New Orleans Gets Visitation
The Hornets will play several games in New Orleans, the first of which will be Wednesday, March 8. All indications are the tickets will sell out, despite the reconstruction effort. Or perhaps because of it. If anyone deserves a break, a glimmer of hope and a diversion for only a couple of hours, it's the city of New Orleans.A recent poll on NewsOK.com confirmed exactly what I told the person that e-mailed me. The vast majority of residents in Oklahoma City have tremendous sympathy for New Orleans and want the Hornets to do well there, even if it means our city ends up losing the team.
That's not easy to say, though, and it represents a dilemma between our own self interests and our compassion, never a good set of qualities to be dueling. Far too often, self interests win out, especially in situations where it's easy to say, "Can you blame us?"
A Full-Blown Love Affair
It all comes back to that little crush, that attachment we've formed with the puppy we took off the streets. Although now, it has turned into a widespread, genuine affection. And that only complicates the matter.Eventually, Oklahoma City will likely have to bid goodbye to the Hornets, suck it up and wish them well on their way back to New Orleans. That won't be forced on us by David Stern or George Shinn. It'll be mandated by the absolute necessity to avoid the alternative, a battle of perception between two cities that OKC can't win.
Think about it. Let's pose a hypothetical in which the NBA, for one reason or another, changes it's long-standing, somewhat tentative position and grants the Hornets to Oklahoma City as a permanent move. The NBA and New Orleans' owner George Shinn will only shoulder a bit of the blame. Cynical as it is, they're expected to put money ahead of all else. They're businessmen, and they wouldn't be where they are if they weren't forced to put aside their sympathies from time to time, right?
But Oklahoma City... In a strange twist of logic, the city almost has more of a "face" in this matter than Stern or Shinn. A CEO is a type, regardless of whether it looks like George Shinn. But a city is a collection of people that thrives on its image. Earn a reputation and time works slowly in any effort to change it.
Keeping the Hornets would do wonders for our economy in the short term. There's no doubt about that. But is that the image we want to project? It would take the marketing spinmeisters working overtime, making the acceptance appear in every way to be reluctant and sympathetic, for OKC to emerge unscathed. And frankly, I don't have that much faith in the Oklahoma PR staff, if we even have one.
Solutions Are Shades of Gray
None of this means there's not a solution, though. It only means that a much greater effort of consideration is needed on Oklahoma City's part as we move forward. We must avoid this battle altogether, step out of our position as silent "chips falling where they may" participant.Oklahoma City needs to hire that PR staff, if they haven't already, and give them a nice big office in New Orleans. Our city, after horrors we've suffered in the past, is in a rare position. We can somewhat relate to efforts of rebuilding. Our destruction was caused by man rather than nature, but we understand pain of losing our own.
We need to be right by their side in everything, not just opening our doors for the Hornets. Over the next year, Oklahoma City needs to make an impact in the renaissance of the Big Easy. If we do that, there is no longer a batte and everything else takes care of itself.
It's not simply stay or go as the solution for the Hornets. There are variations. One of them would be for Oklahoma City to keep the Hornets, and New Orleans to get an expansion team when the city is back where it was. Another would be for us to bid Chris Paul and company adieu, knowing the NBA has its eye on us for an expansion team. Although it will be difficult for OKC to fall in love again, we'll do so if need be.
What we absolutely cannot do is to continue to ignore the problem, dismiss the rantings of the type I received by e-mail. While that e-mail came across more as blindly swinging fists, the emotions behind it are real and likely prevalent in New Orleans. As time passes, those emotions are going to grow stronger and the voices from Louisiana louder.
If Oklahoma City ignores it and just sits back to watch a Desmond Mason dunk with a confident grin, the situation will grow more impossible with each passing day. And frankly, sports just aren't that important.
