The deal detailed yesterday has passed, giving the New Orleans Hornets (now the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets) a new temporary home in OKC. Our (OKC's) destiny has been laid before us. If we handle this correctly, really good things can happen to this town. While I'm not a b-ball follower the way I am with baseball, I understand that the importance of proving OKC's ability to support a major league franchise is critical to the future growth of the city. If we can't prove our point now or soon, we'll eventually reach a growth plateau.
The exposure we get from this experience will be a gift from above. From the sports writers to the various media that follow the teams around to the players on those teams that come here and their families... I'll bet there are plenty of folks that have thought, "Oklahoma? WTF?" But those folks will be surprised to see that we have much to offer, and the word of mouth they generate will be virtual revenue that I hope we spend wisely.
Oh, and anyone that might have been considering setting up shop in Bricktown over the last month or two but have been dilly-dallying... I hope you were in line downtown today to sign a lease, and I hope you're working people overtime to get your shop open before the season starts in November. It might already be too late, but you could have some serious exposure potential if not.
Related articles:
ESPN.com: Hornets to call Oklahoma City, Baton Rouge 'home'
ESPN.com/AP: Oklahoma City gets its big-league audition
ESPN.com/AP: Hornets to play 2 preseason games in Oklahoma City
ESPN.com/AP: Hornets to practice at Southern Nazarene University
ESPN.com/AP: Hornets' Shinn predicts sellouts in Oklahoma City
Hornets.com screenshot
Daily Oklahoman: Hornets Find OKC to their Liking
Oklahoma/Oklahoma City articles:
(Why more people and businesses should call Oklahoma home)
Wikipedia: Oklahoma City
Site Selection Magazine: Oklahoma, an Editorial Review
Wall Street Journal: Oklahoma City's Revival
San Francisco Chronicle: Cities of Hope - At Home in Oklahoma City
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