Thunder vs. Bedlam rivals: The people have voted
ESPN ran an interesting poll the other day. It asked viewers/readers to vote on which in-season sports interests them the most at this time of year.
Here are the results: NBA 37 percent, college basketball 36 percent, National Hockey League 15 percent, soccer six percent, other six percent. Total votes cast: 159,351. So that’s a pretty big base.
But here’s what’s fascinating. In Oklahoma, 1,294 votes were cast. And the NBA outscored college basketball 65 percent to 19 percent. That’s an amazing disparity in a place where just four years ago there was no NBA basketball. A place where just five years ago there had never been NBA basketball.
And the Oklahoma devotion to the NBA was the biggest of any state.
That’s wild. Places where the NBA has a good stronghold and where college hoops aren’t all that hot – Texas, Oregon, California – don’t have the percentage of devotion to the pros that Oklahoma had, according to the poll.
Now, if the Thunder loses steam in the coming years, that could change. If OSU and OU return to their winning ways of yesteryear, that could change. If in five years Kevin Durant is a Knickerbocker and Russell Westbrook is a Laker, all bets are off.
But for now, this is a valuable lesson for the college programs. They’ve got to scratch and claw to get back into relevancy. They’ve got to be more competitive. They’ve got to be as consumer-friendly as possible. They’ve got to look out for their sport as a whole, everything from scheduling to rule changes, and make sure college hoops attracts new fans and lures back old fans.
It’s a perfect storm for the downward spiral of college basketball. College football remains supreme at OU and has gotten there at OSU, too. The Thunder is an NBA title contender with a bevy of likable superstars. The Bedlam rivals stink in hoops. We saw that in the most recent weekly television ratings for Oklahoma City: the top three sports telecasts for the week were Thunder games, all played out West with 9:30 p.m. (Oklahoma time) tipoffs. The college basketball games were nowhere to be found.
It won’t be easy to emerge from such a malaise.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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Comments
I think both state programs are in transition. What’s so hard to understand about that? They’ll get better. You have a 1st year coach at OU, and a very young squad at OSU which has a tremendous potential. No use dogging them to no end, and parading around your precious pet Thunder as a model. There’s no comparison.
Next year one of these two state teams, or perhaps both, will be in the big dance. Let’s tune back in on your blog-space when (and if) that happens. to me, the NCAA Basketball Tournament is far more exciting than the NBA Playoffs. Love the Thunder, but love NCAA Basketball too. Don’t kill it.
I think both state programs are in transition. What’s so hard to understand about that? They’ll get better. You have a 1st year coach at OU, and a very young squad at OSU which has a tremendous potential. No use dogging them to no end, and parading around your precious pet Thunder as a model. There’s no comparison.
Next year one of these two state teams, or perhaps both, will be in the big dance. Let’s tune back in on your blog-space when (and if) that happens. to me, the NCAA Basketball Tournament is far more exciting than the NBA Playoffs. Love the Thunder, but love NCAA Basketball too. Don’t kill it.
If the universites cannot recruit the high profile players they cannot compete for the athletic dollar.
OU fans rarely have supported their basketball team…usually only when they are a really good team.
OSU fans have had enough of high ticket prices coupled with Travis Ford. The fact is most longtime Oklahoma State fans don’t like him because he has driven the basketball program into a loser.
LOSER.
The last OSU losing season was under Leonard Hamilton about 25 years ago.
OSU fans want Travis Ford fired and they are voting with their pocketbook.
Yet more evidence that the Thunder has killed college basketball in this state, and the OKC media LOVES kicking dirt on the graves in its quest to be “big time”.
The dilemma is tough. I sit and watch with all the premium channels, flipping between the Thunder and an OU game. I have somewhat been conditioned to watch the OU first half and flip to Thunder at TOs’ knowing the second half is the real time to watch NBA. If OU is getting bombed at half, I split to the Thunder. If OU is in the game at half, I watch the first five minutes and make a decision…typically, OU’s performance has dictated that decision to flip. I understand and I think OU is going to come back next year; OSU, I do not see enough to make a conclusion. A good starting point is to try and do their best to not have Thunder and OU games on the same nights. At least when the Thunder is playing at 9:30 and OU is playing at 7, the result on the first game is pretty well known before the 9:30 start.
