Menu
Franchises

AHL Barons Working To Boost Attendance, Build Brand In Oklahoma City

The AHL Oklahoma City Barons are last in the 30-team league in attendance, averaging "around 3,500 fans a game," raising the question on whether Triple-A hockey can "succeed in a market dominated by an elite NBA team (the Thunder) and two prominent Division I college programs," according to Michael Baldwin of the OKLAHOMAN. The team is an Oilers affiliate, and there is a "misconception that because of lagging attendance," the NHL franchise will "move its Triple-A team out of Oklahoma City when a five-year deal ends in 2015." Both the Oilers and Barons operator Prodigal Hockey "anticipate picking up a three-year option that would extend the deal through 2018," as the Oilers front office "raves about Oklahoma City." But attendance has "been a disappointment, especially compared" to the CHL Blazers, a team that "disbanded four years ago after a 17-year run." The Blazers in the '90s "frequently drew crowds of 10,000-plus." Baldwin reported there has been "some Blazers backlash," as some "devoted fans preferred lower-level hockey with cheaper tickets, more fights and more stable rosters." A new variable is fans are "emotionally attached to the Thunder." Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said, "The market is different than even the early '90s when the Blazers were a phenomenon. There is more to do. The Thunder is part of that. But it's not just the Thunder. It's cable television. It's the Internet. It's harder to get people's attention." Baldwin noted the Barons have a "hard-core season ticket base of around 2,000 fans" and around 2,500 full-season equivalents, which "ranks in the top half of the AHL." However, the key is "getting the routine fan to attend one of 38 regular-season home games." Barons tickets cost $16-38, and a common suggestion is that Prodigal Owner & President Bob Funk Jr. "should lower upper-deck tickets to $10 or less." Funk said that the Barons "need to average around 4,500 fans for Prodigal to break even" (OKLAHOMAN, 4/17).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2013/04/18/Franchises/OKC-Barons.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2013/04/18/Franchises/OKC-Barons.aspx

CLOSE