OKLAHOMA CITY - Chesapeake Energy Arena (18,203)

[Bigmac1212]

The 2008-09 season will be the last year for the Seattle Supersonics. For the 2009-10 season, the team will move to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Their new home: The Ford Center.

Sadly, I do not live near Oklahoma City, so I don't have any photos of the arena. If anybody does have photos, you may post on this thread.

[TexasBoi]

Actually, OKC will play the season in Oklahoma, not Seattle.

[Sea Toby]

Ford Center is next to the convention center, a slightly older, smaller arena, hotels, and restaurants, not to mention the Amtrak station.

Pictures of the arena where the Oklahoma City Express/former Seattle Sonics will play:



Pictures of the two hotels north of the Ford Center, downtown Oklahoma City.



The south side of downtown's skyscraper district is where the convention center, Ford Center, and Cox Arena are located, by two new hotels, among others. Its the nicest area of downtown. Oklahoma City spent well upgrading its convention center, and private industry has spent as well, proving arenas and baseball stadiums are the best things that can turn a downtown from dying to a wonderful entertainment district.

With such success in Oklahoma City, Tulsa is building the BOK Center and its minor league baseball parks downtown as well, hoping to have the same success. Its much like the convention centers and arenas of Dallas and Fort Worth, all of these venues are successful.

[rockin'.baltimorean]

ford center looks really nice!!!

[Sea Toby]

Yes, Ford Center is, so with the BOK in Tulsa. Both cities could have build a 10k or less arena, you know a very nice minor league facility, but they didn't. They went first class and built a major league facility. Wichita's Arvest Bank Arena is going to be very nice too, just a tad smaller at 15k. These three minor league cities have been great rivals in the Texas League and Central Hockey League for decades. One has to keep up with the Jones, although Wichita passed recently on a new minor league baseball park.

Compare this to Austin's, well Cedar Park's Events Center arena, a minor league facility at best.



Tulsa's BOK Center:



Wichita's Invest Bank Arena:

[TU 'cane]

Oklahoma City, OK, USA.


Population: (city) 547,274, (metro) 1.3 million


Ford Center: 19,599, opened in 2002 at a cost of $89 million. The Ford Center is experiencing upgrades all throughout the arena. I'll post those later on throughout the thread.









Hockey game:

[Big Texan]

Ford Center has done a good job hosting the BIG12 basketball tournament, and I think it will do a great job with the NBA Team.

To add to that, I dont like the bad press some of the nba writers have given this move. Seattle was a great city, but many are saying that this team will have bad home showings when this city was what made them want to move after watching the Hornets play here 2 years ago. It is a great move.

Also the OKC team will play a few games in Tulsa at that new nice arena.

[coexist]

Originally Posted by Big Texan

Ford Center has done a good job hosting the BIG12 basketball tournament, and I think it will do a great job with the NBA Team.

To add to that, I dont like the bad press some of the nba writers have given this move. Seattle was a great city, but many are saying that this team will have bad home showings when this city was what made them want to move after watching the Hornets play here 2 years ago. It is a great move.

Also the OKC team will play a few games in Tulsa at that new nice arena.

I think a lot of the bad press is coming from the fact that Seattle did not deserve to lose that team, and that Seattle isn't a bad market for basketball. I absolutely hate when a team moves from a city only for that city to get a team a few years later because they deserve a team - they shouldn't have been allowed to move in the first place. I certainly hope Seattle gets a new incarnation of the SuperSonics back - they deserve it.

If you're going to move a franchise, take it from a market that doesn't deserve a team. I think that's why this move is getting bad press.

[en1044]

Originally Posted by coexist

I think a lot of the bad press is coming from the fact that Seattle did not deserve to lose that team, and that Seattle isn't a bad market for basketball. I absolutely hate when a team moves from a city only for that city to get a team a few years later because they deserve a team - they shouldn't have been allowed to move in the first place. I certainly hope Seattle gets a new incarnation of the SuperSonics back - they deserve it.

