Comments on: Pro market

By: Riley

Riley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:13:14 +0000

Kick some Butt tonight 4 me and OKC

By: jed

jed — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:42:46 +0000

Sure they can. What else is there to do in OKC in the winter?

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:33:52 +0000

Mike, I realize that there are specifics that will never be made available to me. All I can go by is what information has been made available to me.
The Hornets answered my phone call and my questions. The person I talked with is someone I had a very good relationship with for two seasons, who never misled or lied to me, even if it put the Hornets ina ad light.
The Thunder have not returned one phone call, e-mail or fax, and yes I have tried all three methods of contact numerous times.
As a previous post mentioned, it would not have been that difficult, if your scenario is true and Shinn wouldn’t give up the list for the Thunder to have even one day where Hornets ticket holders coud bring some sort of proof of their season tickets in and at least make sure that they weren’t left out completely. In my opinion it should have been that important to them to take time to do that for us. As I mentioned, I do not believe the move would have been possible or at least not nearly as easy (as far as getting the league on board) had it not been for our overwhelming support of the Hornets for two years.
When I see that all of the scalpers (I no longer feel the need to use the politically correct term) seem to have been able to purchase an abundent number of seats, and read your own business writer comment that he was in the first group of select-a-seat buyers and the “amazing number of seat sold caps” when he entered the arena, it just makes it hurt even more.
This is just wrong, very wrong.

By: mike baldwin

mike baldwin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:55:48 +0000

There’s more to the “Hornets season ticket list” issue than most realize. George Shinn was approached by Thunder management concerning turning over the season ticket seating chart. Hornet officials said as much in The Oklahoman three weeks ago when a Hornet representative said, “we’re still negotiating that.” Shinn, though, never turned it over for reasons that probably will never be made public. Shinn and the Hornets aren’t telling the entire story. Oklahoma City officials wanted the seating chart. They asked for the seating chart. Shinn and his people reportedly had some parameters that clogged up negotiations. It’s extremely unfair Hornet season ticket holders received a raw deal. They’re the victims. But don’t give George Shinn and the Hornets a free pass. They’re the primary reason a season ticket seating chart never was released.

By: Nix

Nix — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:44:51 +0000

Go Seattle! Keep kicking that arse!!

Glad to be in Oklahoma…

By: donuteyes

donuteyes — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:00:25 +0000

i understand, that was messed up, whoever was at fault. but i don’t understand why you’re indifferent towards them. i’m sorry the front office isn’t cool, but no team’s business side is perfect. it’s sports, support the athletes regardless of what the owners may or may not do. kevin durant had nothing to do with the ticket situation, and that’s who i’m concerned with.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:03:49 +0000

First Major Blunder by The Thunder!

New Orleans/ Oklahoma City Hornets season ticket holders get no preference in ticket lottery! What a mistake!

The first season the Hornets were in OKC my family bought season tickets for our immediate family (4). That season we also had two birthday parties with 20-30 people at Hornets games. Near the end of the season we bought “group tickets” to one game (30) and distributed them to extended family and friends, some of which bought season tickets in year two.

The second Hornets season in OKC we again bought four upper level season tickets for the kids (ages 17-25) and 2 club-level seats for my wife and myself, as well as 25 of the 12 or 15 (I don’t remember exactly what they were) game mini-plans and sold those tickets to extended family and friends so we could all attend games together. We also again bought two birthday party packages the second season.

When the Ford Center tax vote came around we were very vocal in our support for the tax. My entire family was very, very excited about the NBA coming permanently to OKC. But not anymore, we have been left out. Because our select-a-seat appointment is not until Monday September 15th it is obvious that we will not have any opportunity to buy even 1 season ticket. In my opinion, families like ours that packed the Ford Center every night for 2 years had as much to do with bringing the NBA here permanently as did Clay Bennett and PBC.

The Thunder are blaming the Hornets for not sharing their ticket information, however I called my Hornets ticket rep. in New Orleans and he claims he is receiving 20-30 calls a day from his OKC customers wanting to know why the Hornets would do this to the fans that supported them so faithfully for 2 years. He says that the Thunders claims are completely untrue, that the Hornets offered the information to the Thunder and that the Thunder “never even got back to us”.

Needless to say we are heartbroken. I am a life-long resident of Oklahoma City and I would never wish anything bad on the Thunder for that reason, but they have lost what would have been a very loyal family of fans. I will not root against them, but also will not root for them. As far as I’m concerned they don’t exist. How could this lottery have been fair when already, days before our select-a-seat appointment the “ticket brokers” (crooks) are advertising hundreds of tickets at 3-5 times the face value.

Thanks a lot Thunder, so nice of you to take care of the fans that got you here in the first place. I have already made preliminary arrangements for our family to travel to Dallas to see our HORNETS.

By: donuteyes

donuteyes — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:39:32 +0000

ya know, considering the ford center wasn’t built to house an nba team, i don’t think a new arena in ten years is that bad of an idea. we’ll probably need it. and i bet that okc citizens will want to build it, not cry about it.

By: MartzMimic

MartzMimic — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:51:20 +0000

Ben, you have to consider one other thing also. Over the years, Bennett and the other owners have built a relationship with Oklahoma City, long before there was ever talk of an NBA franchise. I don’t know enough to say definitively, but I would think it’s not terribly unlike the relationship Seattle has with Paul Allen.

PBC and their companies have played, and continue to play, major roles in Oklahoma City’s growth since the mid-1990s.

By: Ben in Seattle

Ben in Seattle — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:44:18 +0000

OK, I’ll give you that point on the Spurs… but did you notice the part about how “one of the most valuable franchises in the league” is still trying to hold the local taxpayers hostage for arena improvements?

The NBA is a broken business model from top to bottom. Enjoy.