After the Storm
Tidbits
- When OKC Grand Prix LLC was first unveiled in March, it was reported that it consisted of partners Brad Lund and Mike McAuliffe. Trent Ward and former Mayor Ron Norick were listed as being on the grand prix’s “advisory board and Pocono Raceway’s Joe Mattioli was to serve as consultant. But when the deal came to the city council, the team was missing three of the original members and that the partnership consisted of Ward and Lund. This is a curious change that is even more curious when one considers that neither Ward or Lund would discuss why it took place. Records obtained from City Hall indicate a disagreement of some sort took place between Mattioli and the partnership that included concerns he was going to file a lawsuit. Records don’t indicate further details, and Ward and Lund aren’t talking. Ward also said McAuliffe had “sold his interest,” while Norick was quoted Saturday as having concerns about the race’s impact on downtown streets.
- Lund is among the most experience sports executives in town when it comes to dealing with the media. But after the council’s vote rejecting the Grand Prix, Lund quickly left the building and let Ward, with far less experience dealing with the media, handle the interviews that followed.
- Jim Cowan, former director of the Bricktown Association, sent out several Tweets during the meeting commenting on the council’s debate and vote. Cowan incorrectly Tweeted that Downtown Oklahoma City Inc. had endorsed the race – they actually only endorsed continuing discussion about the proposal. Cowan works for Box Talent, which would have provided entertainment for the Grand Prix.
- No mention was made by Mayor Mick Cornett or other proponents about the value of the publicity a race might have brought to the city and whether that might have also offset the proposed spending of $6.9 million.
- There was no consideration given as to whether the proposal might have fared better with a one year delay in launching the race.
- After sounding like the fight was over this morning, a press conference originally set for 2:30 p.m. and canceled is back on for 4 p.m. Did this team ever consider a “plan b’?
OKC Grand Prix Deal Killed by City Council, 6-2
Visit www.newsok.com for ongoing coverage
Is The Track Record Even Worse Than Reported?
At least one author seems to think so. Read here.
Also, here’s an interesting history on the Dallas race – is some of this history of interest to Oklahoma City?
(Note: Some readers seem to think that my writings on the proposed OKC Grand Prix indicates I’m against it. That is not the case. Rather, I am the only one in this town, as of today, going off the script provided by Brad Lund. I do that. I don’t like press releases. So in a situation where it might seem every reporter but one is acting as a booster, the one person reporting both sides, which I have done, might come across as the negative one. I make no apologies).
Oklahoma City Rising
So here’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask: with so much interest in the construction of Devon tower, how many of you are aware of the OKC Skyline Cam that went live in March? How many of you view the live video streaming? For those who don’t, why?
Keep in mind that due to the various arrangements made to establish the live video feed, it is limited to NewsOK and Oklahoman subscribers (the requirement has nothing to do with circulation).
What You Won’t Hear From TV Or Radio About The Proposed Grand Prix
City staff analysis shows street-based races have poor track record, OKC event likely to lose money for several years. Taxpayers to front $6.9 million for the race. No assurance the money will be paid back if the race folds in three years, which is the average life to date for all but one street-based American Le Mans Grand Prix.
Read the story here.
The Question of An Arena Soon To Be Known As The Arena Formerly Known As Ford Center
A year ago I wrote the following story about the challenge facing the Thunder as they pursue a new naming rights deal. I suspect the environment hasn’t changed much despite a much improved team and national image:
When the Thunder arrived at Ford Center, the team’s owners were free to start the clock on taking bids for naming rights for the arena.
A year later, however, that clock has yet to tick and the only naming rights dollars are those being paid to Oklahoma City by the Oklahoma Ford Dealers under an agreement struck in 2001.
Officials with the Thunder declined to comment and repeated calls to representatives of the Oklahoma Ford Dealers went unanswered.
Gary Desjardins, general manager at Ford Center, and Tom Anderson, special projects manager for Oklahoma City, both confirm the Thunder has yet to trigger terms for renegotiating the naming rights deal with the Oklahoma Ford Dealers.
The team’s owners also could have opened negotiations with new bidders for a deal that would guarantee the current pay-out ($409,000 a year) to the city with anything above that amount going back to the Thunder. To date, city officials say the team has not taken any action.
Miami, Fla., sports consultant Rick Horrow, who played a critical role as a promoter with the original MAPS program, isn’t surprised by the lack of news regarding a naming rights deal for Ford Center.
The market, he says, has stalled.
“I can’t really put my hands on any large deals,” Horrow said. “It’s not fair to say the market has dried up. But some of the bigger searches are being postponed.”
The problem, Horrow said, is obvious: the 2008 economic crash.
“We have the same issue at the new Orlando (Fla.) arena, same for the Cowboys, Yankees, Giants and Jets. But once the economy shows strong signs of stability, I think these deals will become more beneficial and prudent than ever.”
Horrow can only name one deal in recent months: the Miami Dolphins’ decision to christen its new home “Landshark Stadium” for one year.
The beer label’s founder, Jimmy Buffett, agreed to perform two concerts at the stadium in exchange for the naming rights, with all performance proceeds going back to the team.
High hopes
Just a couple of years ago, Oklahoma City leaders had plenty of cause to believe a big money deal could be cinched for an NBA team making Ford Center its permanent home.
A study presented by ICON Venue Group LLC for the Thunder owners before the team’s move from Seattle projected naming rights for the Oklahoma City arena would be worth $2 million to the owners the first year, $3 million the second year, $3.5 million the third year and increase 3 percent a year for the remainder of the deal.
The estimates were based on assumed attendance of 14,569 for the 2008-2009 season and 14,269 the following year. The Thunder’s average attendance its first year (2008-2009) was 18,594.
