Oklahoma City: Standing up for itself
Apparently, there are more Salt Lake Tribune readers in Oklahoma City than anybody ever knew.
How else to explain the e-mails that have come in all day from folks upset that I wrote the Jazz had no excuse for losing to the Thunder since Oklahoma City's about as dead as George Washington as far as NBA cities go?
Just for the record, I grew up outside of Washington, went to school in Chicago, lived for five years in Los Angeles and have been all over the country covering the NBA the last five seasons. So I feel qualified to weigh in on this subject.
All I know is that we've got the Sundance Film Festival going on in Park City this weekend, not to mention two members of the current Real World cast hail from Salt Lake City. We also had this thing you might have seen on NBC called the Winter Olympics back in 2002.
Oklahoma City? You've got the National Cowboy Museum, the two-block Bricktown District and all the Sonic burger you can eat and Dr. Pepper you can drink. Here's what an employee of the city government of Norman, Okla., wrote me today:
"We in Oklahoma City area expect bashing from New York City or Chicago or Los Angeles or SEATTLE. But for you, in your perch in SALT LAKE CITY, that bastion of distractions and night life (NOT!!!) to spout condescending drivel like you did shows your complete myopia and ignorance. The Jazz got their tails kicked by an up and coming team (I'm sure you haven't noticed, but the Thunder have been a .500 team over the last month), NOT "the worst team in the NBA". Maybe you should pull your head out of the mountains, out of the Mormon Tabernacle, out from watching the entire season of Big Love in your hotel room (see, other folks can be myopic, too) and out of your arse before you put your head in front of your computer to write ridiculous stories like this one."
To think, I actually drove to Norman on Tuesday to have dinner with one of our former Tribune interns at Blu. Won't make that mistake ever again!
Another gem: "You sir have no clue do you? OKC is a bigger city not completely frozen nor covered with snow this time of year and I have yet to meet a single Mormon here. Before you project your own inferiority complex on OKC at least have the slightest clue what you are talking about."
Since multiple people played the Mormon card, I'm just going to say that I'm not Mormon and the Jazz don't have an invocation before every game as the Thunder do. They also don't have a flag-waving rendition of the state song prior to tipoff, either.
On a serious note, it will be interesting to see whether Oklahoma City can support an NBA team as the country's 45th-largest market. According to Nielsen, Oklahoma City is a smaller market than Albuquerque-Santa Fe, N.M., and Birmingham, Ala. It's hard to fathom a city so small - - and, yes, Memphis and New Orleans both are smaller - - having the revenue streams to compete with teams in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
To all our readers in Oklahoma City, I have to say cheer up and stop worrying about what somebody writes about your city - - especially when they're just trying to prove a point about how the Jazz couldn't even blame distractions for Wednesday's loss, which might have been the case in South Beach.
--Ross Siler
How else to explain the e-mails that have come in all day from folks upset that I wrote the Jazz had no excuse for losing to the Thunder since Oklahoma City's about as dead as George Washington as far as NBA cities go?
Just for the record, I grew up outside of Washington, went to school in Chicago, lived for five years in Los Angeles and have been all over the country covering the NBA the last five seasons. So I feel qualified to weigh in on this subject.
All I know is that we've got the Sundance Film Festival going on in Park City this weekend, not to mention two members of the current Real World cast hail from Salt Lake City. We also had this thing you might have seen on NBC called the Winter Olympics back in 2002.
Oklahoma City? You've got the National Cowboy Museum, the two-block Bricktown District and all the Sonic burger you can eat and Dr. Pepper you can drink. Here's what an employee of the city government of Norman, Okla., wrote me today:
"We in Oklahoma City area expect bashing from New York City or Chicago or Los Angeles or SEATTLE. But for you, in your perch in SALT LAKE CITY, that bastion of distractions and night life (NOT!!!) to spout condescending drivel like you did shows your complete myopia and ignorance. The Jazz got their tails kicked by an up and coming team (I'm sure you haven't noticed, but the Thunder have been a .500 team over the last month), NOT "the worst team in the NBA". Maybe you should pull your head out of the mountains, out of the Mormon Tabernacle, out from watching the entire season of Big Love in your hotel room (see, other folks can be myopic, too) and out of your arse before you put your head in front of your computer to write ridiculous stories like this one."
