Let's make this thread a repository of comments from out of state media regarding the Big 12 Tournament being in Oklahoma City.

I'll start with the Wichita Eagle...

Wichita Eagle | 03/08/2007 | Big 12 makes OKC debut (http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/sports/other_sports/16855714.htm)

Some quotes...

"It will be hard to ignore Oklahoma City, which will host the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Ford Center in 2010. Already, there were 3,000 more fans than the Big 12 has ever had at the opening game of the women's tournament at the Cox Convention Center on Tuesday, a clear signal the city is embracing the event."

Edited to add: If local news outlets interview out of towners, go ahead and post those quotes here too.

Tulsa World

Tulsa World (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070307_Sp_B1_Alasw3753_0&breadcrumb=Article%20Search)

Here's the beginning of it.....

OKLAHOMA CITY -- If you're a Tulsan with even a tad of civic pride, the jealousy factor kicks in shortly after you exit the Turner Turnpike and drive to the heart of this city

If you're a Tulsan who knows what might have been in your city, this malady of envy will double by Thursday when the men's portion of the Big 12 Conference basketball tournament tips off at the Ford Center.

Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

http://www.dfw.com/288/story/29985.html

A tease:

First of all, my guess is that the Oklahoma City experience is going to be a big hit. The only people who are going to be disappointed come Sunday are the valet parking attendants, who aren't going to get many tips.

Everything is right here.

The arenas for the men's and women's sessions are right across the street from each other. Those sage enough to have reserved rooms in one of the downtown hotels can walk to the games.

Bricktown is a block away, offering a variety of restaurants, some places where distilled beverages can be found and a couple of music venues -- from blues to country. Or so I hear.

Oklahoma City's first time as host is going to be a smash.

Tulsa World

Tulsa World (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070307_Sp_B1_Alasw3753_0&breadcrumb=Article%20Search)

Here's the beginning of it.....

OKLAHOMA CITY -- If you're a Tulsan with even a tad of civic pride, the jealousy factor kicks in shortly after you exit the Turner Turnpike and drive to the heart of this city

If you're a Tulsan who knows what might have been in your city, this malady of envy will double by Thursday when the men's portion of the Big 12 Conference basketball tournament tips off at the Ford Center.

Tulsa
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I can't find it now, but earlier I read an article in the Oklahoman with some good comments from some Iowa State fans who made the trip to OKC.

Not sure if this is what you're talking about, Luke, but anyway:
--------------------------------------------------------
CN Exclusive: More Big 12 Tournament Audio

By Jonathan Narcisse
Cyclone Nation staff writer
Posted Mar 8, 2007

Not all of us have the means and vacaton time available to follow our favorite team down to Oklahoma City for the Big 12 Tournament. However, that doesn't mean you have to totally miss out on the goings on. Click here to hear from your fellow Cyclone fans that made the trek south for the big event.


The Iowa State-Nebraska women's game was one for the ages. Hopefully the ISU-Oklahoma will be one, too.

Whether it is or isn't, however, isn't as important. The fan experience already is. For the first time in my life I've attended a Big 12 Championship. The press conferences are impressive. The media feed is impressive. The support services for the media is impressive. As I said, I'm easily impressed.

What's really impressive, however, is the games are only a fraction of what takes place at these events. Don't get me wrong, for the coaches and players the game isn't everything, it's the only thing. Enjoying the nightlife, the pep rallies, and the riverwalk isn't important. Being prepared to compete and leave it all out there is what counts. For the coaches and the players.

For the fans the games are just treats to go with the meal. Before I continue let me say how impressed I am with downtown Oklahoma City. WOW!!! It's just a really cool environment. From a major downtown theater to the classy night spots to the amazing riverwalk it's just a really nice place to enjoy yourself. And the fans I encountered really were enjoying themselves.

One fan broke down the final plays of the women's game with the kind of expertise you often don't find in the announcers both. He was, yes, impressive. Others could care less about women's basketball but they love the men. And others still couldn't care about ISU sports, they just enjoy the festivities. Regardless it's about the journey,
not the destination.

I spent Wednesday evening into Thursday morning at Tapwerks, the Big 12 Cyclone headquarters. It's a really nice place. Personally I'd have rather had Toby Keith's but that's just because I listen to his music all the time. I don't think the Clones could have found a better establishment in Oklahoma City.

The following are interviews conducted with ISU fans at Tapwerks throughout the evening. Some are more insightful than others but it was a good time and a glimpse into the fan experience that keeps so many coming back again, and again, and again.

(Links to interviews with ISU fans, which I have not heard yet).

I can't find it now, but earlier I read an article in the Oklahoman with some good comments from some Iowa State fans who made the trip to OKC.

I quoted that in another thread. I think the Mr. Monday thread. They said we outshine KC.

