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Bad Week for Basketball
Published: 6/16/2010 3:15 PM
Last Modified: 6/16/2010 3:18 PM

The NBA playoffs started exactly two months ago. And there hasn't been a great final round game yet.

In the recent college athletics greed-fest, Kansas basketball was treated like horseshoes or bowling. Nobody particularly wanted to go out of the way for it, or any other first-class hoops program.

The WNBA is struggling. Even the best teams in the league are drawing light houses. Ticket prices need to come down immediately. The local baseball team at the new park is a great example of successful selling -- fan-friendly affordable tickets and bonus attractions like fireworks Fridays.

And finally, in the worst basketball news of the week, the Oklahoma City Thunder threw Tulsa fewer crumbs than ever, dumping on the community another glorified scrimmage practice game fiasco, this time with Memphis, one of the worst teams in the league. To capture enormous goodwill and create a widespread fan base, all the Thunder has to do is play one regular season game a year at the BOK. Instead, it chose to treat Tulsa like an outsider. That's not nice.


Reader Comments 13 Total
Loki (3 years ago)
I though marketing called itself a science by now. A singular big league franchise within a flyover state (descriptive, not pejorative) ought to be aiming at the whole state.

Wonder how the Thunder's approach contrasts with that of the Jazz in Utah? (They get props for selling something called Jazz in the shadow of the Tabernacle Choir.)
Glenn616 (3 years ago)
This talk of expansion has nothing to do with basketball, but all to do with football.

When you're having trouble getting attendance at WNBA games, it's best to make the tickets cheaper so that more folks can come to games.

The NBA team in Oklahoma is called the Oklahoma City Thunder, not the Tulsa Thunder. The OKC Thunder should have no obligation to play games in Tulsa. I can't recall a time in recent NBA history when a team played games away from its home arena, with the exception of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets for one game in Jan. of 2006.
Loki (3 years ago)
LAKERS 2010 PRESEASON SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTED BY GAMES IN LONDON AND BARCELONA

(From NBA daht com)

Hard to imagine a team playing away from its home arena.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Pick, why would the Thunder risk playing a regular season game in Tulsa when they sell out nearly every home game in OKC? That doesn't make any sense.

On top of that, there is a lot more at stake. OKC businesses have sponsorships, advertisements, etc. that go one every single game. They pay for that right. You can't just move all of that to Tulsa and expect them to be ok with it.
Loki (3 years ago)
It makes sense in terms of increasing your fan base, and subsequently, revenue. They "move all of that" during every road trip.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Loki, sponsorships and advertisements don't follow the Thunder on the road. I'm talking about sponsored timeouts, giveaways, contests, stat sheets, scoreboard advertisements, etc.

The big point though is that the Thunder don't need to come to Tulsa. They sell out nearly every game and have great ratings on TV. Tulsans will be fans regardless if they come. I witnessed it myself during the first round of the playoffs.
tulsandn (3 years ago)
The Pickers' NBA ignorance is showing....

The Grizzlies are far from one of the worst NBA teams out there....

The way he states that there has not been a great Finals game yet is denial of a sport he cannot understand & so instead of attempting to understand & learn, he feels the need to put it down....

Caveman mentality, me no understand, kill it....

MexiMike is absolutely correct on his point of view about the Thunder....
The Picker (3 years ago)
The Thunder playing a game here would be called good manners and good will.

Durant turns an ankle, we'll see who is uppity then.
wino (3 years ago)
They might be the "Utah" Jazz, but do they play regular season home games ANYWHERE else in the state?

Do the Timberwolves play anywhere else in Minnesota? Do the Warriors cross the bay to play games in San Fran? Do the Grizzlies play a game in Nashville? I'm sure the Mavericks make money from Arlington residents...why don't they play a game or two there?

Who cares! Get over it Cronley, this tired act just makes Tulsa look like we have little-man syndrome.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
@Wino: Agreed on all points. The more Tulsans throw a temper tantrum, the worse we look.

@RU Xperienced: Can you please explain how the OKC Thunder team's existence is pointless? Just because you don't like the playoff system? You're going to have to do better than that.
okcthunderrolls (3 years ago)
Actually, if Durant turned an ankle he'd keep playing. If he SPRAINED an ankle however, Jeff Green is more than capable to take his place. Honestly, I don't care if the Thunder play at the BOK at all, an NBA team is not a public entity, it is a franchise owned by a single man or by a group of men. Also, I believe the lease to play at the Ford Center says something about not playing anywhere else I don't know for sure. I am 95% sure though that the lease stipulated that the team be Oklahoma City not Oklahoma the OKC council and mayor made sure of that.
BLA (3 years ago)
Pick, I would disagree. I would love it if OKC forgot about Tulsa altogether so we could disassociate our city from that dumb cowtown once and for all. Second, we don't need Tulsa thinking its big time when they can't even support the teams it already has when plenty of them win and ticket prices are do-able (TU and Talons). Best case scenario is after Kevin Durant leaves the farm, the Thunder relocate somewhere else, like St. Louis.
mgsooner (3 years ago)
Picker there is an article in your own paper this morning which states that the NBA has a rule that prohibits their teams from playing regular season home games in any other venue than their home arena. Perhaps you need to brush up on your facts a little bit more.
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Out Pick The Picker

The Picker began entertaining – and infuriating – sports fans in 1993. Each week during football season, he writes about his picks of college and NFL games in his Thursday Sports column. He's never afraid of sharing his opinions about the game and the personalities who play it. Readers have a chance to go against him each season in the Outpick the Picker contest. He welcomes the competition.

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