Oklahoma City is home to several professional sports teams, including the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Thunder is the city's second "permanent" major professional sports franchise after the now-defunct AFL

Oklahoma Wranglers The Oklahoma Wranglers were a professional arena football team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They were members of the Central (1996–1997) and Western (1998–2001) Division of the American Conference of the Arena Football League (AFL). ...

and is the third major-league team to call the city home when considering the temporary hosting of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets for the 2005–06 and 2006–07 NBA seasons. Other notable professional sports clubs in Oklahoma City include the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Crusaders of Oklahoma Rugby Football Club USA Rugby

Venues

Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City is the large multipurpose arena which hosts concerts, NHL exhibition games, and many of the city's pro sports teams. In 2008, the Oklahoma City Thunder became the major tenant. Located nearby in Bricktown, the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is the home to the city's baseball team, the Dodgers. "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 (where Blue home games are held), the

State Fair Arena The W. F. "Bill" Harris State Fair Arena (called Bill Harris Arena or Fair Park Arena) is a 5,000-seat multipurpose indoor arena located at the Alabama State Fairgrounds. The arena is used primarily for basketball, but also hosts concerts and oth ...

(which will be demolished September 2022), Taft Stadium, USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, and

Abe Lemons Arena Abe Lemons Arena is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of Oklahoma City University in Uptown Oklahoma City. It is the home arena of the OCU Stars athletic teams, and in 2007 was to be home to the Oklahoma City Cavalry of the Continental Bask ...

which is located at

Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and doctor ...

. MacArthur Park Raceway is an internationally recognized raceway in Oklahoma City.

Basketball

Hornets

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their home ...

) temporarily relocated to the venue then known as Ford Center, playing the majority of its home games there during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. The team became the first NBA franchise to play regular-season games in the state of Oklahoma. The team was known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets while playing in Oklahoma City and had adopted a split personality of sorts, wearing 'KC neutral' home jerseys (with an KC patch of sorts over an H-alternate jersey) and 'New Orleans' jerseys during away games. Although some city officials wanted the Hornets to stay in Oklahoma City permanently, the team ultimately returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007–08 season. The Hornets played their final home game in Oklahoma City during the exhibition season on October 9, 2007, against the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Divisio ...

, as a way to say thanks for the temporary hosting. The 'hometown Hornets' won the game 94–92.

Thunder

On July 2, 2008, the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conf ...

franchise announced the team would relocate to Oklahoma City, and begin play at the city's sports arena (then known as the Ford Center) starting with the 2008–09

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United ...

season. On July 2, the city of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

settled with the ownership group of the SuperSonics franchise, allowing them to move the team immediately. As part of the settlement, the SuperSonics name, logos, and colors were left in Seattle for any use by a future expansion or relocated team in Seattle. The franchise history would be shared between the hypothetical team and the Thunder. The relocated team was named the Oklahoma City Thunder and color scheme for the Oklahoma City Thunder was announced on September 3. Other name finalists for the relocated team included "Energy", "Wind", "Marshalls", "Barons", and "Bison". With a 28–2 vote by its Board of Governors, on April 18, 2008, the NBA had provided conditional approval for the franchise to move to Oklahoma City for the 2008–09 season provided the ownership could free themselves from the legal challenges that existed with the city of Seattle. On July 2, 2008, the city of Seattle reached an agreement to terminate the Sonics' lease and allow the team to relocate to Oklahoma City. Clay Bennett determined that as of July 3, 2008 the relocation of the now-defunct Seattle SuperSonics would commence. The team was the fourth NBA franchise to relocate since 1985; the

Kansas City Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

moved to

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, the

Vancouver Grizzlies The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1995, along w ...

to Memphis and the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Los Angeles Lakers. In 2012, the team made it to the playoff finals, but lost their championship opportunity to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. According to Forbes, the first year the team was in Oklahoma City, the Thunder earned $111,000,000 in revenue. This is considered to be an overwhelming success and ranks them in the 20th position in the NBA. The team's operating income of $12.7 million was on par with such veteran NBA franchises as the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

, who earned $12.9 million and far exceeding the net operating losses of the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. The ...

and the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

of -$17.4 and -$20.3 respectively.