I've been trying to find some national articles but not much luck..

I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow night.. that's when I want to go... any suggestions to avoid the $15 parking?

walk from a meter in the CBD

The problem is that it's been my experience that they randomly check those, actually.

but after 6 they don't run

walk from a meter in the CBD

That's what I always do when I go to Bricktown or anywhere downtown at night, although it might be more difficult now that the Skirvin is open. I enjoy the walk through the CBD, which is often pretty desolate, and then after you go under the tracks, bam you see people everywhere.

From the Houston Chronicle, in an AP story by Murray Evans widely reported around the country, No. 11 Oklahoma advances to Big 12 final | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/college/4615195.html)


Thursday night's semifinal session at the Cox Convention Center drew 10,102 fans, the fourth-largest for any session in the tournament's 11-year history. It was the second straight tournament session that drew more than 10,000 fans and it put the Big 12 over the 1 million mark in home attendance for the second time in league history.

With a current combined attendance of 1,003,722, the league broke its own NCAA single-season record. The tournament attendance of 36,577 already has broken the league mark of 35,619, set in 2003 in Dallas.

Most of those fans Thursday were wearing Oklahoma colors.

"It's a huge advantage, obviously," Coale said. "It's convenient that we're here (in Oklahoma City) but I think they would have followed us anywhere."

Kansas City Star (subsription required): Kansas City Star | 03/09/2007 | One and done? Not if OKC has its way (http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16864700.htm)


One and done? Not if OKC has its way
Centrally located Oklahoma City thinks the Big 12 basketball tourneys should be a local staple.
By BLAIR KERKHOFF
The Kansas City Star

http://www.kansascity.com/images/kansascity/kansascitystar/news/FanTastic_ME_030807_rs_196f_03-09-2007_OTR75AS.jpg

RICH SUGG | THE KANSAS CITY STAR
Oklahoma City is doing its best to cater to fans, with the hope of becoming a sports destination.

http://www.kansascity.com/images/kansascity/kansascitystar/news/FanTastic_ME_030807_rs_285fCROP_03-09-2007_OTR74RR.jpg

RICH SUGG | THE KANSAS CITY STAR
Outside the Cox Convention Center, two oversized brackets keep fans updated on the progress of the Big 12 men’s and women’s tournaments. It’s the first time Oklahoma City has been the host.

http://www.kansascity.com/images/kansascity/kansascitystar/news/FanTastic_ME_030807_rs_154f_03-09-2007_OTR77DQ.jpg

RICH SUGG | THE KANSAS CITY STAR
Next year, Jayhawks and Wildcats will converge on the Sprint Center. But on Thursday at a “tailgate party,” Traci Cole (right) said Oklahoma City’s effort was “pretty nice.”

OKLAHOMA CITY | Surely it was nothing more than a coincidence. The unveiling of a 20-foot-high street clock, just north of the Ford Center, served as Oklahoma City’s public welcoming of the Big 12 Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

As the balloons flew and the band struck up “Oklahoma!” you could see the gleam in Mayor’s Mick Cornett’s eyes.

Cue the symbolism. Oklahoma City’s time has come.

This week, Big 12 officials started the process of awarding future sites. Oklahoma City isn’t waiting for the final horn to sound on its first Big 12 hoop experience to ponder its options.

It wants in.

“For us to elbow our way in to get an event that’s been going to Kansas City and Dallas is significant,” Cornett said. “This has placed us on a new plateau, and we’d like to be part of the Big 12’s future.”

So does Kansas City, which plays host to the tournaments next year with the men playing at the Sprint Center and the women at Municipal Auditorium.

The event hasn’t been awarded beyond 2008.

For years, this state’s coaches — from former Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson to Sooners women’s coach Sherri Coale to former Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton — swore the championships would be a smash hit in Oklahoma. They pointed to the state’s passion for sports, especially college games.

NCAA tournaments played to full houses. The softball College World Series and Big 12 baseball tournaments are anchored in Oklahoma City.

But a weeklong basketball event in Oklahoma City wasn’t possible until 2002, when the Ford Center opened for business, giving the city buildings to host the men’s and women’s events. The Cox Convention Center, formerly the Myriad, sits across the street.

“The proximity of the venues make this a fan’s paradise,” Coale said.

Thursday, the men’s tournament caught something of a break when it came to making an early impression. The local teams would have preferred waiting a day to start, joining the top-seeded teams, but ninth-seeded Oklahoma opened the men’s tournament by defeating Iowa State. Seventh-seeded Oklahoma State beat Nebraska in the evening session.

It made for a better-than-usual opening day crowd, and Sooners guard David Godbold played the edge for all it was worth, imploring the partisan crowd to urge on the Sooners in the final moments of a close game.

