd probably be a fair weather fan if the NHL was in OKC, too, since the NBA is here. I certainly wouldn't have season tickets to both. Nobody's got time for that, lol.

I'm a HUGE Avalanche fan. We used to go to Denver for home games, Dallas when they played the stars and occasionally St. Louis when they played the Blues. We haven't been lately because everything has gone up and we just don't have the spare money anymore . The "fair weather" comment I'm afraid represents a ton of potential hockey game attendees. And that won't fly with the NHL.

[jedicurt]

I'm a HUGE Avalanche fan. We used to go to Denver for home games, Dallas when they played the stars and occasionally St. Louis when they played the Blues. We haven't been lately because everything has gone up and we just don't have the spare money anymore . The "fair weather" comment I'm afraid represents a ton of potential hockey game attendees. And that won't fly with the NHL.

that certainly is the problem in the NHL right now. it's a hot product that has just gone up in price. I used to go to 5-6 Star games a year, because you could easily find pre-2020, for $40-60 in the upper deck. and at AA Center, those are still good seats with a good view. but now, you can't find a single ticket to a game for less than $125. my usual splurge tickets back in the day that were $85, are now $215... I just can't afford to go to more than 1 or 2 games a year now.

[HOT ROD]

Sure BOK Center will need a few tweaks and renovations--somewhere in the $50 - $75 million range. Much like the PNC Center in Raleigh, N. C. it has the space for a second advertising ring above the luxury suites.

Tulsa (IMO) is ready for an NHL franchise.

Im not so sure about that. OKC was 1.2 million metro when the Thunder came and it had a 'trial run' with the New Orleans Oklahoma City Hornets to get noticed. I think Tulsa becomes viable once they too reach the 1.2 million mark in probably 10 years.

Not saying the state wouldn't support it, but the city has to support it. More than 65% of OKC metro support Thunder games, probably would be higher but there's obvious interest regionally with Tulsa itself lending 10%. OKC likely could lend the same or more to a Tulsa team, being a bigger city. But you can't rely on that as I think OK's support of sports gets diluted.

I don't think we should just be saying, Tulsa gets a team, just so Oklahoma can have two major league teams. When Tulsa gets the ownership group and IMO about 200K more people then they will be ready. And that's assuming OKC doesn't have any hockey at all.

[citywokchinesefood]

For the record the NHL is absolutely not coming to Tulsa, you are absolutely delusional if you think it is a realistic chance. I would love to have a closer option, it just is not viable in the slightest. OKC has a significantly better chance, and even that is highly unlikely.

[Rover]

Oklahoma City is a marginally sized market and is still considerably bigger than the Tulsa market. Not only is its media market larger, it shows a much larger average and median income than Tulsa. Since OKC is marginal for a professional market, Tulsa is way down the list. There are many markets that would get teams before Tulsa. OKC wouldn't likely get a second pro team either, but it at least has proved it can fight above its weight class. It took a unique set of circumstances for OKC to get the Thunder. That happening for Tulsa is very, very remote.

TULSA DMA is number 58 Designated Market Area in United States, as ranked by Nielsen as of 2024, TV Household population of 531,230 and an average income $42,414 and a median income $41,306.

OKLAHOMA CITY DMA is number 41 Designated Market Area in United States, as ranked by Nielsen as of 2024, TV Household population of 722,140 and an average income $48,989 and a median income $50,743.

[Swake]

For the record the NHL is absolutely not coming to Tulsa, you are absolutely delusional if you think it is a realistic chance. I would love to have a closer option, it just is not viable in the slightest. OKC has a significantly better chance, and even that is highly unlikely.

I don't think Tulsa is getting a team either, but Tulsa does have a very long track record of supporting hockey. The Oilers this season averaged over 7,000 in attendance a game and have a long history.

The Tulsa Oilers are older than the Edmonton Oilers, by a lot, dating to 1929, There have been gaps when there was no team, but overall this current season is the current version of the Oilers 32nd season and overall the teams 72nd season.

[HOT ROD]

Me personally, I think NFL should be OKC's third team - after OKC reaches 2 million metro and gets MLS within a few years. That's probably the limit for OKC and major professional sports, esp if the Pro Basketball Inc/Clay Bennett is the owner of the other league's team(s).

NFL would work in OKC due to its football craze and additional population (in my metric, getting 500K more people). NFL does not coincide with NBA season much and with NFL games on Sundays with the occasional Monday and Thursday, it would not interfere with OU and OSU. The missing pieces are the stadium, ownership group, and available team/expansion. OKC could possibly pursue UFL/XFL but even that should be a few years out.

I agree that Tulsa isn't on the radar, but I still stand by it being viable for NHL once they reach more than 1.2 million, assuming there's no hockey in OKC, and there's an Tulsa ownership group. Probably 10-15 years out.

If these occur, that'd probably be the extent for major league sports in Oklahoma for the forseeable future; OKC (with 2 million): NBA, MLS, NFL. TUL (with 1.2+ million): NHL.

