I think this guy is trying to compliment us but he seems to use a lot of backhanded compliments. LOL

http://www.foxsportssouthwest.com/12/21/11/Thunder-set-for-Western-Conference-run/landing_thunder.html?blockID=631124&feedID=3589

Umm...he makes a big deal about it being cold in Oklahoma City. It's also cold in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. I'm not sure how relevant that is to anything.

"After the game, downtown Oklahoma City was cold and vacant. Even in the dark it seemed as if the grayness lingered, in the way winter in this part of the country can be as much a color as a season"LOL!

"The plane landed from a gray sky into a gray land. Rain, shadow, cold concrete and dreary farmland"WOW!

Either way, it's publicity. =)

If you read the guy's bio at the top of the article, it says he spent all of last season covering the Miami Heat. That's probably why he seems mad that he had to come to OKC. lol I also wonder if the guy wandered over into Bricktown at all after the game. As far as not being able to get top-tier athletes to come to "a place like this", he ought to ask Chris Paul if he would have accepted a trade to play in OKC, had it been offered to him.

He also lived in Kansas City for 4 years..........last time I was there, got up on a winter morning to go play indoor soccer and it was -15 degrees........

He's just trying to say that it doesn't matter what city you play in, if done right, you can win it all.

Ain't no reason to get sensitive about it. OKC is not on par with being in NYC, nor Miami, nor LA, nor even Dallas. And yet, the still sometime sleepy lil' dreary on the prairie has a team that can go toe to toe with any of the big city players, and the OKC players aren't dumped here or stuck here, they are downright happy here and glad for their fans.

That isn't a batch of back-handed compliments. That's big city style compliments. Bottom line is - might not understand how or why it's happening, but there is a clear understanding and recognition that it IS happening.

So ... take a bow and smile a knowing smile folks and just accept that not everyone gives a compliment the same way you grew up with.

^^I agree,there was compliments,but backhanded.Am I mad?No ofcourse not,but You'd have to see it from the writers pov.He is actually saying OKC is on the map and has a legitimate shot!

I suppose you're right. It's really not such a bad article for a writer like him.

Hard not to take offense this, which is a bit over the top:


the league's least desirous city


This article is just like a thousand others, playing up the angle that OKC is some sort of backwater but Kevin Durant is such an incredibly nice guy that he doesn't want to leave this small and boring city.

Whether you take offense or not, how about finding something else to write about?

Hard not to take offense this, which is a bit over the top:

This article is just like a thousand others, playing up the angle that OKC is some sort of backwater but Kevin Durant is such an incredibly nice guy that he doesn't want to leave this small and boring city.

Whether you take offense or not, how about finding something else to write about?

I wasn't quite sure how to say it, but I agree with you completely. The "least desirous city" city part really angered me. There are some real dumps in the NBA. The Nets are moving to Brooklyn next year, but look at where they are now - Newark! And another, would most people think Detroit is a better place to live than OKC? I agree, Pete. There were some real cheap shots. But, we move on.

Pete,
Maybe the real answer is for OKC to move swiftly towards being a place that people want to stay instead of move to DFW or Houston, live in or visit which will result in this kind of characterization being negated by facts. No denying OKC is changing, but, a cities vibe is more that just buillding a tall building. Bottom line, OKC is still for the most part a uninspiring place with little to cause outsiders to consider us other than a big town. The city is disjointed in so many ways with no real urban feel unlike other cities of similar size (NO and Memphis)/ Having the thunder has been great for getting OKC out there, but with increased exposure comes increased scrutiny.

Hard not to take offense this, which is a bit over the top:




This article is just like a thousand others, playing up the angle that OKC is some sort of backwater but Kevin Durant is such an incredibly nice guy that he doesn't want to leave this small and boring city.

Whether you take offense or not, how about finding something else to write about?

You are absolutely right Pete, but you know as much as I do that "KD is SO AWESOME that he chooses to live in the backwoods" is always a "jucier" journalist story than "you know, OKC is actually a pretty nice place."

Unfortunately I think this is something that will be hard to shake... and as long as everyone in OKC and Oklahoma continue to use that chip on the shoulder to keep moving forward, then it'll keep working in our favor.

Pete,
Maybe the real answer is for OKC to move swiftly towards being a place that people want to stay instead of move to DFW or Houston, live in or visit which will result in this kind of characterization being negated by facts. No denying OKC is changing, but, a cities vibe is more that just buillding a tall building. Bottom line, OKC is still for the most part a uninspiring place with little to cause outsiders to consider us other than a big town. The city is disjointed in so many ways with no real urban feel unlike other cities of similar size (NO and Memphis)/ Having the thunder has been great for getting OKC out there, but with increased exposure comes increased scrutiny.