Fans outside the Ford Center could watch the action on big-screen televisions and party on closed Reno Avenue, which borders Bricktown, the city’s entertainment district. The visitors liked the setup.

“I was pretty excited when I heard it was coming here,” said Tim Puvogel, a Kansas fan from Salina, Kan. “It’s a doable drive, and the city seems excited about it.”

That’s music to Cornett’s ears. He sees the tournaments not just as a weeklong boost to the local economy but as an opportunity to promote Oklahoma City as a sporting event destination.

“We had the Olympic Festival here in 1989, but I’d call this the biggest convention-like sports event in the city’s history, maybe the state’s history,” he said. “It validates our city’s renaissance.”
• • •
When it comes to geography, the Big 12 venue competition has always been tilted toward Kansas City.

For the marquee basketball tournaments and the football championship game, several Texas cities — Dallas, Houston and San Antonio — typically showed interest. Each has played host to a football game, and the title game returns to the Alamodome in December.

Dallas has been the only Texas site for hoops, but the others have wanted in as well.

Among northern locations for football and basketball, there’s been only Kansas City, at least after St. Louis stopped showing much interest.

One event for Dallas, one for Kansas City. One for Houston, one for Kansas City — and that’s how Kansas City wound up with more of the league’s crown jewel events, with seven of the first 10 basketball tournaments and four football games.

With its centralized location, Oklahoma City could change the dynamic. The average distance from Big 12 campuses to Oklahoma City is 55 miles closer than it is to Kansas City.

“You can get here in less than a day’s drive from anywhere in the Big 12,” Cornett said. “It’s the only place in the Big 12 where that’s possible.”

Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg said he doesn’t sense the interest from schools to lock into permanent sites, such as Kansas City for basketball and Dallas for football.

“Many of those I talk to believe there is less value for a single site for a sport,” Weiberg said. “Moving it around, I think, is the way to go.”

Kansas City has always been in line, and thinks its position has never been stronger with the Sprint Center and the Power & Light District set to open later this year.

“In the past, we had to manufacture our amenities, set up tents or put the entertainment in Hale Arena,” said Kansas City Sports Commission Executive Director Kevin Gray. “We’re in a position to put our best foot forward.”

Dallas as a future basketball site is less certain. Dave Brown, general manager of the American Airlines Center, said he wanted to keep college balls bouncing in his building. He’s proposed playing both the women’s and men’s tournaments there, a prospect the league might consider given the uncertain future of Reunion Arena, site of the women’s tournament. Reunion is expected to be shut down by 2008.

“That’s a possibility,” Weiberg said. “We would lay out in our request for proposal the format and dates we anticipate using, but we don’t want to stifle the creativity of a city. We’ll listen to new ideas.”
• • •
A difference in this round of championship site proposals is more certainty in the venues.

Over the past few years, the Big 12 resisted awarding future sites beyond one year because it didn’t know how voters would react to proposals to the new basketball arena in Kansas City and football stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Now that the Sprint Center is nearly a reality and the new football stadium to be operated by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is to open in 2009, the Big 12 can move forward. Weiberg said it’s possible for championship sites to be awarded through 2013 with an announcement as early as the league’s annual May meetings.

Weiberg said he’s heard good things about Oklahoma City but the important feedback comes after the tournament from the schools. The league office wants to know about fan experiences. One concern about Oklahoma City was the number of quality hotel rooms in the downtown area.

“Some people think having to stay in Norman (20 miles away) is too far,” Weiberg said. “But we’ll know more about that in the next few weeks.”

The $89.1 million Ford Center doesn’t have the amenities of the $420 million American Airlines Center in Dallas or the $276 million Sprint Center. But the building, which has played host to the NBA Hornets during their New Orleans relocation for two seasons, doesn’t work against Oklahoma City, and the Myriad is an ideal size and setting for the women.

Cornett can recite a list of several more of his city’s advantages, and they’ll all go in Oklahoma City’s proposal for future tournaments. But the highest compliment was made three years ago when the Big 12 gave the nod for this year’s event.

“It sent a message that Oklahoma City could measure up,” Cornett said. “We know we can.”

From Lawrence, KA, KUsports.com - OKC rolls out red (and blue) carpet (http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/mar/08/okc_rolls_out_red_and_blue_carpet2/?mens_basketball)


OKC rolls out red (and blue) carpet
Thursday, March 8, 2007

Color Jim Cowan crimson and blue.

His iconic restaurant, Bricktown Brewery, is firmly established as the place to be for Kansas University fans flocking to Oklahoma City for this weekend’s Big 12 Basketball Tournament.

Never mind that he’s normally surrounded by Oklahoma Sooners.

“I bleed crimson and cream. I’m a big OU fan,” said Cowan, who owns the place that holds the title as both state’s first legal brewery since Prohibition and KU alumni headquarters for the tournament. “Now I’m all blue, because it’s great on the pocketbook.”