To think, I actually drove to Norman on Tuesday to have dinner with one of our former Tribune interns at Blu. Won't make that mistake ever again!
Another gem: "You sir have no clue do you? OKC is a bigger city not completely frozen nor covered with snow this time of year and I have yet to meet a single Mormon here. Before you project your own inferiority complex on OKC at least have the slightest clue what you are talking about."
Since multiple people played the Mormon card, I'm just going to say that I'm not Mormon and the Jazz don't have an invocation before every game as the Thunder do. They also don't have a flag-waving rendition of the state song prior to tipoff, either.
On a serious note, it will be interesting to see whether Oklahoma City can support an NBA team as the country's 45th-largest market. According to Nielsen, Oklahoma City is a smaller market than Albuquerque-Santa Fe, N.M., and Birmingham, Ala. It's hard to fathom a city so small - - and, yes, Memphis and New Orleans both are smaller - - having the revenue streams to compete with teams in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
To all our readers in Oklahoma City, I have to say cheer up and stop worrying about what somebody writes about your city - - especially when they're just trying to prove a point about how the Jazz couldn't even blame distractions for Wednesday's loss, which might have been the case in South Beach.
--Ross Siler
10:07 PM
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13 Comments:
Just a couple of things you didn't mention about OKC.
45th Infantry Division Museum
50 Penn Place Gallery
a.k.a. Gallery
Adelante! Gallery/Studio
Adventure District
Antique Art Gallery
Art Fusion Studios
Art Glass Creations
Artisan 9
Artscape
ASA National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum
Avalon on Paseo
Avondale Galleries, Inc.
Ballet Oklahoma
Black Liberated Arts Center
Blue Sage Studios - Glassblowing
Bricktown Canal and Entertainment District
Canterbury Choral Society
Carpenter Square Theatre
Centennial Rodeo Opry
Chisholm's Club
City Arts Center at State Fair Park
Civic Center Music Hall
Coles Garden
Colonial Art Gallery
Contemporary Art Gallery
Crossbar Gallery
Darby Perrin Aviation Art
Dodson Galleries
Downtown OKC, Inc.
Express Ranches Clydesdale Center
Ford Center
Frontier City Theme Park
Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum
Gene Miller Gallery
Governor's Mansion
Greg Burns Fine Art and Framing
Harn Homestead Museum
Historic Stockyards City
Howell Gallery
In Your Eye Studio and Gallery
Indian City USA
Individual Artists of Oklahoma Gallery
International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
International Photography Hall of Fame
International Professional Rodeo Association
Istvan Gallery
Jewel Box Theatre
Joy Reed Belt Art at The Elms
Kirkpatrick Galleries
Lazy E Arena
Lovely Day Fine Art and Plants
Lyric Theatre
Matlock Studio
Melton Park Gallery
Mittee Cooper White House Gallery
MSB Art Gallery
Museum Cafe
Myriad Botanical Gardens and Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory
National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
National Reining Horse Association
Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra
Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre
Oklahoma City Theatre Company
Oklahoma City Zoo & Botanical Gardens
Oklahoma History Center
Oklahoma Indian Art Gallery
Oklahoma Land Run Monument
Oklahoma Museum of Telephone History
Oklahoma Native Art & Jewelry
Oklahoma Opera & Music Theater
Oklahoma Opry
Oklahoma Railway Museum
Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park
Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum
Old Trinity of Paseo
Orr Family Farm
Overholser Mansion
Paseo Art Space
Paseo Arts District
Paseo Pottery
Paseo Studio
Pickard Art Galleries
Prairie Dance Theatre Kirkpatrick Center
Red Earth Festival and Museum
Rodeo
Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
Science Museum Oklahoma
Sheplers
Southern Plains Indian Museum
Stage Center
State Capitol Complex
State Fair Park
State Fair Speedway
Studio Bleu
Studio Six
The G Design
The Rodeo Opry
The Studio Gallery
Theatre Upon a Star Dance Swan
Thomas Kinkade Signature Gallery - Penn Square
Thomas Kinkade Signature Gallery - Quail Springs
TinyLittle Art Gallery
U.S. Team Roping Championships
[ArtSpace]
UrbanSilk
Will Rogers Park and Horticultural Gardens
World Barrel Racing Futurity
World of Wings Pigeon Center
World Organization of China Painters Museum
Yellow Rose Theater
and that is just Arts and Culture. Yes, just like you guys, lots of Sonics and all the Dr. Pepper you can drink.
