Quote:
Originally Posted by DeltAlum
It has always seemed to me that the cities that people think of most often are the ones with professional sports franchises. They're on TV often, as well as in newspapers and on radio.
Personally, I get sick of owners demanding bigger arena/stadiums with more luxury boxes, etc. However, I suspect that the hidden return to a city like OKC may be more important than the actual profits (or lack thereof) brought in by a professional team.
My guess is that businesses may be more likely to embrace (and move to) a city with a team and that having one could be more of a draw for talented employees, etc.
Comparing the benefits for a city like Seattle, which has other professional sports, and OKC, which doesn't, may be the real apples and oranges piece of this equation.
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Agreed. The knock on OKC for a long time is that there wasn't much to do here. Our city's leadership recognized this in the 90's and decided it was a matter of public investment. We've pumped billions into our entertainment districts, schools, etc. We're now spending a good amount to pay for an NBA team.
Our Chamber of Commerce was very high on the NBA, regardless of the price, primarily due to the intangible things the NBA can bring to a marginal city like OKC.
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