Oklahoma or OKC?
NBA commish David Stern guessed that Clay Bennett’s ownership group would be under some “significant incentive and pressure” to make the Sonics an “Oklahoma” franchise” rather than Oklahoma City. Then less than an hour later, Bennett said he was committed to calling the franchise “Oklahoma City.”
I see both sides but agree with only one. Oklahoma City. OKC voters are the heroes in this NBA saga. They’ve three times went to the polls to make their city better — MAPS, MAPS for Kids, and the Ford Center renovation — and it’s Oklahoma City government leaders, moreso than state, who have stood with the business sector to make first the Hornets a success and now the Sonics a reality.
I also think from a marketing standpoint, Oklahoma City is better. Truth is, a lot of people drop the City anyway, from Charles Barkley to less interesting but more cerebral individuals who vaguely are aware that Oklahoma City is the city and Oklahoma is the state but haven’t given it a lot of thought. In other words, call it Oklahoma City, and a lot of people are going to call it Oklahoma anyway. Call it Oklahoma, and no one will call it Oklahoma City.
Calling it Oklahoma would appease the Tulsa crowd that has been very supportive of this effort. T-Town has been a great neighbor. Some from Tulsa might be disappointed if the franchise is called Oklahoma City, but it’s doubtful anyone would decline to participate in ticket-buying if the team is called OKC. Sponsorships from the Tulsa side of the state is another matter. I don’t know if anyone would decline because of it, but it’s another matter.
Of course, there’s always a compromise. Call the team the Oklahoma City Slickers. Those that want the team to be OKC can assume the nickname is the Slickers. Those that want the team to be Oklahoma can assume the nickname is the City Slickers. And those in Seattle who believe Clay Bennett’s group heisted the team will say truth in advertising.
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Comments
I was sent this by someone off of HornetsReport. Berry Trammel the OKC
“writer”, after Katrina was gloating about “Schools just being opened, why
should you be a major league city” (refering to NOLA) this is his offer
involving parking cars of all the fans at the NOLA Arena if the Hornets
played another game in NOLA.
So far…He’s not fullfilled the bet…This is a typical OKC condesending bs
thing that might get a few laughs.
This (right) is an exchange of emails between Oklahoman “Newsman”
Berry Trammel and fans of NOLA after the Hornets went to OKC after Katrina.
Note the smugness and condesending attitude about STEALING the Hornets.
Best part is his “I will park everyone’s car at the NOLA Arena IF they
return to La. Second best is the “I am not” when the poster calls him a “child”…
Needless to say it’s funny, might be worth a laugh and he still hasn’t
parked anyone’s car while his Ford Center sits empty and Clay Satan tries to
jack my Supes…
So Okies (EVEN MEDIA!, who I might add are EMPLOYED BY CLAY BENNETT) can gloat about Katrina but turn about’s not fair play…Hmmmmm
Contributor
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 841
Points: 25
email thread re: Berry the Valet
————————————————————————–
94… here you go - thread starts at the bottom and works its way
up…
[quick epilogue: to his credit, he was responsive once he lost the
wager - and he and I have been in touch to coordinate possible dates for him
to come down and do his thing… hasn’t happened yet, but we’re planning on
doing it sometime in the future…]
—– Original Message —-
To: BTramel@Oklahoman.com
Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2007 12:09:21 AM
Subject: Hello again - long time no speak…
Berry,
Hello again - I’m contacting you to make arrangements for our wager
(see below).
Please advise on your travel schedule once it is arranged.
All the best,
(name hidden)
—– Forwarded Message —-
From: Berry Tramel
Sent: Thursday, January 5, 2006 12:22:21 PM
Subject: RE: about your column: “Hornets are Step Closer to Staying”
12/31/05
(name hidden): Look, best of luck to New Orleans, which this week opened SCHOOL
for the first time in eight months yet still is clamoring about being a
major-league city. I am communication with NBA people, who for political
reasons can’t say what’s really going on, but let me assure you, if the
Hornets are in New Orleans in November 2007, I will show up at the New
Orleans Arena and valet everyone’s car.
—–Original Message—–
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 12:05 PM
To: Berry Tramel
Subject: RE: about your column: “Hornets are Step Closer to Staying”
12/31/05
> the Hornets are moving two more games back to OKC
…as part of a plan to play the remaining 3 in New
Orleans when the Arena is ready in March. Interesting
you don’t mention that part - does it not fit the
narrative you’ve manufactured? Your laziness in
reporting this story is notable. I think you are
doing a crap service to your readership.
