I would guess over $ 1 billion....

Do you mean what would it cost if you had to pay for TV time to equal the exposure the Thunder get? If so, it is probably around $1 billion. However, I don't think OKC has seen a fraction of that in actual benefit. People in NJ can have whatever favorable opinion of OKC they want, but if that doesn't translate into a direct economic benefit it doesn't do much good. We are still very early in the NBA game (3 seasons) but I think that direct economic impact resulting from the 'change in opinion' is coming.

4th season, point of order...my 6th season as an NBA season ticket holder counting the Hornets....

4th season, point of order...my 6th season as an NBA season ticket holder counting the Hornets....

ooops - you're correct, but my point still stands. Usually when you advertise it is because you are selling something. If OKC spent $1 billion on advertising and all we got out of it was an improved image from some people in NY/NJ then I think it would be a wasted $1 billion. The Thunder isn’t the ultimate goal, they are just another piece of the puzzle. Here in Jax we thought after the Jaguars came here the jobs and money would just start rolling in for no other reason than we had an NFL team. It didn’t work that way. Just like getting a computer doesn’t make you money, it was you do with the computer that makes you money.

I know people here in Jax who literally thought new high rises would be constructed the day after Jags were announced.

It is going to be difficult to measure the economic impact of the Thunder in Oklahoma City because there are so many more intangibles which can't be measured in dollars & cents. Changing the image of Oklahoma City is certainly an immeasureable and on-going task which could reap big benefits for many years to come.

We have to become our own ambassadors for Oklahoma City; because from the 60s to the early 90s we have been our own worse enemies because we haven't recognize what our potentials are or what we have here. Oklahoma City is beginning to gain favorable recognizition post MAPS I.

I have season tickets and have gone to almost every game other than a few that I have given away. I have spoke to several people who have sat next to my seats and that I have casually met walking from the parking garage. It's amazing the people from Tulsa who come down and actually spend the night and take in the game on a weekend. I also ran into a young couple and their child who came from Kansas and did like wise, and they had been to Penn Sq mall and the Cheesecake factory.

I was listening to the Sports Animal today, and Mike Steely was commenting from Augusta. He said that yesterday he wore a polo shirt that had a small Thunder emblem on it, and he was surprised at the number of people who commented favorably. When people say the Thunder are the first positive thing that has put Oklahoma City "on the map", I don't think they're exaggerating.