Thanks Bob Funk
I think this article really shows the heart Bob Funk has for the OKC community. He really isn't reaping any financial reward from the Redhawks or Blazers, but he bought them for the citizens of this great city.....To help improve quality of life!
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"A quest for quality
By Jim Stafford
The Oklahoman
For Oklahoma City businessman Bob Funk, the decision to invest in the city's two premier minor league franchises hinged not on dollar signs but something much more nebulous: quality of life. Sports connections
The founder and chief executive officer of Express Personnel Services bought the Blazers minor league hockey team in 1999 and followed that in 2003 with the purchase of the Oklahoma RedHawks triple A baseball team. The purchase price was not revealed in either transaction.
"If it was the financial rewards, I would have never done it," Funk said last week. "Because sports in today's market, there is not much opportunity for a financial reward unless you want to purchase something, improve it and sell it."
The idea of flipping the franchises was not part of Funk's plan. Staving off potential new ownership groups from Michigan and New York prompted him to make the purchases.
"It was the quality of life standpoint and the economic development standpoint that I could contribute something back to the community a little quicker and a little better than someone from outside the community," Funk said.
Those "quality of life" issues influence both people and companies when considering a relocation, said Dave Lopez, president of Downtown OKC, the nonprofit group that promotes the city's amenities across the downtown and Bricktown areas.
Devon Energy President John Richels came to Oklahoma City from Calgary, Alberta, after a business merger. Big fans of the Calgary Flames National Hockey League team, Richel and his wife, Charlotte, have embraced Oklahoma's sports scene.
"Oklahoma City's sports environment certainly adds another dimension to quality of life for people who move here," Richels said. "I'm not sure you could say the same thing in other cities."
Funk offered the example of a doctor who moved to the city from the northern part of the country only after he and his wife -- both hockey fans -- witnessed a Blazers game while on a visit here.
Of course, there is far more than minor league hockey and baseball contributing to the state's sports ambiance. College athletics define Oklahoma and its sports scene.
This time of year, baseball and softball, sports that are overshadowed in terms of fan interest by football and basketball, share the local spotlight. The Big 12 Baseball Tournament concluded over the weekend, and the Women's College Softball World Series begins play Wednesday at the Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.
Both events are sponsored by the Oklahoma City All Sports Association, a nonprofit group that traces its roots to 1957 and an effort to save the All-College Basketball Tournament. That organization wraps its mission around the "quality of life" improvements that sports bring to the community, said Tim Brassfield, its executive director.
"I think Oklahoma City has put itself in a position to really compete with all the cities in our region," Brassfield said. "That's based mainly on the investment that the citizens have made in our community. The economic impact this year will be $28 million just on the events that the All Sports Association hosts."
Lurking behind all the feel-good imagery, however, is a nagging question of misplaced priorities.
Why don't Oklahomans put their time and energy -- and money -- into improving the educational system instead of sports? It is a "hot issue" in the academic community, said an Oklahoma State University professor who asked not to be identified because of the controversial nature of the debate.
Funk scoffs at such notions.
"The (educational) system is broke is what the challenge is, not the amount of money we have or have not put into the program," he said. "Every teacher gets paid exactly the same, whether they do a good, bad or indifferent job."
So perhaps for Oklahoma that leaves the sports scene to define its quality of life. Funk also lends his support to college athletics, contributing to the massive ongoing reconstruction of OSU's football stadium in Stillwater. "It gives your self-image and the image outside your state a different perspective, and it is important from an economic development standpoint," he said. "
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