Don't you think Oklahoma City is moving in that direction? I am surprised at the negativity in your post. Oklahoma City is more than just a "big town," and I don't think anyone would really believe that today. 20 years ago? Maybe. Not today.

Also, your examples:

Memphis claims to be one of the oldest large settlements in the world. Thousands of years old. As for the city charter - 1819.

New Orleans: Permanently settled since 1718. The city charter was first written in 1720. It's even been in the hands of several countries(!) before finally being absorbed by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase.

Obviously, both of those cities are going to have an infrastructure that lends itself to instant "urban" credentials.

We've been here only since the Land Run of 1889. Give us a little wiggle room to catch up. We're doing fine.

Pete,
Maybe the real answer is for OKC to move swiftly towards being a place that people want to stay instead of move to DFW or Houston, live in or visit which will result in this kind of characterization being negated by facts. No denying OKC is changing, but, a cities vibe is more that just buillding a tall building. Bottom line, OKC is still for the most part a uninspiring place with little to cause outsiders to consider us other than a big town. The city is disjointed in so many ways with no real urban feel unlike other cities of similar size (NO and Memphis)/ Having the thunder has been great for getting OKC out there, but with increased exposure comes increased scrutiny.

I think that's rather the point of about 90% of the discussion on this site.

We're definitely moving in the right direction and momentum seems to be building, and if you have specific recommendations on how to do this "swiftly" we'd all love to hear them.

Pete,
Maybe the real answer is for OKC to move swiftly towards being a place that people want to stay instead of move to DFW or Houston, live in or visit which will result in this kind of characterization being negated by facts. No denying OKC is changing, but, a cities vibe is more that just buillding a tall building. Bottom line, OKC is still for the most part a uninspiring place with little to cause outsiders to consider us other than a big town. The city is disjointed in so many ways with no real urban feel unlike other cities of similar size (NO and Memphis)/ Having the thunder has been great for getting OKC out there, but with increased exposure comes increased scrutiny.

In all reality, dcsooner, Oklahoma City IS becoming a place people want to live. A lot of the time people forget that the city is even moving forward. It is a classic 'glass is half-empty' approach. There is more happening in this city than just building a tall building. Look at everything happening on the river. Look at the corporate citizenship and what has transpired thanks to the companies based here, employed by people that live here. Look at the transformations happening in MidTown, Automobile Alley and north of Bricktown, where real urban density it being created.

Not to say Oklahoma City is right on par with most cities, but we are catching up quick.

I think the major issue at hand here is that many sports writers know little or nothing about Oklahoma City, so they show up with the presumption that because "we've never heard of the place, what's there?" At that point, they don't bother even learning anything about OKC. Most of time, it's because they are in OKC on assignment to cover Thunder games. A sports writer doesn't have to immerse his-herself in Oklahoma City's local culture, but it does journalism a disservice when they use their presumption as an angle to paint the picture of Durant's graciousness to want to stay in OKC.

Before I get the classic "making a big deal out of this shows an inferiority complex" bite, consider this. Even dying rust-belt cities that are losing population get the nod from sports writers, especially cities where corruption makes Oklahoma's most crooked politicians look like eagle scouts. Very few sports writers take the time to get a glimpse of OKC's true culture and history. 9 out of 10 do not. I don't expect them to write a chamber of commerce piece for crying out loud, but heck if they're gonna write ANYTHING about Oklahoma City, get it right.

I think the major issue at hand here is that many sports writers know little or nothing about Oklahoma City, so they show up with the presumption that because "we've never heard of the place, what's there?" At that point, they don't bother even learning anything about OKC. Most of time, it's because they are in OKC on assignment to cover Thunder games. A sports writer doesn't have to immerse his-herself in Oklahoma City's local culture, but it does journalism a disservice when they use their presumption as an angle to paint the picture of Durant's graciousness to want to stay in OKC.

Before I get the classic "making a big deal out of this shows an inferiority complex" bite, consider this. Even dying rust-belt cities that are losing population get the nod from sports writers, especially cities where corruption makes Oklahoma's most crooked politicians look like eagle scouts. Very few sports writers take the time to get a glimpse of OKC's true culture and history. 9 out of 10 do not. I don't expect them to write a chamber of commerce piece for crying out loud, but heck if they're gonna write ANYTHING about Oklahoma City, get it right.

Amen! I couldn't have said it any better!

All,
Points well taken. My desire as is all of yours is that the largest city in my home State become a vibrant mid-sized city with a distinct culture that when current stereotypes are posited by writers most would consider them ridiculous rather than factual.