Sure, holding court as a No. 1 seed, standing as a traditional national powerhouse and toting a legion of hoops-hungry fans can make a business owner switch stripes. But can it bring a tournament title?

Mike Davis, senior vice president for the KU Alumni Association sure hopes so. He’s loading up a crew of compatriots and boxes upon boxes of Jayhawk souvenirs for the trip down Interstate 35, where he expects anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 KU fans to file into the Ford Center and nearby watering holes to catch the action.

“It’s an easy drive for a lot of people,” he said.

Of course, another path awaits: the Road to the Final Four, which won’t begin formally until the NCAA Tournament begins next week.

From a Topeka TV station, Being a loyal fan can be costly - 49abcnews.com (http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2007/mar/07/being_loyal_fan_can_be_costly/) ... mainly about the cost associated with attending ... nothing particularly quotable, e.g., ...


You'll also need a place to stay. We did a quick search and found dozens of hotels within a 10 mile radius of the Ford Center in OKC. For an average, you'll pay about $108 per night. But rooms are filling up fast and you may need to extend your search out beyond ten miles.

Steve Lackmeyer's article, "Visitors grade friendliness A, parking fee F
Fans speak highly of restaurants, hotels, arenas", contains a number of quotes from out-of-staters. Link: User Registration (http://www.newsok.com/article/3023967)


By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer

If Oklahoma City were to take a report card home to Mom and Dad at the end of this week's Big 12 tournament, it would likely result in high praise for friendliness, attractions and overall accommodations at Ford Center and neighboring Cox Convention Center.

Bricktown, however, might be due for a mix of praise for its night life and restaurants, but a lecture when it comes to parking.

Two dozen out-of-state visitors were surveyed Wednesday and Thursday by The Oklahoman about their impressions of Oklahoma City as a first time host of the men's and women's basketball championships. Those answering hailed from Texas, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa.

The article goes on to state the quotes. Parking cost in Bricktown was hit pretty hard.

A sidebar in the article gives the scorecard, of those polled:


Oklahoma City's Big 12 Grades
(Not all areas were graded by every respondent)

•Cleanliness of downtown: A: 21, B: 3
•Promotion of Big 12: A: 18, B: 5
•Proximity of downtown hotels to arenas: A: 12, B: 5
•Downtown hotel prices: A: 6, B: 1, C: 2, D: 2
•Pedestrian accommodations: A: 20, B: 4
•Night life: A: 12, B: 3
•Retail selection: A: 4, B: 2, C:2, D:1
•Public safety downtown: A: 22, B: 2
•Quality of Cox Convention Center Arena: A: 12, B: 3
•Parking availability: A: 8, B: 3, C: 1, F:1
•Parking prices: A: 12, C: 3, D:4, F: 5
•Restaurant selection: A: 16, B: 2
•Restaurant prices: A: 18, B: 4
•Downtown traffic: A: 15, B: 5
•Downtown attractions: A: 12, B:
•Downtown public transit: A: 5, B: 2
•Quality of Ford Center: A: 12, B: 2
•Overall hospitality: A: 23, B: 1

Thank you Doug! It just makes me smile when I read the positive press about our state. I love to read that people are complimenting OKC.

Olympics anyone? Hey, we can dream!! lol

From the San Antonio Express-News

Aggies Mailbag: OKC the perfect site for a little A&M hoops history

Web Posted: 03/08/2007 04:42 PM CST

Brent Zwerneman
Express-News Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY – There’s a lot of hollering going on outside my hotel room window right now. Which can only mean one thing.

It’s Big 12 tournament time, baby. And OKC is the perfect place for it.

Oklahoma City is the third city to host the tournament, following the leads of Kansas City and Dallas. And OKC has, by far, the best setup for fans.

Why? Everything is right together:

The basketball – both men’s and women’s (in arenas across the street from each other). The lodging – a bundle of hotels within strolling distance. The fun – Bricktown, OKC’s version of the River Walk or Austin’s Sixth Street, is next door.

KC, where the shindig returns next year, has a long tradition of hosting the league tournament. You also have to catch buses or drive to the different venues. Dallas is the same way.

OKC, too, is the most centrally located spot in the Big 12. If you’re a Nebraska fan, you can drive in from Lincoln. If you’re a Texas A&M fan, you can drive in from College Station.

What makes San Antonio such an attractive destination this time of year is exactly why it’s not an ideal spot for the Big 12 tournament. Too far south for the Big 12 North. Same goes for Houston. It would be like holding the tournament in Omaha, Neb., in messing over the South.

Naturally, any place will have its heavier allegiances, a.k.a. homecourt advantage. KC was a big-time homecourt advantage for Kansas, and even Kansas State. That’s a big reason why the tournament needed to shift around.