In other cities similar NBA relocations have translated into naming rights deals worth millions of dollars.
When the NBA Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001, FedEx entered into a 20-year, $90 million naming rights deal for the city’s downtown arena — FedEx Forum.
And even without an NBA team, Oklahoma City successfully sealed an $8.1 million deal for its arena with the Oklahoma Ford Dealers. And Tulsa, also lacking a major league tenant, still managed to secure an $11 million deal with Bank of Oklahoma for its new arena in 2005.
That same year, with the Hornets beginning a two-year stint at Ford Center, speculation began to build about the potential of a permanent NBA tenant. One of the country’s top naming rights brokers saw good things ahead for Oklahoma City and Ford, if the NBA were to stay for good.
“The NBA is as good a brand as it gets,” said David Ehrlich, executive vice president at The Bonham Group in Denver.
He said that, during the 2005 interview, if the Oklahoma Ford Dealers’ agreement were to stay in place, the deal could be a free bonus to Ford Motor Co. during nationally televised games.
With a broker like The Bonham Group at their side, cities and teams across the country sealed deals that dwarfed the Ford Center agreement. Just last year the company was involved in 137 discussions around the world for naming rights deals, the Denver Business Journal reported. But the economic crash quickly wiped out the 20-year-old company in January and it closed its doors for good.
Some of the country’s newest and biggest venues, meanwhile, have hit a snag in wrapping up deals started before the crash or even getting a deal started.
Citigroup agreed to pay $400 million over 20 years for the New York Mets’ new home to be named Citi Field. But after Citigroup ended up on a list of banks being bailed out with federal tax dollars, critics questioned whether the deal should continue. Two New York City council members even argued the stadium be christened Citi/ Taxpayer Field.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, meanwhile, reportedly wanted $1 billion for a 30-year naming rights deal for his team’s new home.
So far it appears as if the team will begin play at Cowboys stadium.
Horrow, however, thinks the market will return, though he acknowledges “it’s prudent for the industry to be in a more cautious mode.
“This is a very important part of the sports and entertainment industry,” Horrow said.
“Corporations appreciate the ability to be well above the normal advertising clutter. And the teams appreciate the long-term commitments from these corporations. We’ve seen naming rights deals totaling $5 billion in the last 10 years. These deals will happen; they just might not happen in the next few months.”
BACKGROUND
Big Money
→American Airlines Arena is home to the Dallas Mavericks, Stars. The deal calls for a payment of $6.5 million a year through 2031.
→FedEx Forum is home to the Memphis Grizzlies. The deal calls for a payment of $4.5 million a year through 2023.
→Pepsi Center is home to the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche. The deal calls for a payment of $3.4 million a year through 2019.
→Phillips Arena is home to the Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers. The deal calls for $9.3 million a year through 2019.
→AT&T Center is home to the San Antonio Spurs. The deal calls for $2.1 million a year through 2022.
Source: www.espn.com
History
→The naming rights business began in 1953 when Anheuser-Busch sought to buy the naming rights for Sportsman’s Park, the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, and rename the park “Budweiser Stadium.” League officials were hesitant to name a stadium after a beer, but agreed to let Augustus Busch use his family’s name on the park. The Cardinals opened their 1954 season in Busch Stadium, and Anheuser-Busch followed up with the introduction of Busch Bavarian Beer, which later morphed into Busch and Busch Light Beer.
→Some naming rights deals end on a sour note. The Houston Astros signed a $100 million deal with Enron for the team’s new stadium. Oops. Enron ended up bankrupt and a poster child for corporate corruption soon after the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Ken Lay, threw the ballpark’s first-ever ceremonial pitch. The Tennessee Titans, meanwhile, ended up having to cancel a 15-year, $30 million naming rights deal with Adelphia Communications after the company went bankrupt, also amid accusations of corruption.
Source: Mental Floss Magazine
Project 180 Update
Some incredible coordination is being reported by Project 180 Engineer Laura Story in regards to the stretch of Reno recently torn up between Ford Center and the Cox Convention Center. She praised the contractors and utility companies for doing such a great job that she expects the job to be done by October 6 – news that I’m sure will be celebrated by NBA Thunder fans later that month.
Convention Center/OG&E Questions
Interesting story today in the Journal Record.
This portion of the article got my attention:
Cornett said that while the details of the $777 million MAPS 3 tax initiative projects were being worked out, city officials were leaning toward building a convention center and hotel near the 70-acre park, so it made sense to include the cost of moving the substation in the package. The cost of a convention center was estimated at $250 million; that figure was raised to $280 million to allow for acquiring the OG&E site.
Cornett said he knew that if the convention center was built elsewhere, the $30 million would need to stay behind to fulfill its original purpose.
“Because I didn’t want to have conversations like this a year later, I was telling everybody that I thought would care – the council, the chamber (of commerce),” Cornett said. He said he also mentioned the issue at several public meetings, “but for the most part, we had so many other controversial issues to defend, this just never raised to the point where people seemed to care much about it.”
Questions:
- What city officials besides Cornett expected the convention center to be built by the park? And why did they have such an expectation when a site had not been selected by the city council, had not been selected by the Core to Shore task force and the site favored by Cornett had been deemed least viable by hired consultants?
- At what public meetings did Cornett address the $30 million for the OG&E property?
- Why have three council members told me they were not consulted about the $30 million Cornett wants to pay to OG&E?
Open Topic
Working on some big stories today. OKC Talk went down Thursday, and I’m not sure why or for how long. So feel free to converse here, share your reactions to news of a 227-unit apartment complex planned for the Maywood Park neighborhood in Deep Deuce, Ford Center losing its name, etc.
UPDATE: (You asked for it, so here you go)
