DALLAS, Texas — Last July, after the Seattle Supersonics announced they were moving the team to Oklahoma, the NBA crowned Oklahoma City “ The Next Big Thing. ”
In a city with over 1,300,000 residents in the Oklahoma City metro area and a state of the art 20,000 seat arena, The Ford Center, built by the City of Oklahoma at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, you can understand why the city is marketing and recruiting to upgrade their tenants.
Having said that, here is why an AHL team will be in Oklahoma City next season, Economics. No, not just because of the current economy, but because it makes good, all around business sense to put an AHL team there.
Let’s start with these indicators. The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently a last place team in the NBA with no prospects to be a playoff bound team in the distant future, yet they draw an average of 18,500 fans per game. The Oklahoma City Blazers professional hockey team, play in an “entertainment league,” 3 levels down from the major league level, the NHL. And they average 8,000 to 10,000 per game through the 2007-2008 season. What this tells us is that the sports fans of Oklahoma City are downright supportive of their professional teams and hungry for a winner.
Secondly, Demographics. The cost of doing business in the Oklahoma City area versus the greater Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit and Chicago areas (where most AHL teams are based) is lower and more cost effective.
For one, the fixed costs for Oklahoma City are lower. Salaries of office administration, front office personnel, hockey operations (coaches, trainers, equipment managers), and even the players will be lower, because it is cheaper and much more affordable to live in a great city like Oklahoma City.
Third is Geography. The fixed costs will be lower because of the geography and placement of other franchises. With the Dallas Stars moving their AHL team to Austin, along with the Minnesota Wild’s, Houston Aeros and the Phoenix Coyotes’ San Antonio Rampage, all in Texas and all within a good bus ride of Oklahoma City, there exists the potential for some serious regional rivalries and lower air and hotel expenses.
In addition, Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers International Airport is a major market airport with plenty of cheap, non-stop air links to other major and secondary market cities. This will be especially important when a player gets the last-minute call up to the “The Show.”
Finally, which AHL team would be available for Oklahoma City?
Well it has been said that last July an Edmonton Oilers contingent was in Oklahoma City for a few days. The Oilers own a dormant AHL franchise, The Edmonton Roadrunners, and they are exploring, as part of their organizational development program, possibly restarting their franchise. Besides, the NHL teams of the Rampage, Aeros and Stars and other AHL West Division opponents are all in the NHL Western Conference.
Another possibility is the Philadelphia Phantoms franchise. The Spectrum is being torn down at the end of this season. Where are they going to play next season? It will be hard to have the Sixers, Flyers and Phantom all in the Wachovia Center.
Contact the author at: info@blackingtonsportsmgmt.com. Editor’s note: While the Dallas Stars have plans to put an AHL team in Cedar Park (Austin area), TX, they no longer own an AHL franchise. There are rumors that they, too have communicated with the Edmonton Oilers to discuss purchasing their defunct AHL franchise and moving it to Cedar Park.
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