A&M coach Billy Gillispie, who enjoys griping about a lot of things simply for conversation’s sake, said OKC “is a huge homecourt advantage” for Oklahoma or Oklahoma State.

He’s right. Dallas is the closest thing anyone will find to a neutral site. But OKC is, overall, a better venue than anywhere else. And I’m staking that claim three days into the tournament’s OKC history. A place where A&M basketball has a chance to make a little history – by winning its first Big 12 tournament title in either men’s or women’s action.

Now, if you will, please hold on, while I bark like a crotchety old man at the revelers below. Tryin’ to write here, ya know.

On to your letters:

That's great .. keep 'em coming..

You know, a lot of times when I read positive articles I send a thank you email to the writer.. I did that often on the Hornet's articles - but there got to be too many! Good.

I just write a simple 'I noticed your complimentary article regarding our city. Thank you for commenting on our city in such a positive manner. Please come back and visit again.'

Just something to let them know we appreciate it and cement in their minds that Oklahoman's ( even transplants) are truly very friendly.

My small way of encouraging tourism and to show civic pride.

All I can say is WOW! Thanks for getting those together guys.

So many people have worked so hard for so long on this event. The feedback makes it all worth it. Now let's hope it pays off and we have many more opportunities to welcome Big 12 to OKC!!

Kim

I've been trying to find some national articles but not much luck..

I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow night.. that's when I want to go... any suggestions to avoid the $15 parking?

Actually most all the parking is no more than $6 with the exception of the lot across from the Ford Center is $10 on the Corner of Reno and EK Gaylord. The Big 12 and the OKC Chamber has requested the parking rates stay reasonable if we want to land the tournament again. I even saw $2 parking in Bricktown yesterday.

All of Brewer's lots are $20 a day.

All I can say is WOW! Thanks for getting those together guys.

So many people have worked so hard for so long on this event. The feedback makes it all worth it. Now let's hope it pays off and we have many more opportunities to welcome Big 12 to OKC!!

Kim

^^ and other large events, tourism, and business relocations here.

Hopefully translating into more attractions and amenities for the city not to mention greater population growth (than the city already has) when you get to the big picture of it.

Leave it to dumb*** Brewer to ruin the one thing that might hold us back from landing the tournament again.

Seriously. Any normal day in Bricktown I'm fine with him charging what he can get. That's capitalism. But this week some regulation was necessary and they warned them not to price-gouge but he did it anyway.

Seriously. Any normal day in Bricktown I'm fine with him charging what he can get. That's capitalism. But this week some regulation was necessary and they warned them not to price-gouge but he did it anyway.

Yep. That $10 per session is ridiculous. What else could we expect from Brewer? In a TV report last night a lot of fans were complaining. If you're going to be there for the full five days - that's an extra $100. Too much to just park your car.

-------------

I will be really pissed if we don't get the tournament again because of this.

they dont have to park at Brewer's lot then. There's PLENTY of other options downtown.

Come on!! Grow-up OKC. You wanted to be big time, well all big cities have higher parking as you get closer to the venue - this will NOT have any impact on OKC's future Big 12 status (or if it does, then Big 12 is stiffin' OKC because IM SURE KC and Dallas have way more parking locn's chargeing way more than OKC.

this is a bargain (although I think he should just do it as $20 instead of $10 per session - whose gonna go out and pay for another session when you are already in the arena????_)

What OKC should have done is advertise the low cost parking options - then let people decide for themselves. NO one should complain about paying $20 for parking one block away from the arenas. I mean. come on - this is a 1.3M metro isnt it??

I agree with you Hot Rod, but if this is no different and, in fact, cheaper than the situations in Dallas and KC, then why are those surveyed giving us an F in parking costs?

It seems like the Oklahoman was kinda trying to manufacture a story. After all, 12 people gave an "A". The "C, D, and F" combined total was 12. I'd actually consider that a successful report card.

I also think that the 5 people that gave the "F" grade would've given it anywhere. Dallas, OKC, KCMO, Lawton, NYC, or Guthrie...some people just HATE paying >$5 for parking. I seriously doubt the failing grade was given in comparison to other past venues. Again, they just think paying $7-$15 dollars for parking sucks a**.

Remember that a significant amount of our "guests" are from very small towns. This no doubt is to our benefit regarding just how impressed they are with our amenities. Just today a DFW sportscaster cited the Ford Center as being "cheap and sub-par", but then raved about the atmosphere. Several reports from smaller publications have called our facilities "awesome" and "stellar".

Bottom line.....it costs to park in the CBD of a major metro while a major event is going on. Period. Some of our own still complain about a lack of parking and the cost to park. I for one, never have a hard time parking and this is simply how the game is played. I spend a considerable amount of time in L.A. and believe you me, 10-20 quid is nothing.