I don’t see why it’s a dilemma at all. If the OU and OSU basketball programs revert to something more like what college athletics is supposed to be about–physical fitness, sportsmanship and character development–rather than being revenue-generators for their respective schools, what’s the harm?
I am a season ticket holder for the Thunder. Even though I have limited funds, my game tickets cost $10 and I think, my opinion, I have the best $10 ticket in the arena. (I was able to select the seats before the first Thunder season). Get to see the greatest players in the world for a cheap ticket. I was a Sooner basketball season ticket holder ten years ago and attended games up through Blake Griffin’s career. Now, with crazy game times, an inferior product, and TV games, why attend? As for OSU, their ticket prices are too much. Paying more then $10 for a college game is just not worth it.
Yet more evidence that the Thunder has killed college basketball in this state, and the OKC media LOVES kicking dirt on the graves in its quest to be “big time”.
Don’t agree with the comment. The athletic programs at OSU and OU killed themselves. Going to watch the Sooners and Cowboys get beat is not in the cards for me. Start winning and people will come. Start games later on week nights (7:30) would help. Driving to Norman takes a hour and people that work for a living cannot attend a 6:00 pm start on Mondays,…..
If the Big 12 could get refs that would quit ruining the game with their incessant whistles for every little touch and the ridiculous “taunting calls” perhaps college basketball could make a comeback. When the most exciting and athletic players are sitting on the bench in foul trouble, no wonder nobody is watching. The game should be about the players, not about a bunch of old white men who can’t jump!
Hurray for Pro basketball, much more entertaining, esp in the playoffs. College basketball has never really been all that big in Oklahoma except when we had superior home talent as Blake, Wayman, etc. or when OSU was winning with big country. Glad Oklahoma is now a college footbal and Pro basketball State
Probably has NOTING to do with the fact that both OU & OSU basketball are atrocious disasters this year.
College basketball has no chance in this state with the extension signings of both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook now in place…and probably Harden and Ibaka to follow. This is what makes last year’s drama by Berry Tramel and the OU regents even more comical in regards to the termination of Jeff Capel. It won’t matter if Lon Kruger gets the Sooners back to the NCAA Tournament– it won’t matter if Travis Ford gets the Cowboys back to the NCAA Tournament. It just won’t matter because all of this comes down to competition for the disposable sports entertainment dollar. Maybe this piece should have been written last season and maybe some things should have been explained to Joe C, Mike Holder, and their regents in regards to pricing, marketing, and the entire entertainment product. Here’s the simple truth and this comes from a college basketball junkie–unless O State could hire Bill Self and OU could hire John Calipari–the gyms in both Norman and Stillwater will reamin half empty.
Have you noticed the Barons offer one of the AHL premier products offered and basically nobody cares and nobody is going to care because right across the street is where the Fab Four play night in and night out.
So–next year when all this drama unfolds as to the future of one Travis Ford–maybe a little up front honesty from all concerned wouldn’t be a bad thing.
The basic commodity value of either an O State or OU basketball is about $10 bucks or slightly less–if you doubt me, ask the professional ticket brokers.
So–basically–if Pickens and others buyout Ford’s contract there’s no fiscal reason for such a move unless Bill Self says he wants to coach his alma mater.
Keith is correct. Winning is the key. If OU and OSU put winners on the court then fans will fill the seats. If the Thunder goes a couple of 20 win seasons then there will be empty seats in Bricktown as well.
Two years ago, I gave up the OSU basketball season tickets I’d had for the past 25 years. OSU raised the ticket prices every year. Not only did they discover that there is a limit to what the market will bear (even among loyal alums), they also found out that if you’re going to charge premium prices, you’d better put a premium product on the court. I’m spending my basketball money on the Thunder now.