[BilliamBrasky]

I don't think MLS is a real opportunity for a long time. There aren't many recent expansion franchises that haven't been born out of successful USL/NASL markets. The stadium for Energy FC is coming, but the franchise sitting dormant until it opens sets any MLS expansion hopes in OKC back several years. There was a time not long ago that OKC was commonly listed on medium-term expansion candidates. The failure of two lower division pro teams in OKC has knocked us off most lists altogether.

[HOT ROD]

I just think once OKC has the stadium and the team back playing, that it would be fast tracked - kind of like a 'darling child' of sports if you will, in the way that OKC is now often mentioned in MOST league expansion/relocation (not that any of that is true or not, but OKC is mentioned every time). And OKC does have the population, demographic, and ownership group (like them or not) to support it. And MLS wouldn't interfere with the NBA or the colleges.

The commitment the city is making to the stadium (and arena) along with the probability of Legends Tower - it could be a great opportunity for the league to be part of that momentum.

[Jersey Boss]

Why is a possible OKC franchise in the NWLS not being explored/discussed for the new stadium?

[Dob Hooligan]

Why is a possible OKC franchise in the NWLS not being explored/discussed for the new stadium?

I'm guessing you mean NWSL-National Women's Soccer League?

A quick look at the league makes me think there is zero way it makes sense for either OKC or the league. At 14 teams, it seems the NWSL has 15-20 cities that are already committed to the highest level of soccer in the US, MLS, and would all provide a better opportunity for success. As much as I hate to say it, OKC has not shown it has more than a modest interest in soccer. With the possible exception of softball, OKC doesn't appear to be a strong women's sports town, either.

It would seem to me that getting the USL team back in operation is the best, and fastest, occupant of any portion of the new stadium. I know there are some here who think the Funk family are bad sports operators in OKC, and they are killing soccer here in town, just like they killed hockey, I am constantly left with a nagging question---

If they are so bad and OKC is such a great market, then where are the saviors?

[BilliamBrasky]

If they are so bad and OKC is such a great market, then where are the saviors?

As someone who would like to see professional soccer work in OKC, I am pessimistic. I think locals overrate OKC as a soccer market, and Prodigal are not good at running high-level minor league franchises. I say that because I believe, if they were serious owners, they would have been ahead of the USL's field dimension requirements and found a place for the team to play in the interim instead of just pulling the plug for five years until a new stadium is built.

As for saviors, I don't know that there are any. At one point I would have said people behind Sold Out Strategies because I always got the impression that they are "soccer people" (they do run an entire women's league). However, they also couldn't keep the investment group together for the NASL team that failed.

[Rover]

This is a great discussion on PayCom Center. I had no idea soccer was scheduled to be played there. Very exciting.

[barrettd]

this is a great discussion on paycom center. I had no idea soccer was scheduled to be played there. Very exciting.

lol

[Dob Hooligan]

This is a great discussion on PayCom Center. I had no idea soccer was scheduled to be played there. Very exciting.

I think OKC Talk moderators do the best job on the internet balancing freedom and focus.

[Rover]

I think OKC Talk moderators do the best job on the internet balancing freedom and focus.

Focus. Now there’s a concept. 😂

[mrdude]

While I may not agree with the financing, I’m officially a convert on opinion we need a new arena. Attending Zach Bryan last night after not being in almost a decade (Fleetwood Mac - 2015, pre interior reno?) while awesome show, the sheer uncomfortable environment due to size took away so much. Partly even being a tall, fit guy, I couldn’t keep my body out of anyone’s way even sitting in my own chair. Going to other venues since and by comparison, we definitely need this new arena. Just my opinion as a non NBA fan that rarely attends now seeing the need.

[PhiAlpha]

While I may not agree with the financing, I’m officially a convert on opinion we need a new arena. Attending Zach Bryan last night after not being in almost a decade (Fleetwood Mac - 2015, pre interior reno?) while awesome show, the sheer uncomfortable environment due to size took away so much. Partly even being a tall, fit guy, I couldn’t keep my body out of anyone’s way even sitting in my own chair. Going to other venues since and by comparison, we definitely need this new arena. Just my opinion as a non NBA fan that rarely attends now seeing the need.

Yeah you can definitely argue on how much should be spent or how the funding is acquired but anyone who legitimately thinks we don’t need one doesn’t go to Paycom often and hasn’t been to comparable venues. Even BOK is generally more comfortable in terms of seat size/spacing.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Yeah you can definitely argue on how much should be spent or how the funding is acquired but anyone who legitimately thinks we don’t need one doesn’t go to Paycom often and hasn’t been to comparable venues. Even BOK is generally more comfortable in terms of seat size/spacing.

Truth.

[warreng88]

Yeah you can definitely argue on how much should be spent or how the funding is acquired but anyone who legitimately thinks we don’t need one doesn’t go to Paycom often and hasn’t been to comparable venues. Even BOK is generally more comfortable in terms of seat size/spacing.

My wife and I went to a game earlier this year after the arena vote passed (which I was all for and she questioned) and when we left, she said, "ok, I get why we need a new arena now..." It's the first time in our marriage I was told in a round about way I was right... It was awesome...