Sometimes OKC annoys me. Especially the media. They can't make up their minds about what they want to be. That's why we have to endure taurus feces like Mr. Monday's most recent article. The mantra seems to be, "Come on down to OKC, a small town of 1 million plus". What? Yeah, that sounds cute, but it's not realistic. You can't always have it both ways. Ya know...you can't always have your Bass Pro and eat it too. The Big XII B-ball tourney has been a smash hit this week and the Big XII knows it. If they act like Jim Brewer can run them out of town, they weren't coming back anyway.

Perhaps you're right.

OK, I posed this on the bricktown thread about the parking survey, but it's too good not to share it here, also.

Here are the parking grades of the Oklahoman's survey according to the post above:



•Parking availability: A: 8, B: 3, C: 1, F:1
•Parking prices: A: 12, C: 3, D:4, F: 5

OK, so the Oklahoma goes with the headline: "Visitors Grade Parking Fee F". However according to their own data, 50% gave it an A and the GPA for the fee is 2.41! That's what, a C+?! The availability was graded a solid 3.07. So we're talking above average ratings here for PARKING. The fact that ANYONE, anywhere, would give parking fees an A, let alone half of those surveyed, is pretty darn amazing, if you ask me.

They are clearly manufacturing some sort of bizarre parking controversy that just doesn't exist. Why? I have no idea. Maybe they're in bed with Frank Sims or hate Brewer. More likely they are probably just trying to endear themselves to the parking complex of so many vocal Oklahoma City residents.

The worst thing they are trying to pull with this is to unfoundedly suggest that we may not get the tournament back because of this one (non)issue. They have no other basis for that other than the failing grade of 5 people, which is actually less than 21% of people who answered the question.

If anything, their little "survey" actually should be serving as the death nail in the so-called parking controversy of downtown. It actually shows that public perception completely supports past official reports that found OKC has more than enough parking for events of this size and that pricing for that parking is perceived as average or great by a majority of people. Instead, they are completely misrepresenting their own data to support a completely bogus (and probably predetermined) conclusion.

I agree they could have headlined it with any of the many positive things that are in that data.

What's funny is that the parking responses ARE a positive part of the data.

I mean, would anyone write an artcile about a senior class where 79% passed and 50% got an A and headline it:

"Senior Class Gets F"

Everyone would acknowledge that such a headline would at best be misleading.

Exactly. I agree.

Forget the prices for parking for the Big XII, the prices are too high year around.

not according to the oklahoman survey

Here's an article from Lawrence, Ka: KUsports.com - K.C. eager for tourney's return (http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/mar/11/kc_eager_tourneys_return/?mens_basketball)


K.C. eager for tourney’s return
By Mark ***an

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Oklahoma City — The Big 12 Conference won’t be bringing its postseason basketball tournaments back to Oklahoma City if Brenda Tinnen has anything to say about it.

Tinnen is general manager of the new Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., and will be overseeing the 18,500-seat arena that will be home for next year’s men’s tournament. The women’s tournament will be played in nearby Municipal Auditorium.

So she spent some time checking out the competition here in Oklahoma City, milling about the Ford Center, taking the much-hyped “58 steps” across the way to the Cox Convention Center for women’s games, and otherwise soaking up the ambiance of nearby hotels, tailgating events and the ever-popular Bricktown food and entertainment area.

She likes what she saw, but is ready to put on an even better show next year.

“They’ve executed a great event. ... They’ve certainly set the bar,” said Tinnen, a senior vice president for AEG facilities, which also manages the Staples Center in Los Angeles. “I’m not going to lie to you and say we’re willing to share it with other cities. We want it in Kansas City, and we’d love to keep it there.”

Like Oklahoma City, Kansas City promises to have plenty of entertainment options available near the arenas. Oklahoma City has Bricktown, home to restaurants, bars, movie theaters and other attractions.

Kansas City has the Power & Light District, a new entertainment area about a “football field and a half” wide that is bookended by Municipal Auditorium and the Sprint Center, Tinnen said. With plenty of hotels, access to the Plaza and a long hoops history, Kansas City shouldn’t have any problem being competitive in landing future tournaments.

“With the opening of Sprint Center (in October), it puts Kansas City back into the game for these events,” she said.

And she’s playing to win.

Here's a Topeka article ... a few days old but I've not seen it posted here yet ... if it has, sorry for the dupe: CJOnline Blogs - Caywood: OKC making splash as Big 12 host (http://blogs.cjonline.com/index.php?entry=2359)


Caywood: OKC making splash as Big 12 host
Kurt CaywoodOKLAHOMA CITY — It hurts to say this, but maybe Billy Tubbs was right.

