Charles Barkley a coward???

[metro]

Remember earlier this year when Charles Barkley was challenged to come to Oklahoma City and said that he would by the end of last season?? Well to my knowledge that never happened and well in less than 2 weeks it will be a New Year. I think he's a ignorant coward. Your thoughts?

Here is the email to email TNT Sports: tnt@turner.com

[mranderson]

Remember earlier this year when Charles Barkley was challenged to come to Oklahoma City and said that he would by the end of last season?? Well to my knowledge that never happened and well in less than 2 weeks it will be a New Year. I think he's a ignorant coward. Your thoughts?

No. He is just one of these liars that tell people what they want to hear instead of the truth. He should have apologized then when invited, declined the offer. He could have said almost anything as an excuse. His reason was not acceptable, however. That being that he thinks of Oklahoma City as a redneck hickhole.

[Keith]

Remember earlier this year when Charles Barkley was challenged to come to Oklahoma City and said that he would by the end of last season?? Well to my knowledge that never happened and well in less than 2 weeks it will be a New Year. I think he's a ignorant coward. Your thoughts?

Here is the email to email TNT Sports: tnt@turner.com

For Charles Barkley, it was a publicity stunt. He is a coward and has a big mouth. He was never going to come to OKC, even if it was a free trip.

I have noticed that Channel 9 hasn't made mention of it in quite a while. They probably had a good idea that he wasn't going to come here either.

[Dave Cook]

I'm guessing the guy has better things to do.

What's the big deal?

[John]

TNT is covering the game on January 4th against the Pistons.

I assume Sir Charles will be in attendance.

[PUGalicious]

I'm guessing the guy has better things to do.

What's the big deal?

I agree.

All the inane hubbub and whining by Okies about Barkley's comments only serves to reinforce his original comments.

[bandnerd]

Wow, I had completely forgotten he had even said anything until you all brought it up. The rest of the country has probably forgotten, too. Let it go...how many of these guys actually stick to their word, anyway? Probably not that many...

[Intrepid]

That being that he thinks of Oklahoma City as a redneck hickhole.

Just outta curiosity....what makes you saying, "Moore has more hicks per capita than any other city in the metro", any different than what Barkley said/thinks about OKC?

[drumsncode]

The whole thing was just a selfish publicity stunt by KWTV, an effort to get ratings. You know if they'd landed him they'd have hyped it all week long, several times a day in their typical fashion.

There are a lot of people out there that think Oklahoma is a vast wasteland. Of course, if you live in the finest neighborhoods, get flown to your events in an air-conditioned helicopter, and eat at the finest restaurants all the time, I guess Oklahoma can be a lot of fun. I doubt Sir Charles would be all that impressed, since he lives in the lap of luxury already.

His guided tour would, of course, only focus on the best parts of town. I doubt he'd see anything south of Reno, would he?

I think Sir Charles realizes that KWTV is only trying to use him for ratings. You don't think Kelly is genuinely concerned that someone dissed his state, do you?

[jbrown84]

You don't think Kelly is genuinely concerned that someone dissed his state, do you?

I do actually. I know him. Talked to him yesterday actually.

[okcpulse]

I'd let it go, but Charles Barkley is from Alabama of all places. His goal to become governor of one of the biggest redneck havens in the south just makes him look like a f*****g idiot for his remarks.

[traxx]

I was just thinking about this the other day and wondering if anything had been done about it. Oh well it's such old news now it's probably best just to leave well enough alone. Thanks for the dis and lies Sir Chuck.

[PUGalicious]

I do actually. I know him. Talked to him yesterday actually.

That's unfortunate for Kelly that he would still be thinking about it. Makes his two cents a little less worthwhile.

[jbrown84]

I didn't say I talked to him about this yesterday. I'm just saying that he wasn't just going along with it for a ratings stunt. He would have really been offended like many of us were.

[PUGalicious]

It just seems to me that with all the things that local journalists COULD and SHOULD be concerned with regarding local issues, something Charles Barkley said wouldn't have made it on the radar. Seems a little Busch league to get your panties in a wad about something that someone said. There are REAL issues in our city that need to be addressed, not the meaningless comments of a spoiled athlete.

