The Economic and Social Impacts of the Oklahoma City Thunder

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In overtime, behind and with little time on the clock Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook sinks an off balanced three and pushes the Thunder past the Golden State Warriors 113-112. This happened on November 29th, 2013 but 9 years prior this was all a dream of the people in Oklahoma City. It all started on August 29, 2005 when hurricane Katrina released hell on New Orleans. Most of New Orleans was destroyed by flood waters. This caused the New Orleans Hornets to temporarily relocate to Oklahoma City. They played in Oklahoma City for two seasons before New Orleans was able to host them again. These two seasons created national attention toward Oklahoma City for the great fan base and prospective city for a new team. A group of Oklahoma City investors led by Clay Bennett buy the Sonics franchise. After the 2007-2008 season the Seattle Super Sonics file relocation papers to relocate to Oklahoma City. When they get to Oklahoma City they are renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Moving of the Seattle Super Sonics to Oklahoma City and the creation of the Oklahoma City Thunder have brought many positive impacts to the Oklahoma City metro and to the entire state of Oklahoma both economically and socially. The creation of the Oklahoma City Thunder has had huge economic effects on the local and state economies. According to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, each thunder home game puts $1.3 million dollars into the local economy, every season there are 41 home games, which equals around $53.3 million dollars per season. Jordan Wiley, general manager of Leon’s on Brookside, says “Thunder games have created a generous boost in sales…Thunder games held on weekends can double sales. A Thunder game held during the week can triple sales. (... ... middle of paper ... ...ally. It has brought positive impacts in the form of a renewed downtown area, a boost in the local economy, and help with major and minor natural disasters. Some negatives are losses in tax revenue and an increase in crime. Works Cited Bailey, Brianna. "Thunder Wins Award for Economic Impact." N.p., n.d. Web. Curry, Julie. "Thunder Teams up for School Fitness." n.d.: n. pag. Web. Guarini, Drew. "Oklahoma City Thunder Changed Business For Oklahoma City, Seattle." The Huffington Post. N.p., 15 June 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. Holt, David. Big League City: Oklahoma City's Rise to the NBA. Oklahoma City, OK: Full Circle, 2012. Print. Lackmeyer, Steve. "Thunder Economic Impact Estimate Tops $64 Million for the Current Season." N.p., n.d. Web. "The OKC Thunder Help to Boost Sales at Local Restaurants." Fox23.com. N.p., 5 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.

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