Year after year, Tubbs made trip after trip to Kemper Arena for the Big Eight Tournament. Year after year, the irascible ex-Oklahoma basketball coach tilted Quixote-like at the conference to rotate the event from city to city.

Tubbs was gone before eight became 12 and Kemper fell below modern standards.

Rooted in his retirement job first as coach and now as athletic director at his alma mater, Lamar, he missed the lost years when Dallas swallowed the event whole without so much as a burp.

But somebody ought to drop him a postcard this week, as Oklahoma City does proud his vision of varying the venue.

With a revitalized downtown as a backdrop, the 5-year-old Ford Center as home to the men and refurbished Myriad, now known as the Cox Convention Center, as the site for the women, the Big 12 tournaments really are an event.

The history is pretty straightforward. Kemper got old and went to seed. In 2001, the conference decided to open take it on the road. Two years later, it moved to the new home of the conference.

But Reunion Arena, a warmed-over Kemper in a worse neighborhood, was too shoddy a home for the women's tournament, America Airlines Center was too palatial for the men's, and both were surrounded by so little atmosphere that stepping outside was like taking a spacewalk.

The best thing about last year's tournament, the third in Dallas in the past four years, was it was the last one scheduled there.

The best thing about this year's in OKC is that it might never cross the Red River again.

In two days here, the women drew 20 percent more fans than they drew total last year, and men's attendance was up on Day 1 as well.

No surprise, really. The Big 12 softball and baseball tournaments have been winners here for years. The NCAA Women's College World Series beats its own attendance records annually, and Oklahoma City is one of the first sites to sell out any time it hosts the first and second rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament.

"The main difference is our folks are college fans, and they love college athletics," said Tim Brassfield, executive director of Oklahoma City's All-Sports Association.

It would be one of life's great ironies — at least of Billy Tubbs' life — if OKC ended up as the new regular site of the conference tournaments, but that's not going to happen. Next year, they return to Kansas City as the Sprint Center comes online, and the whole picture changes.

KC's history as home of the Big Six, Seven and Eight, and more Final Fours than any other city is a powerful credential. A shining new arena with the accompanying College Basketball Hall of Fame, a women's venue within walking distance and the Power & Light entertainment district in between give it powerful drawing power.

At the turn of the century, there was a powerful sense that Big 12 basketball was Kansas City's to lose. Now there's an equally strong sense that it's KC's to reclaim.

"It does mean a lot to us," said Kevin Gray, president of the Kansas City Sports Commission. "We treat the Big 12 like it's a franchise. Always have, always will."

Next year completes the current rotation, and the conference soon will begin considering future championship sites. That's true not just for basketball but for other sports, as well.

Don't bet against a movement to plant the football championship at the Dallas Cowboys' new $1 billion stadium and the basketball tournaments in Kansas City.

But don't bet against Billy Tubbs' dream-come-true week in Oklahoma City giving conference decision makers something to think about.

"We think with our success, we'll be in the rotation in the future," Brassfield said. "With the success of our tournaments, we have to be taken seriously."

Here's a nice one in today's Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | SportsDay: Columnist Brian Davis (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/bdavis/stories/031107dnspoquicktake.21e2a4a.html)


Dallas has a ways to go to match OKC standards
01:29 AM CST on Sunday, March 11, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY – Big 12 basketball fans in Dallas won't like this, but the league's signature event will be coming back to Oklahoma City. Soon. Very Soon.

City officials and those associated with the All-Sports Association, led by Tim Brassfield, should take a bow. This was their first chance to host the men's and women's tournaments, and they handled both like pros. In one week, they've raised the standards.

Kansas City has a tough act to follow in 2008.

That city is a college basketball hotbed and will have a new arena to boot. The Sprint Center is expected to be your typical state-of-the-art facility. It will be just a few blocks away from Municipal Auditorium, where the women's tournament will be hosted. A new entertainment district is also being built, and everything is supposed to be within walking distance.

Dallas fans, answer me this: Who wants to walk from American Airlines Center to Reunion Arena? That's what people are doing here. There are five major hotels and tons of restaurants within 2-3 blocks of both the Ford Center and Cox Convention Center.

Oh, and have we mentioned the fan turnout for the women's games? More than 10,000 people showed up on three different nights. Granted, they were mostly OU fans, but they were still there spending money.

Dallas, which is and always will be a pro sports town, should not get shut out of the Big 12 rotation. But our city has a long way to go to match the zest that Oklahoma City and Kansas City show for this event.

And here's the sad truth. I wonder if anyone cares.

The Big XII isn't looking for ONE city to be the permanent host.

It will rotate between two most likely. OKC will probably get odd years and KC even years.

Sounds good to me.

Kind of a funny thread from the texas A&M board....ripping OKC.