And, oh yeah, The Oklahoma City Thunder.
Hey Bud, you forgot to mention the amazing accolade of being one of the top 5 FATTEST cities in the country.
Salt Lake City is the fittest.
This post has been removed by the author.
World of Wings Pigeon Center
I must travel to see the pigeons.
You said,
"Salt Lake City is the fittest."
Uh-huh, I'm sure it is.
Ross. You rule. I woke up at 3 in the morning the other night, went to turn off my computer, decided to read your OKC post and it was great. And I wasn't even laughing at OKC. It was just a truthful, bent, cynical screed after a horrible loss and game. Awesome writing in every way.
How dare OKC get so indignant that an SLC writer say something? Utah is thoroughly mormon, it's true, SLC's not. And at the same time we're a world class travel destination. So, lighten up guys. OKC is what it is, and while I'm sure it has some redemptive and mysterious value for the people who live there, it's not like this is the first time your city's been criticized (100% objectively) by the media as being a boring place. And it's not the first time you've acted with such an apparent persecution-complex as part of your response. (lol at the phone book posted above me.)
Keep it up Ross. The Trib and SLC are lucky to have you.
SLC is the fittest city:
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11451858?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com
OKC is the 2nd fattest:
http://www.gadling.com/2009/01/16/miami-is-the-fattest-city-in-america-and-here-are-24-more/print/
Just saying.
As someone who was born in Oklahoma but raised in Utah, I can tell ya. Oklahoma is one giant Hell Hole. Im not Mormon, as is the case of almost 6 percent of salt lakers, but if i was, what would be wrong wiht that? Its better than the born again rednecks that inhabit the bible belt. id take a mormon over a fundamentalist christian any day of the week. listen, I love Oklahoma, but its got nothing on SLC. Mostly because the humidity is so bad there that you can hardly enjoy the summer, also the land is really, really ugly. Face the facts OKC, you dont compare to Seattle and you never will. That team will last 5 years there no more...mark my words.
"Mark my words"
Okay, I got them marked.
Okay, I am done. You guys take care up there in Salt Lake City. I do, I really do, want to come visit your city one day. I hear it is really beautiful. It is on my to do list.
Take care.
I'm a Salt Laker and I just want to say that Obama won the popular vote here (barely). In Park City it was 60/40. But in OKC's defense, they spawned the Flaming Lips. Also, SLC has an inferiority complex because it's not LA; OKC because it's not Dallas.
"...not to mention two members of the current Real World cast hail from Salt Lake City."
I guess I should apologize about my earlier comments to you. I was totally unaware that not just one, but TWO cast members of the Real World were from Salt Lake City. That certainly puts you on par with some of the world's great cities and I was wrong to think otherwise.
I'm afraid we Oklahoma Citians are sensitive about how others portray are city, because it's so easy to target.
The entertainment options (much less "Real World" participants) probably aren't as numerous or exciting as SLC's. They aren't as in-your-face obvious as the country's largest cities.
But there's a reason why OKC is the 12th fastest growing city in the US. It's a young city with a generally positive outlook on its future. Anybody with a good idea can be successful here if they are open to city's good qualities.
So instead of making a snap judgment about our city, ignore the kooks and find out what kind of community OKC really is. Talk to people who aren't status-conscious, and you'll see the very hidden charms of OKC life.
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