Big league watch party
Hey, sports fans. We’ll be blogging from the Big League City watch party tonight in Bricktown. In case you’ve been living under a rock, Big League City is the campaign that supports the plan to spruce up the Ford Center to lure an NBA team here.
The shindig isn’t open to the public, but the campaign is letting us media types in for what they hope is a celebration of Oklahoma City’s biggest step yet toward landing a professional sports team.
That, of course, would be today’s vote on whether to extend a penny sales tax to pay for giving the Ford Center a nearly $100 million facelift and building an NBA practice facility. The stakes were set about six weeks ago, when Mayor Mick Cornett announced the vote with a blunt proclamation: “This is a choice. We can choose to be an NBA city, or we can choose not to be. We’re not going to get a franchise if we don’t pass it.” If the vote passes, all signs point to the Oklahoma-owned Seattle Supersonics moving into a state-of-the-art Ford Center someday soon.
The polls close at 7 p.m., and sports columnist Jenni Carlson and myself will set up in Bricktown shortly before that. There’s sure to be no shortage of colorful and notable personalities at the watch party. We’ll be in their ears all night as the returns come in and report what they’re thinking back to you.
No matter how you voted, you’ve got to admit this is a historic day for the city. Tonight should be fun.
John Estus, staff writer
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Comments
I would personally like to thank your city and Clayton Bennett for depriving me and my children. I grew up watching the Sonics with my father. I have a 2 year old and a newborn and I will never be able to share the experience that I had with my dad. Generations of Sonics fans are mourning today as we see our once proud 40 year old franchise scuttled by a owner who is a liar and a thief.
Oklahoma City Voter Monitor: Mr. Bennett……..ummmm…..Mr. Bennett………MR. BENNETT!!! It is after 7:00PM!! You need to get up off your knees and stop stuffing ballots in the box.
Here is the count.
300 million
100 million
300 is the amount that Bennet held Seattle hostage for to build him his Super Arena and 100 million is how much he is holding you guys hostage for. Hope that after the Recession the US is going to have for the next 2 years Okalahoma will be able to afford the additional 200 million he will be asking to renovate your arena again.
Vote up or down, there will be a team in OKC. Stern wants to league to grow. There will be a team here too. And, btw, the correct spelling is SuperSonics with a cap “S” in the middle. If Clay Clay is going to steal the team, his paper ought to spell it right.
I am 41 years old and have been a sonics fan all my life .The Sonics going to OK City is like a cruel joke how can you people sleep at night.You must all be like that lying good for nothing owner Clay Bennet
GO STEAL SOMEONE ELSES TEAM
I can not believe that is coming to this. I am sitting here looking at freaking polling results from OK city hoping somehow we will be able to keep our team. I see some people from Seattle on this site. What was your favorite Sonics memory?
Seattle Fan:
Corporate welfare is wrong. A professional sports franchise used as a blunt instrument to force extortion is never a good thing. This is not the design of good Oklahomans, but a small gaggle of elitists who feel entitled to do as they please, remaining completely unconcerned of the human wreckage they leave in their wake. Can’t hardly see all that stuff from the cushy skysuites built from the public dole.
Sorry for your loss.
I don’t see why the two groups we have that are willing to buy the team, Clay, and Stern can’t go into a room and come out with a 31st team. This whole thing is about extortion. A $120 million extortion for the NBA fans in OKC and $500 million here.
Odd that most of the comments are from up here. Mine (and I’m 41 too) are the Gary to Shawn passes and dunks.
Mine has to be the last Utah vs Seattle game at home. I got last second tix with my Dad. It was just an amazing game and series. I remember everyone spilling out of the key. Horns were honking and people were hugging complete strangers. My ears rang for three days and I did not get my voice back until around noon the next day.
Those early returns probably reflect absentee ballots. The no campaign was not really well-funded well-organized effort. We’ll see what the night holds.
so much hate from the seattle fans. the NBA is a business, and you must have seen this coming. ignorance aside, i think all OKC fans would wrather have the hornets, but i guess the sonics will do.
This is great for OKC, but, I have no clue why people suddenly believe this will make everyone think that OKC is a bigger deal than it was yesterday. It’s only the NBA….people in OKC seem so desperate and inferior. It’s embarrassing reading these comments from people that live in OKC. Enjoy the NBA…I’m glad it has fulfilled your life. But, it’ s only basketball.
Let’s get this straight- your team is purchased by an OKC faction- no one cares. Your Seattle faction SOLD it to our OKC faction- no complaints there, but people get suspicious. Stern and Clay tell Seattle legislators consistently that the Seattle lease was, relative to the rest of the league, terribly restrictive, that KeyArena is, relatively, in bad shape, and that you guys need to do about it. Your legislators did NOT work with Clay in good faith and never wanted to find a solution, not even the arena in Bellevue which sounded like a good idea. NOW, you may lose them, and you can’t point to one good reason why you shouldn’t. Teams move sometimes. Seattle had bad timing with their baseball and football parks/taxes/bonds, and OKC had perfect timing with ours. Tell me one good reason why they should stay in a crappy arena with a crappy lease?
Over half the precincts have reported and it’s holding at 60/40 in favor. Hard to see it failing now.
Because after 2 or 3 years, I don’t think OKC can afford this team. It will turn out just like Memphis. Watch. It costs, on avg., about $4,000 to $15,000 a year for 2 decent season tickets for an NBA team…you think 7,500 to 9,000 people will continually shell out that kind of money year in and year out in OKC? Nope. I know they won’t. The novelty will wear off, just give it a couple of years. You’ll see.
Seattle fans . . . We are doing something that you guys couldn’t do – passing a vote to pay for the team. It’s that plain and simple. You chose not to keep them. It’s your fault – not Clay Bennett. Deal with it!
All precincts reported IT PASSED!! I think we need a name change though, and hopefully we can trade for Kobe Bryant or Lebron or Dwight Howard! Seattle, its not our fault you wouldnt vote yes, because if you would have Mr. Bennett clearly stated he would stay! It will be fun to go watch , my boss already said he was getting a box seat if it passed, sorry avg. guy, we will have alot bigger crowd than you guys have had in years! Lets speed this up!
JUST ANOTHER WAY FOR POLITICIANS TO GET WEALTHIER OFF OF TAX PAYERS. OKC HAS BEEN DOING JUST FINE WITHOUT THE NBA HERE. THE DITCH / CANAL IN BRICK TOWN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE BIG INDUSTRY ATTRACTANT AND GENERAL MOTORS PULLED OUT AFTER TAX PAYERS PAID TO THEIR/OUR FACILITY RETOOLED. ROADS HERE ARE IN BAD SHAPE AND CHILDREN’S EDUCATION IS SUFFERING. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I VOTED NO.
I thought paying taxes whether it’s sales or income tax would benefit the public, not a privately owned franchise. Another outstanding example of a city looking out for it’s own pocket book instead of it’s residents.
Jo – roads are an old excuse. I’ve seen excellent improvement in the roads (that are the responsibility of the city). The ones you are talking about must be the responsibility of the state! And…how can you say the children are “suffering”! Ok. City has spent millions on improving the schools. Where have you been? It’s not the city’s fault that you think the funds are not being used properly by the schools! Just another excuse. And the taxes are being used by the public – not a privately owned franchise. The city owns the Ford center – not any privately owned franchises. Get your facts straight. Geez!
Vote it down! Go Seattle. “Oklahoma-owned Seattle Supersonics”… thieves.