If Oklahoma City can get a NBA team.......WHY CANT JACKSONVILLE????

[KennyLovesJAX]

If you look at the stats....Jacksonville has a largest city and metro population. Jacksonville International Airport is larger than OKC's Will Rogers World Airport. Jacksonville has an overall larger advantage over Oklahoma City in just about every aspect. SO MY QUESTION IS.........WHY CANT JACKSONVILLE SUPPORT A NBA TEAM?!?

[ben says]

If you look at the stats....Jacksonville has a largest city and metro population. Jacksonville International Airport is larger than OKC's Will Rogers World Airport. Jacksonville has an overall larger advantage over Oklahoma City in just about every aspect. SO MY QUESTION IS.........WHY CANT JACKSONVILLE SUPPORT A NBA TEAM?!?

Gotta love the spirit...but the answer is obvious.

Where there's a will, there's a way. There's no will here for an NBA team right now. I think the sports topic on most people's mind is getting the Jags game full 8 times a year.

[fsquid]

what are the disposable income and corporate stats between the two?  OKC lucked out that they got to house the Hornets for 2 seasons after Katrina.

[thelakelander]

The same reason OKC will never get an NFL team.  Both of these markets can only support one major sports franchise at best.

[duvaldude08]

The same reason OKC will never get an NFL team.  Both of these markets can only support one major sports franchise at best.

Yup pretty much. At best, we possiably could a NBA D-leauge team. We could support something of that magnitude. But not an actual NBA, no. The Jags are it here for a long time.

[Anti redneck]

OKC got their chance when Katrina hit NO and they got to host the Hornets. People in OKC went crazy over the NBA. That's what Jacksonville needs is a big break like that. Here's the question: will NBA even consider Jacksonville after the media made it a poster child with the Jaguars? I'm sure people would come out to the games. Jacksonville just has a bad reputation of being a backwoods town overran by a megachurch.

[KenFSU]

It's still way too early to infer anything about NBA viability in Oklahoma City. Wayne Weaver referenced Jags attendance for the first few seasons as "artificial attendance," inflated by civic pride and initial excitement but ultimately unsustainable in a market our size. It's one thing to support a brand new championship caliber Thunder franchise with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka, it's another thing entirely to put 18,000 in the building against a losing, starless franchise for a Wednesday night game against the Raptors. Much larger markets like New Orleans, Philly, and Houston are having trouble filling seats as of late. With ticket prices as high as they are coupled with the current NBA business model, the only place the NBA makes sense in 2012 are big metros with huge population bases and strong corporate presence. It's nothing at all against Jax, would love to see it someday, but it just wouldn't work right now. I've never seen any indication this is a basketball city either.

[I-10east]

The same reason OKC will never get an NFL team.  Both of these markets can only support one major sports franchise at best.

+100

[David]

This does bring up a good question. What type of pro team would Jax land as it's 2nd? (For arguments sake let's just say we had a larger population base, same demographics as now.)  Personally I miss hockey, but judging by the attedance at the defunct lizard kings & barracudas, there's not too many hockey fans in town.

[I-10east]

The Oklahoma City Thunder has a weird arena name for the arena, Chesapeake Energy Arena (formerly Ford Center). The company Chesapeake Energy is a gas company that's actually based (and founded) in OKC; Apparently the company only has 'Chesapeake' in it because of the former president love of the Chesapeake Bay area; That makes 'perfect' sense.

[Ocklawaha]

OKC got their chance when Katrina hit NO and they got to host the Hornets. People in OKC went crazy over the NBA. That's what Jacksonville needs is a big break like that. Here's the question: will NBA even consider Jacksonville after the media made it a poster child with the Jaguars? I'm sure people would come out to the games. Jacksonville just has a bad reputation of being a backwoods town overran by a megachurch.

Yeah but your Analysis falls flat when one realizes that many... no, in fact, HUGE numbers of folks that attend that mega church are also JAGS season ticket holders. Personally I think the NBA would be a surprise winner here in Jacksonville, but do we have an NBA facility? This isn't about Baptist's, Hare Krishna's, or Nuwaubianism, it's about 'CITY,' what 'CITY' is and what 'CITY' does!

Being about half Okie myself, I might add that Oklahoma is an intensive sports crazy state. Years of declining population, farm and ranch failures, and oil and coal industry up's and down's have taken their toll. Hundred's of small towns are all but vacant across the state, towns that held 20,000-30,000 people during the great oil booms, hold out with 500-1,000 today.
A result of all of this has been a rabid support of local sports, 6 man and 8 man football, basketball, baseball, you name it, if the gate's are open, 499 out of 500 people in town are in the stands. Win or lose these die-hards refuse to quit and small town sports are about all that is left for them.