[metro]

I don't think anyone said their panties were in a wad or it was the best use of journalist's time. But what else is new, journalists in this town waste prime time coverage anyways. The thread was a mere discussion on people's thoughts almost a year later.

[PUGalicious]

I don't think anyone said their panties were in a wad

The discussion suggests otherwise.

The thread was a mere discussion on people's thoughts almost a year later.

And based on the discussion, the fact that people still care about Barkley's comments reflects more poorly on Oklahoma City than anything Barkley could have said.

[mranderson]

Just outta curiosity....what makes you saying, "Moore has more hicks per capita than any other city in the metro", any different than what Barkley said/thinks about OKC?

Moore is a city in themselves. It is NOT Oklahoma City. Just a suburb. Plus, I spent a lot of time in Moore and encountered nearly nothing but blue collar rednecks and drug addicts.

[traxx]

So if OKC complains that someone is trash talking their city it makes us look bad and like whiners. But I bet if a white guy like Troy Aikman made a disparaging comment about New Orleans (seems to be the popular city for everyone to stick up for these days) and their black mayor and their black population the entire country would be up in arms and demand an apology.

If a black guy calls us a hicktown and says to a Hornets player that Oklahoma is no place for a black man, I see no problem with OKC sticking up for itself. When racism goes the other direction (eg. Barkley vs. OKC) no one seems to mind.

[bandnerd]

Oh wow, so we're turning this into a race issue now?

Come on, people. He's a spoiled, overpaid athlete. They (professional athletes) say and do stupid stuff a lot. Most people have probably forgotten about this...or if they are like me, they take it with a grain of salt.

Someone already said this--our city leaders are already working on promoting our image. However, I think that we will always have a certain image to outsiders whether we like it or not. The only thing we can do is work to improve our community, and wow people when they come, instead of listening to the idiotic statements of someone who has NEVER even been here.

[BDP]

Seems a little Busch league to get your panties in a wad about something that someone said.

Totally agree. And I'm pretty sure that the people who were upset about it are the same people who take ignorant and condescending shots at New Orleans, or East Coast "elitists", or California "liberals", etc. etc.

It's all born of insecurities, usually as a result of ignorance. Barkley was just playing entertainer and capitalizing on those very people’s insecurities. It worked like a charm... obviously.

[okcpulse]

I didn't get offended by Barkley's comments, and let's face it, he can afford to say things like that. But I will reiterate, he is from Alabama. He just made himself look stupid on national TV.

After all, as I previously pointed out, he wants to run for governor of one of the most hick states in the nation. Open mouth and insert foot. And what's wrong with getting upset about some rich man's irresponsible comments? It's not about us being insecure. If someone were picking on you long enough, the crap would start to get old. And, it's getting old. The stereotypical Oklahoma jokes are getting old. The dust bowl jokes are getting old. It's just getting old.

In short, if you don't know anything about Oklahoma, or Oklahoma City, and have never been there, be wise. Keep your mouth shut and keep your head buried in the sand. If you HAVE been here, and either did or didn't like it, your comments and criticisms will be well received by me.

[traxx]

[QUOTE=bandnerd;79178]Oh wow, so we're turning this into a race issue now?QUOTE]

No, I didn't turn it into a race issue, Barkley did when he said something to the effect of Oklahoma isn't a place for a black man. That just perpetuates the image that we're all a bunch of racist because we're from Oklahoma and I take just as much offense to that as a racist remark. And as mentioned earlier, the irony is that he wants to run for gov in Alabama. Ala-freakin-Bama! Talk about racist histories.

[Easy180]

Non issue to me...He was just trying to be funny and make CP3 a little uncomfortable...OKC is still "country" compared to most other NBA cities...Have to be able to take a joke here and there if you live in Oklahoma...West Virginians get it a lot worse believe me!

Ogle and News 9 ran with it solely for the ratings...Not newsworthy imo

[bandnerd]

I agree. I think it would do more for our image if we can just laugh it off and keep going with what we do. Whining like a bunch of little babies isn't going to make our state look better. People already think we have an inferiority complex, we'd just fueling the fire if we responded to it.

It's better to ignore a bully...eventually they get bored and move on. Obviously, Barkley already did.