Soccer

Two sides have emerged in the race for an Oklahoma City professional soccer team. On July 2, 2013, 3rd division USL Pro awarded a franchise to Prodigal LLC, an OKC-based event management company. Prodigal has partnered with ADG in building a 7,000 seat soccer-specific stadium, with the ability to expand to 20,000 to meet MLS standards. Prodigal CEO Bob Funk Jr stated, "We look forward to working with ADG to design a stadium that can serve the needs of our USL PRO team, and also expand based on our long-term goal of bringing an MLS team to Oklahoma City." On July 25, 2013, 2nd division NASL awarded a franchise to Sold Out Strategies, led by Brad Lund. As a result, USL sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sold Out Strategies who, in turn, countered with a lawsuit. OKC Pro Soccer LLC businessman Tim McLaughlin now manages the NASL franchise. Both the NASL and USL Pro teams battled for Taft Stadium access to begin their first season. The Oklahoma City School Board awarded the Taft Stadium lease agreement to the NASL franchise. Since USL Pro holds a player development agreement with MLS, Prodigal Director of Entertainment Darren Ransely noted, "For Oklahoma City, bringing USL Pro is a conjugate path for the future to bring in a MLS team." As the battle between the 2 sides continue, NASL team leader McLaughlin added, "It will be up to the community to decide." The

Oklahoma City Energy FC Oklahoma City Energy Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The club is a member of the USL Championship, the second division of the American soccer league system. History Oklahoma City businessm ...

began play in USL Pro, since rebranded as the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

, in Spring 2014. Rayo OKC began play in the NASL Spring 2016 season, but folded after the NASL's 2016 fall season.

Other sporting events

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 Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...

. The city has held the 2005 NCAA Men's Basketball

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

and

Second round The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds eac ...

and hosted the

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...

Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments in 2007 and 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 Remington Park is a horse racing track and casino located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Built in 1988 by Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., it was the first world-class pari-mutuel track in Oklahoma. Since 2010, Global Gaming RP has owned and operated the ...

and numerous

horse show A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longe ...

s 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).

Metropolitan area collegiate sports

Oklahoma City is host to numerous major college and amateur sporting events. The major universities in the area – the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

(located within the metropolitan area in

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

(located in the city proper), and

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

– 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 The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

during the 2007 athletic season.

Collegiate teams

Current metropolitan area teams

Former teams

Oklahoma City was home to the following defunct sports teams: * Bricktown Brawlers:

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams am ...

(2010–11) *

New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans on August 29, 2005, and caused extensive damage to the New Orleans Arena. As a result, the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s New Orleans Hornets were unable to play any home games at t ...

: National Basketball Association (2005–07) *

Oklahoma City Alliance Oklahoma City Alliance were a soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that competed in the USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes sever ...

: Southwest Indoor Soccer League/United States Interregional Soccer League (1996–98) *

Oklahoma City Barons The Oklahoma City Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team's first season was 2010–11. They played their home games at the Cox Convention Center, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. History On February 9 ...

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(2010–15) * Oklahoma City Blazers (original franchise):

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

(1965–77) * Oklahoma City Blazers (second franchise):

(1992–2009) * Oklahoma City Cavalry:

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

(1990–97 and 2007–09) *Oklahoma City Coyotes: Roller Hockey International (1995–97) *Oklahoma City Dolls: All-woman American Football League (1976–82) * Oklahoma City FC:

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

(2013) and

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the U ...

(2014); attempted to join the Division II North American Soccer League for 2015 but never fielded a team *

Oklahoma City Indians The Oklahoma City Indians was the primary name of an American professional baseball team representing Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, from 1904 though 1957, except for 1913 and three seasons during World War II. The team played in several different min ...

: Texas League Minor League Baseball (1909–57) * Oklahoma City Lightning:

Women's Football Alliance The Women's Football Alliance (WFA) is a professional full-contact Women's American football tackle minor league that began play in 2009. It is the largest 11-on-11 football league for women in the world, and the longest running active women's ...

(2002–08 and 2010–11) * Oklahoma City Roller Derby:

Women's Flat Track Derby Association The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is the international governing body for the sport of women's flat track roller derby, and association of leagues around the world. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Co ...

(2006–16; merged with the Oklahoma Victory Dolls in 2017) *

Oklahoma City Slickers The Oklahoma City Slickers was the name given to two different American soccer clubs based in Oklahoma City. The first team competed in the second American Soccer League in 1982 and 1983, and as the Oklahoma City Stampede in the United Soccer L ...

: American Soccer League (1982–83) /

(1984–85, as the

Oklahoma City Stampede The Oklahoma City Slickers was the name given to two different American soccer clubs based in Oklahoma City. The first team competed in the second American Soccer League in 1982 and 1983, and as the Oklahoma City Stampede in the United Soccer Lea ...

) *Oklahoma City Spirit: Lone Star Soccer Alliance (1989–93) *

Oklahoma City Stars The Oklahoma City Stars are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma City University, located in Oklahoma City, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (N ...

: Central Hockey League (1978–82) *Oklahoma City Warriors (ice hockey): American Hockey Association (1933–36) * Oklahoma City Warriors (soccer): Southwest Indoor Soccer League/United States Interregional Soccer League (1986–96) * Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz:

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(2004–09) *

: Arena Football League (2000–2001) * Rayo OKC: North American Soccer League (2015–16)

References

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