If you're going to move a franchise, take it from a market that doesn't deserve a team. I think that's why this move is getting bad press.

i could not agree with you more

[Sea Toby]

Face the facts, owners own teams, not cities. If an owner is not happy with the arena his team is playing in, with the approval of the league, he can move the team. Unfortunately, this is what happened in Seattle. And its not a last minute move, Seattle could have done something about the move. Apparently, Seattle didn't want to keep the team. Their loss is Oklahoma City's gain.

[en1044]

Originally Posted by Sea Toby

Face the facts, owners own teams, not cities. If an owner is not happy with the arena his team is playing in, with the approval of the league, he can move the team. Unfortunately, this is what happened in Seattle. And its not a last minute move, Seattle could have done something about the move. Apparently, Seattle didn't want to keep the team. Their loss is Oklahoma City's gain.

If you recall, Seattle did file a lawsuit against the Owners to keep the team. Sure the owners have the right to move the team, but the NBA and David Stern (who IMO is an awful commissioner) screwed the city by allowing the move.

[TexasBoi]

Originally Posted by Sea Toby

Face the facts, owners own teams, not cities. If an owner is not happy with the arena his team is playing in, with the approval of the league, he can move the team. Unfortunately, this is what happened in Seattle. And its not a last minute move, Seattle could have done something about the move. Apparently, Seattle didn't want to keep the team. Their loss is Oklahoma City's gain.

Prime example why College Sports>>>>Professional leagues.

[tritown]

Originally Posted by Sea Toby

Face the facts, owners own teams, not cities. If an owner is not happy with the arena his team is playing in, with the approval of the league, he can move the team. Unfortunately, this is what happened in Seattle. And its not a last minute move, Seattle could have done something about the move. Apparently, Seattle didn't want to keep the team. Their loss is Oklahoma City's gain.

They did do something about moving the team. They sued. That is what I would call having "done something".

[Big Texan]

I see why The Team Formerly known as the Super Sonics moved, they were playing in a 70's piece of crap stadium and the city would not go halfsy on a new one (the design of which was very nice)

When all the other teams in the league have moved into new digs, and your still playing in a tent, then it is kind of an embarrassment to your team and city. Especially after they have built the Sea Hawks and Mariners (who suck) new stadiums.

I think that when the NBA puts a team back in Seattle (along with Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, San Diego and Montreal, just a few of my ideas, add 1 more, have to add 5 more to equalize everything) they will need to build a new stadium for the new Sonics.

[TU 'cane]

Owners own the teams, not the cities... Owners can do what they want, pro sports franchises are businesses. But the fact that Seattle supported the Sonics for 41 seasons, won their title in Seattle, had quote "the best fans" and to move them to a market so much smaller than a city like Seattle's is just ridiculous in my opinion. I personally think the Ford Center and anyone who isn't biased knows that the Ford Center blows Keyarena out of the water having over 2,000+ more seats, more suites, more square footage and is aesthetically somewhat more up to date. Keyarena is a unique arena though and I like it. But the NBA is a business and I think OKC will support the new team just fine for the first 4 seasons or so and then the real test begins, long term support. So we'll see.

Btw in that Hockey game pic, the arena is much larger, they have curtains up to make it have that sell out feel and pack more people closer to the ice.

And Stern is an idiot and Bennett is his lover, it's obvious.

[salaverryo]

I think it is a disgrace that the SuperSonics move to Oklahoma. What are the gonna be called now, the SuperShitkickers?

[Sea Toby]

Originally Posted by salaverryo

I think it is a disgrace that the SuperSonics move to Oklahoma. What are the gonna be called now, the SuperShitkickers?

Thunder is leading in a television channel poll. No confirmation as to the name yet. I like horses better, therefore I voted for other, Stallions.

[KingmanIII]

I can't believe nobody's posted renderings/plans of the renovations yet:

[en1044]

renovations already?

[Classof2010]

Yup, and that rendering above is not even what they are going to make it like. They've since released other renderings of a much grander Ford Center. See for yourself. Very spectacular compared to that drab one above.





Cannot wait for the remodel to begin. :]