Oklahoma City - Sports

Sports

On July 3, 2008 the city of Seattle settled with the owners of the NBA Seattle SuperSonics franchise, allowing them to move the team to Oklahoma City for the 2008–2009 season. The relocated team was named the Oklahoma City Thunder on September 3, 2008. The move gave the city its second 'permanent' major professional sports team after the AFL Oklahoma Wranglers. The Oklahoma City Thunder is the third major team overall, considering the temporary hosting of the NBA New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets from 2005–2007.

Oklahoma City is home to several other professional sports clubs including the Oklahoma City RedHawks, a Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. Other teams include the Oklahoma City Barons of the American Hockey League, which plays at Cox Convention Center.

Chesapeake Energy Arena in downtown is the large multipurpose arena which hosts concerts, NHL exhibition games, and many of the city's pro sports teams. In the 2008 the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder became the major tenants. Located nearby in Bricktown, the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is the home to the city's baseball team. The Brick, as it is locally known, is considered one of the finest minor league parks in the nation.

There are several other stadiums and arenas in the city, including the arena inside the Cox Convention Center, the State Fair Arena, Taft Stadium, the Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium, and Abe Lemons Arena which is located at Oklahoma City University.

Oklahoma City is host to numerous major college and amateur sporting events. The major universities in the area – (University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, and Oklahoma State University) – often schedule major basketball games and other sporting events at Chesapeake Energy Arena, although most games are played in their campus arenas.

The Oklahoma City University Stars has a slate of sporting clubs which play on campus including a top-rated rowing program which has events on the Oklahoma River. Of special note, the university had announced its desire to possibly enter the NCAA during the 2007 athletic season.

Oklahoma City is the annual host of the Big 12 Baseball Tournament, the World Cup of Softball, and the annual NCAA Women's College World Series. The city has held the 2005 NCAA Men's Basketball First and Second round and hosted the Big 12 Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments in 2007; the city will be the site again in 2009. Since 2006, Oklahoma City has been home to the annual Bricktown Showdown Triple-A Baseball Championship game.

Other major sporting events include Thoroughbred and Quarter horse racing circuits at Remington Park and numerous horse shows and equine events that take place at the state fairgrounds each year. There are numerous golf courses and country clubs spread around the city in addition to tennis clubs and high school level sporting activities including the well known "Polo Bowl" between Casady School (Cyclones) and Heritage Hall School (Chargers).