Oklahoma City Thunder? Ugh.
Case Closed has a better idea for the new Oklahoma City NBA team name.
September 2, 2008
By Case Keefer
The Oklahoma City NBA franchise plans to unveil its team name and colors in a ceremony tomorrow with owner Clay Bennett.
All indicators point toward the name being revealed as the ‘Oklahoma City Thunder’, as an Oklahoma City television station first reported months ago. Yawn. ‘Thunder’ just isn’t a good team name.
First of all, it’s unoriginal. There’s a team called the Oklahoma Thunder that plays in the World Football League in nearby Tulsa. The Wichita Thunder, a minor-league hockey franchise, are stationed just two hours up I-35 from the Ford Center, where the NBA team will play. The Trenton Thunder, a minor-league baseball team, round out the trifecta of professional sports teams called the Thunder.
Thunder just doesn’t fit the situation. By allowing Bennett to shut down the Seattle Supersonics and bring the team to Oklahoma City, the NBA demonstrated its desire to bring professional basketball back to the middle of the country. The game has been virtually ignored around here for years in favor of college basketball, but that’s about to change.
So give the team a name with some Midwestern flair. Thunder isn’t exclusive to the region. It’s everywhere. ESPN reported the other finalists for the team name are Energy, Wind, Barons, Marshalls and Bison.
Energy and Wind are even worse than Thunder and not worth talking about. But consider the other three names – Barons, Marshalls and Bison. All three seem to fit the situation more effectively.
I’d vote for Bison. When I think of Oklahoma, I think of bison. It would also allow for a color scheme different from the other teams in the NBA.
But does the team name really matter in the long run? Before jumping to conclusions, consider the two NBA franchises with the worst attendance numbers last season – the Memphis Grizzlies and the Indiana Pacers. Those two franchises, in my opinion, also hold two of the worst team names.
The only place in eastern Tennessee to see grizzlies is at the Memphis Zoo. No one even knows what a Pacer is – it even took me numerous Google searches to find an explanation. No wonder fans have a tough time embracing those teams.
No one wants that to happen in Oklahoma City. Trash Thunder, Mr. Bennett. Pick Bison.
Discussion
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It's at least better than Oklahoma City Bombers.
Hey Case, great call on the Thunder being a terrible nick name. It's going to be the worst in the NBA by far. Here's an idea for a name I heard on the radio. Instead of going by Oklahoma City then some nickname. The team should be called The Oklahoma "City." Get it, City would be its nickname. I think it would be pretty sweet. Also, I actually like the name Pacer. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the Indy 500. A Pacer is the pace car -- at least I think that's what it means.
Not only is the name laughable, but the NBA has done a terrible job keeping the it under wraps. The Magic released their schedule about a week ago listing a game against the aforementioned Thunder. I don't know much about Oklahoma City, but I'm told the first Casa Bonita was opened there. So they got that going for them. Which is nice.
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