Or the adjacent land. The Thunder is popular, but they're not quite the Lakers/Celtics in being able to extract ridiculous demands Boxing is largely dead. UFC/MMA (human cockfighting) has sadly replaced it. Any stadium is going to be a hard push with the Anti-MAPS crowd
I guess I don't understand the anti-MAPS crowd. Downtown/Bricktown was a terrible place before, now it's just the parking and traffic that sucks.
Most are those who think government shouldn't get involved in the free market. They'd rather keep their hard earned money and spend as they choose. Basically, they want government to stay out of private business. I know... Crazy ! Right?
It's a barely noticeable tax that has turned the downtown/bricktown from a shithole to a non-shithole. And in doing so, created jobs for that free market and encouraged private business. But yea, I get what you are saying.
It's a fairly diverse group of small parties with very small minds. Unless it directly benefits them, then they call it progress. Have to keep that super Big Gulp at $1.08, not $1.09, because that penny goes to... to... something, probably Obamacare They're the type of people that move out to rural areas, refuse to pay the volunteer fire department fee, then cry and moan when the VFD just puts out the grass fire that was sparked by their trailer. Ultimately, it would be publicly and politically difficult for the Thunder ownership to work against any particular downtown sports venue because they are playing in a MAPS funded sports venue and any argument that they would make against such a team would be the same argument that was made against building the Peake or whatever it's called this month.
Hey now - OKC is hosting it's 3rd straight World Boxing Union Lightweight title match on June 6th at the OKC Airpark! (one was at the convention center and the other was in Newcastle, so it really doesn't count, but I went to both) http://www.catboxentertainment.com/
I responded to it yesterday and pointed out the blatant falsehoods in it in the final comments. I also told them what I thought of the team name, but wished them well in finding someone with the sufficient capital to take the team to MLS, because we all know, no one currently associated with the team doesn't have have the sufficient funding to pay the expansion fee, pay for even a modest portion of a new stadium that meets MLS' requirements, nor the annual cashflow required to run a team.
I didn't find the survey disingenuous or containing blatant falsehoods. It is perfectly obvious that they intend to build a soccer-specific stadium downtown for the USL team and want to gauge the market for an MLS-quality expansion. I'm not privy to the financial condition of the ownership group other than what is public knowledge. While it does not appear to me that the current ownership is capable of landing an MLS franchise, it would be short-sighted and unnecessarily pessimistic to believe that the intentions are impossible. The ownership seems to take these things seriously, hence the survey.
You mean other than claiming that teams that were part of the A-League / USL First Division (forerunner to USLPro) joined MLS from USLPro? Sorry. That's not true. There's one real kicker for MLS expansion - 1 or more people that are willing to pay the expansion fee, any private part of a stadium and the annual operation costs for the team. If the market can support Thunder Basketball / OU FB & BB and to a lesser degree OSU sports, there is more than enough disposable income for MLS. Especially since two of those are sold out until the season after Judgement Day You do realize how little investment & effort it takes to put together a survey?
Your blind hatred is showing. It only mentions OCSC, and claims no connection with any other talking points the league or the FO has spouted off before. While I get your point, the claims you speak of were not mentioned the survey. In your haste to give your opinion at the end, you failed to even read properly.
If you think that that's hate, you don't know me very well. They note other successful USLPro teams such as Orlando. They and the league have previously been running this meme and mentioned Seattle/Vancouver/Portland as clubs that have "moved up". I guess it's fine for them to lie to the general public, but they should expect actual soccer fans for 30+ years to correct them when they lie.
Yes moved up is false, Montreal was demoted from NASL to MLS when they finished last in the league. (Ok they finished second to last, but one must ignore that fact for the joke to work).
I feel the same way about this meme. The same type of language has appeared on their press releases. It simply irks me and prevents me from more readily supporting the team.
I get what you're saying, but what was the name of the league the Sounders played in Prior to joining MLS? Trouble remembering.
The USL first division, which promptly ceased to exist once the Sounders and their Cascadian Cousins got their sugar daddies and half of the remaining teams got sick of Marcos' bullshit. Then reorganized as the functional 3rd division by the USSF. Perhaps you should google it. The only USL Pro team that is moving to MLS is Orlando, and that has zero to do with USLPro as a league and everything to do with their ownership cutting a check to MLS LLC
It was a Division II league, if that helps. The Sounders never ever played in what is now USL Pro. It is disingenuous for people to perpetuate the canard. One -ONE - USL Pro team has moved up to MLS.
How many have moved up from the NASL? Can't we all just agree that they could be playing JV High School soccer, but if they had $100 million, they would be in the MLS, regardless of previous affiliation?
To be fair, Marcos had been pretty well marginalized by the time of the split, which was very much exacerbated by the sale of USL to NuRock instead of to Jeff Cooper. Because, really, how could Jeff Cooper miss?