Texas A$M (http://texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=832232&forum_id=7)

That's just jealousy- we're getting rave reviews on everything from our fan support to the friendliness of people to the cleanliness of the city ... plus, how much brain power does it take to get a confirmation number on a hotel cancellation or the name of the clerk?

I am proud of Oklahoma City's handling of this years Big XII Tournament, and the rave reviews will surely impress the conference powers-that-be. If they decide to rotate the basketball tourney, I'm sure OKC will be in the mix. However, I fear they may decide to hold the tournaments (or title games) at permanent sites---football in Dallas, basketball in KC, and baseball in OKC.

They should rotate basketball between OKC and KC and football between Dallas and KC. Although, I'm not sure if KC is a great place for the football game. It's always freaking cold.

But, KC couldn't complain about that and the BIG 12 would be rotating between north and south, as well as using the best centrally located venues. Denver and Houston obviously have the facilities, but they are also at a geographic disadvantage.

Now that OKC has proven to be not only a viable, but a disireable and succseeful venue for the basketball tournmanets, I think it would be foolish for them to not put it here at least every 3 years.

Just my biased opinion.

That's just jealousy- we're getting rave reviews on everything from our fan support to the friendliness of people to the cleanliness of the city ... plus, how much brain power does it take to get a confirmation number on a hotel cancellation or the name of the clerk?

Probably too much brain power for the average aggie. :ou In any event, OKC is getting rave reviews from regional media and the story cited in that thread reeks of b.s.

They should rotate basketball between OKC and KC and football between Dallas and KC. Although, I'm not sure if KC is a great place for the football game. It's always freaking cold.

But, KC couldn't complain about that and the BIG 12 would be rotating between north and south, as well as using the best centrally located venues. Denver and Houston obviously have the facilities, but they are also at a geographic disadvantage.

Now that OKC has proven to be not only a viable, but a disireable and succseeful venue for the basketball tournmanets, I think it would be foolish for them to not put it here at least every 3 years.

Just my biased opinion.


You summed up how I feel about it as well. Surely it will be returning on a rotating basis - and soon. The football game is a problem. I would like to see the game in a dome, but that rules out the north ever hosting the event.

--------------------

How about Norman hosting the football game every now and then. I think they could do well.

:)

That'd be great, but I think they try and avoid de jure home field advantages, even though every city in the Big 12 has some sort of de facto home field advantage to at least one team. My favorite part about last weekend is that it seemed whoever played Texas had a home field advantage.

BTW, if I was that Aggie or Texan, I'd be pissed, too, but I'd be pissed at the hotel, not an entire state!

:LolLolLol

You summed up how I feel about it as well. Surely it will be returning on a rotating basis - and soon. The football game is a problem. I would like to see the game in a dome, but that rules out the north ever hosting the event.

--------------------

St. Louis? I believe they had an early Big 12 Championship game, not sure why they don't make a push for another. Maybe they don't want it.

How about Norman hosting the football game every now and then. I think they could do well.

There is a specific Big XII rule that no Championship can be played at a Home venue for one of it's member institutions......

Yeah, it would seem Denver and St. Louis could care less.

How long will it take us to out do this monster?

Power and Light District (http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/overview.htm)

Reminds me a lot of the Triangle actually.

Only it's Cordish.

(sheds a small tear)

Very nice. Reminds me of Downtown Disney. According to Wikipedia only certain sections of the P&L District will be ready in 2007.

As for OKC, I think with Bricktown, the Ballpark development, the Triangle Development and some of the other projects in the works, there will be a lot more retail and entertainment between I-235 and downtown. Plus, Bricktown already exists. The P&L district doesn't yet.

I can see OKC still very much in the rotation of things with the Big 12. And who knows what other doors the Tournament opened for OKC.

Bricktown could easily out do it in a short amount of time, but it looks like it is much better planned, more dense with more retail and less surface parking, so it could just as easily leap frog bricktown in a hurry. It will always be a bit less "organic", but we passed on the opportunity to build a similar comprehensive development in lower bricktown. It looks like it will be a big success, but given bricktown's development history, it seems that the city didn't want something like that. Why not? I have no idea, but that's how it's unfolded.

I have stated this before, but I would like to see us build a dome stadium for MAPS 3. I think it could be located where the new convention center is being planned once I-40 is relocated. A dome could be used as a convention center as well as a football arena, much like in St. Louis, or San Antonio.

With Okc having a dome stadium right in the middle of downtown, we could then attract the Big 12 football championship game along with having more space to attract larger conventions. It would be a dual purpose dome building.

Okc needs to keep the momentum rolling and don't look back.

Tell em'

MAPS 3 | Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett (http://maps3.org/)

oh! that makes me green with envy..

Shopping galore, comedy clubs, a covered night time venue for concerts.. I'm so jealous.