Big League City? March 4, 2008

Today is the big election for the extension of the one cent sales tax to help fund improvements to the Ford Center so Oklahoma City can attract an NBA team to call us home. The NBA was so impressed by the city when the Hornets were here for two seasons after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the gulf coast, that OKC is in good contention to get an NBA franchise.

If you have seen the ads running on TV here, with the current mayor, Mick Cornet (he of the effort to have people in the OKC metro lose a million pounds by New Year’s 2009), and two former mayors (Ron Norick and Kirk Humphreys), it sounds like a great idea. Saying stuff like there will be no tax increase could get a lot of people to vote yes today.

But, there are those who don’t think the city has to extend the one cent sales tax increase (done for the MAPs projects) to pay for a practice facility and improvments to the Ford Center.

My question is, why can’t the city and the owner(s) of any team that comes here split the cost? Wouldn’t that be a better idea? Why should the people of Oklahoma City foot the bill for the whole thing?

(Are you listening Clay Bennett?)

Oh, and that’s another thing… after the Hornets went back to New Orleans, Clay Bennett and his rich buds went and bought a controlling interest in the Seattle Super Sonics. If you ask my mother (who would usually care less about stuff like this), she thinks that the Hornets would have stayed in Oklahoma City (because the owner, coaches and players loved it here) if Bennett wasn’t so hot to buy the Sonics.

So vote yes or no or don’t vote at all. If I could vote on this, I would. But, I can’t because I technically don’t live IN Oklahoma City (though a lot of mail comes addressed as such).

Oklahoma City proved to everyone that it can support a pro basketball team… I’d buy season tickets and everything.

But, what would a basketball team in OKC be called? Hmmm…

UPDATE 2248CST 030408: The measure passes. The one cent sales tax increase will stay in effect for 15 more months. It’s expected to raise $121 million. The powers that be in the NBA are going to meet soon to decide whether OKC is worthy of a team.

That’s all from where I sit.

–MorelaterZ–