Add to this an amazing migration into the few largest city's in the state, and of course OKC being dead center, and a major cross roads of interstates, pipelines and rail, it's a winning formula for them. Add to this the MAPS, MAPS FOR KIDS and the new MAPS 3 projects... Projects which were similar to 'Better Jacksonville' but have been followed through to completion. See the short video: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-maps-out-big-plans/article/3402004  Jacksonville, is my home, and the nearest thing to a 'home town' that I've ever known, my Jacksonville pride runs deep, but having served on City Council in Oklahoma, I can tell you they are pulling away from us faster then a tornado rolling through a trailer park.

Don't tie your wagon to the OKC's is just like JAX'es horse partner, 'cause this horse won't pull. We are years apart.

OCKLAWAHA
GO POKES!

[mtraininjax]

The Jags are it here for a long time.

Money talks and who is to say, you or me, if someone walks in with 500 million and wants to bring the NBA to Jax, it could happen.

[jerry cornwell]

This does bring up a good question. What type of pro team would Jax land as it's 2nd? (For arguments sake let's just say we had a larger population base, same demographics as now.)  Personally I miss hockey, but judging by the attedance at the defunct lizard kings & barracudas, there's not too many hockey fans in town.

Basketball. For arguments sake. One thing to think about with professional basketball, a lot of spectators will come (and root for)  the star(s) of the opposing teams. Like with the NJ Nets of the 90s. Even Jacksonville would sell out when Kobe et al comes to town. The Nets MVP was their VP of promotion who gave out a 5 game bundle of Jordan, Barkley, Ewing, ect.
Could be the same for Jax . This probably works in smaller markets like OK city, Sacremento, ect.
And NJ, LA Clippers.... I havent been to NBA since those Nets. But Id definitely check out ONE Jax NBA game!!!
Then Id be addicted!
:-)

[Anti redneck]

OKC got their chance when Katrina hit NO and they got to host the Hornets. People in OKC went crazy over the NBA. That's what Jacksonville needs is a big break like that. Here's the question: will NBA even consider Jacksonville after the media made it a poster child with the Jaguars? I'm sure people would come out to the games. Jacksonville just has a bad reputation of being a backwoods town overran by a megachurch.

Yeah but your Analysis falls flat when one realizes that many... no, in fact, HUGE numbers of folks that attend that mega church are also JAGS season ticket holders. Personally I think the NBA would be a surprise winner here in Jacksonville, but do we have an NBA facility? This isn't about Baptist's, Hare Krishna's, or Nuwaubianism, it's about 'CITY,' what 'CITY' is and what 'CITY' does!

Being about half Okie myself, I might add that Oklahoma is an intensive sports crazy state. Years of declining population, farm and ranch failures, and oil and coal industry up's and down's have taken their toll. Hundred's of small towns are all but vacant across the state, towns that held 20,000-30,000 people during the great oil booms, hold out with 500-1,000 today.
A result of all of this has been a rabid support of local sports, 6 man and 8 man football, basketball, baseball, you name it, if the gate's are open, 499 out of 500 people in town are in the stands. Win or lose these die-hards refuse to quit and small town sports are about all that is left for them.

Add to this an amazing migration into the few largest city's in the state, and of course OKC being dead center, and a major cross roads of interstates, pipelines and rail, it's a winning formula for them. Add to this the MAPS, MAPS FOR KIDS and the new MAPS 3 projects... Projects which were similar to 'Better Jacksonville' but have been followed through to completion. See the short video: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-maps-out-big-plans/article/3402004  Jacksonville, is my home, and the nearest thing to a 'home town' that I've ever known, my Jacksonville pride runs deep, but having served on City Council in Oklahoma, I can tell you they are pulling away from us faster then a tornado rolling through a trailer park.

Don't tie your wagon to the OKC's is just like JAX'es horse partner, 'cause this horse won't pull. We are years apart.

OCKLAWAHA
GO POKES!

Ock, read closely. Jacksonville "has a reputation of being a backwoods town overran by a megachurch". Sadly, why the BJP could not follow through baffles me. And since the media has bashed in the Jaguars, it's going to be even harder to get another professional sports team here. It's sad, because I think the reason for the small attendance is just not winning. That's always the main reason for poor attendance for any team with any sport. I think an NBA team would do well in Jacksonville. I think there's enough basketball fans to pull it off.

[cline]

Yeah but your Analysis falls flat when one realizes that many... no, in fact, HUGE numbers of folks that attend that mega church are also JAGS season ticket holders.

Are they the club seat ticket holders?  The ones who don't show up for the games.