Look, if you had been around the block in the NBA,
which you haven’t, you’d know more about the process
of relocating a franchise. You’d know more about the
league governance issues, you’d know more about how
difficult it is to unwind contracts with local
municipalities, and you’d know more about the
economics of regional sports television networks, of
which the Hornets are a flagship property across the
2.5 million person Gulf South.
The NBA, like every major U.S. sports leagues, is a
quasi-socialist enterprise: it pools its franchises
into collective by-laws, it relies on revenue sharing
from broadcast fees and it enjoys major subsidies from
the government (Arenas, tax-breaks, etc.) Media
conglomerates and State governments are kinda
important to the NBA, and the League is extremely
sensitive about being a good partner, lest they
compromise their standing in other markets (read
Seattle, Orlando, Toronto where negotiations are
currently underway)
Responsible people in OKC are graciously hosting the
Hornets and extending the courtesies that the rest of
the country extended to your city in 1994 and would
gladly extend again. What’s unfortunate about your
work, and your responses to me, is that you instead
are cheerleading a Hornets relocation and are trying
to take advantage of a profound tragedy.
I look forward to mailing you my ticket stub from the
Hornets home opener in 2007. Hopefully by then you
will have the clarity to look back at your actions at
this time and wonder how you so easily lost your moral
compass.
— Berry Tramel wrote:
> (name hidden): No I’m not. And the Hornets are moving two more
> games back to OKC.
>
> —–Original Message—–
>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 5:51 PM
> To: Berry Tramel
> Subject: RE: about your column: “Hornets are Step
> Closer to Staying”
> 12/31/05
>
>
> You are a child.
>
> — Berry Tramel wrote:
>
> > (name hidden): Thanks for writing. You’re wrong. The NBA is
> > punting New Orleans.
> >
> > —–Original Message—–
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 2:40 PM
> > To: Berry Tramel
> > Subject: about your column: “Hornets are Step
> Closer
> > to Staying”
> > 12/31/05
> >
> >
> > “If the Saints ever say the return is permanent,
> > then
> > it’s automatic. The Hornets-New Orleans marriage
> > officially is annulled.”
> >
> > That statement is one of the stupidest, most
> > pedestrian things I saw in print in all of 2005 -
> > Congratulations. I’m accustomed to reading
> wind-bag
> > columns, but this one takes the cake. You know
> > pathetically little about the situation with the
> > Saints, or for that matter, the Hornets, and you
> > might
> > as well have posted it on your forehead
It should be OKC, since we are the ones that has to pay the taxes. No other cities has to pay the extra tax.
Barry
Did you really say all those things? Did your mouth write a check your Ass can’t cash?
We have a big mouth sports radio host up here named Softy Mahler. He made a stupid bet about a UW/WSU Football game. He promised to ride a bike all the way from Seattle to Pullman if WSU won. They did. To his credit his credit he manned up and this 280 pound Donut eating machine actually did ride the bike the 300 miles to Pullman from Seattle. He hardly bitched at all.
Man up Barry.
some names just don’t sound right when a city has the name of state
example: new york city knicks doesn’t sound right kansas city chiefs does new york city yankees yuk! kansas city royals sounds good.
oklahoma drillers oklahoma barons oklahoma whatevers (mayors choice) all sound good drop the city
You rednecks are a bunch of idiots. you guys have no idea the implications of the sonics, trying shelling out nearly a billion dollars of tax payers money and then ask for tax payers to pay even more for another arena. there is nothing wrong the Key Arena, the NBA is just a bunch of little kids who have to cry because they didnt jump towards getting a new arena before both the NBA and MLB did too. Plus his royal smugness is facing an up-hill battle against Schultz because of dum@$$ Bennett’s love for e-mailing. I hope you redneck’s dont get an NBA team, especially not the Sonics, nothing makes sense about the movement… By the way: Chris Jackson youre a homo… the stallions… are you serious. wow. go ride a pink bull with your stallions idea. wow.
Lots of talk about Seattle being child like and silly and crying like babies. Wonder what we would be like if the shoe was on the other foot. ?? Could happen down the road when OKC is asked to support building a new play pen.