Seems Tulsa is getting alot of press... OKC is now the one meeting "behind closed doors" in Dallas... Tulsa's Chamber of Commerce ponied up $107,500... the city council voted to approve another $107,500 from an economic improvement fund. The city fund has strings attached. The COC $$$ is going to be used as a politically correct way to fund a $100,000 feasability study by a Dallas based group for franchise/stadium location. It's being billed as a $215,000 fund to study a variety of projects-- avoiding the appearance of government $$$ being used "for the mayor's soccer stadium." On another thread here, season ticket request forms for Tulsa are being distributed to at least the adult soccer leagues in Tulsa. Tulsa has a huge soccer park in the Catoosa area called Valley Park. That facility, though not suggested as a location for a stadium, has publically stated they would like to be the training/possible reserve facility for a professional team. Tulsa's gonna try to thread the needle on a public/private "partnership" for stadium and franchise... still no publically identified O/Is... think any investors are still taking a "wait and see" approach...
So what's the latest on OKC and MLS? It's been a little while since I've heard anything. Mike? Any info?
Anyone hear something about the Dallas team moving to OK???? Serious question - but absolutely no inside information re this - just taking a hint from one person who purports to "know someone"
I don't think that Dallas is going to relocate their team to OKC. I also hope that they don't either. I think that even without an I/O, MLS is still committed to the Metroplex. It would hurt anything though if they could get out of the Cotton Bowl. A great venue to watch games at it is not. It's old and built for much smaller people then today's breed. Every time I go down there for OU/Texas I come back with bruised knees from those seats. And be careful if it rains because the water doesn't seem to like to drain away. Now, if we could get the Quakes to relocate to OKC, then we might really have something.
MLS might do some dumb things, but moving the Burn to OKC isn't one of them. No one trades a metro region of 5 million for a metro region that is less than a quarter the size. Not when Garber's priority is expanding the national footprint, and the Burn had the best year ever on the business side. Besides, the day after the Burn have a stadium deal signed, Lamar will buy the team.
Preach on brother. I would always sit away from the crowd so I could spread out a little. Fortunately, for me, the Burn games provided lots of space to spread out. I can't imagine being there when the place is packed. It would be worse than an airplane flight.
No. MLS already did a dumb thing by putting a team in Dallas that has failed to attract local ownership in 7 years. It's no mistake that Hunt owns KC and Columbus but has stopped short on Dallas. After the failure of McKinney, I think something has to happen soon in Big D (new stadium, new owner other than Hunt) to keep the team from moving or being contracted... Garber said the league will no longer have ownerless franchises... If OKC has an owner and new stadium and Dallas proves to not be interested in either, move 'em... then expand to Philly/Houston/Seattle... there are still HUGE market cities MLS can go to rather than defend the status quo in Dallas.
wich owner will take the task??... or please explain me this.. who will buil them a stadium??? please is so easy say relocate... but its too hard to do that
Oh, and San Jose was a move of brilliance? Tampa Bay? Miami with their crap owner? Houston and Philly could have been in the league years ago if, over the last 7 years, they had attracted an owner. Now pardon me, I'll go enjoy looking at the Brimstone Cup in my living room. Reasoning with a goon fan...oxymoron.
Originally posted by Viking64 Oh, and San Jose was a move of brilliance? Tampa Bay? Miami with their crap owner? Houston and Philly could have been in the league years ago if, over the last 7 years, they had attracted an owner. And thank you for proving my point... SJ has ownership and a stadium to play in that is far better than the Cotton Bowl... if you didn't notice, Tampa and Miami LOST THEIR TEAMS... Now pardon me, I'll go enjoy looking at the Brimstone Cup in my living room. ...hopefully as much as I enjoyed the Burn getting eliminated by the Rapids... Reasoning with a goon fan...oxymoron. Typical Texan. Dallas is just too big to ignore... YAWN... Excuses, excuses... moving or contracting an ownerless, stadium-less Dallas franchise has nothing to do with me being a Fire fan... in fact, I am THE LAST PERSON who'd want to see the Dallas franchise moved to become the "Oklahoma Burn"... but it has everthing to do with these facts: Miami (crap owner) and Tampa (no owner) were contracted. San Jose HAS ownership... hello? You try to make the argument that there's no reason Dallas SHOULDN'T have a team... I make the argument that there's no reason Dallas SHOULD have a team. Dallas escaped contraction despite consistently poor attendance and NO OWNERSHIP... we were told last year, though, that ownership WILL be found and that there'd be a new SSS in McKinney... it never happened... and again this year, we're supposed to believe one of the "3 or 4" investor groups that will attend MLS Cup will actually be from Dallas? Hunt himself was quoted in an interview last month (Tulsa World) in which he described the officials in Ft.W/Dallas as "a bunch of tire kickers"... it's no wonder he owns small market teams in Columbus and KC but has stayed out of the huge market in Dallas (and home of his alma mater SMU)... Garber has publicly stated there will no longer be teams without owners in MLS. In other words, unless stadium issues/ownership problem is solved, Dallas may not perpetually have a team... sorry to ignore such a large market as Big D, but, hey... the track record for ownerless franchises in MLS is not particularly good to begin with... given the SEVEN FRIGGIN' YEARS a city with the wealth and resources Dallas/FtW has been given, you'd think this problem would have been solved or at least the stadium issue could at least be settled... Cotton Bowl and Mile High were the worst venues when I went to games (haven't been to Arrowhead yet), Denver has "St. Phil", a brand new stadium, and has turned it around with the highest attendance in the league this year... what's happened in Dallas?... Nada... diddley... squat... Columbus and LA are set. Boston has the Krafts and play in a new NFL stadium. NYC is NYC. DC is successful. Denver turned it around with the top attendance in MLS this year. The rest (SJ, KC, Dallas) are very expendable... maybe MLS has trouble attracting investors for expansion because they're told they'd be flippin' the bill for ownerless franchises--SEE DALLAS... The bottom line is: NO CITY DESERVES A TEAM JUST BECAUSE OF ITS SIZE... That said, I hope Dallas gets and owner and a stadium deal... THAT is what MLS needs, not empty promises and games with little/no atmosphere...
Originally posted by Viking64 MLS might do some dumb things, but moving the Burn to OKC isn't one of them. No one trades a metro region of 5 million for a metro region that is less than a quarter the size. Trivia question: Where did the L.A. Rams move to?
Originally posted by NACIONAL wich owner will take the task??... or please explain me this.. who will buil them a stadium??? please is so easy say relocate... but its too hard to do that I don't think of it like that. If MLS is going to expand by 2 or 4 teams and cities like Seattle, Houston, and Philly already have suitable stadiums, a move may be preferable to expansion. Most of the time when a team is "moved" it's done by that franchises' owner and some of the team's players/personell stay the same. Example: Express Sports of OKC takes ownership of the Dallas Burn and moves the team to Edmond after the new stadium gets built. This is extremely unlikely. If Dallas stays in MLS without an owner and/or acceptable stadium situation, it is more likely the league would simply "contract" it much like the ownerless franchise in Tampa. There is no talk of that... yet. Only baseless rumor.