Les Hornets joueront à Oklahoma...
Report: Hornets to play some games in Oklahoma City
September 19, 2005
OKLAHOMA CITY (Ticker) - The New Orleans Hornets apparently have found a place to play some of their home games.
Left without a home following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Hornets will play a portion of their upcoming home schedule in Oklahoma City, The Oklahomian reported on its website Sunday night.
According to the report, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett confirmed to the newspaper that the Hornets have reached a tentative agreement with the city to play some of their 41-game home schedule at the 19,675-seat Ford Center. It is uncertain how many games the Hornets would play in Oklahoma City.
New Orleans opens its season at Cleveland on November 2.
The Times-Picayune also reported the Hornets would establish a base of operations in Oklahoma City, while also keeping a smaller office in New Orleans or Baton Rouge.
It is still uncertain if the Hornets will play any games in Louisiana this season. The NFL´s Saints will play four games at Louisiana State´s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge and three home games at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The Hornets´ home, the New Orleans Arena, was used as a shelter in last month´s disaster, which has been called the worst in the history of the United States.
The Oklahomian also reported that a council meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday morning to review the proposal of bringing the Hornets to the city.
Should the Hornets move, the team is expected to relocate 100 employees from Louisiana and also hire 50 people locally to do a "rapid-ramp-up" of telemarketing and ticket sales promotions.
Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs, told The Oklahomian on Friday that he plans to file legislation that would provide the state money to the city to help pay for the team´s relocation costs.
Other cities that reportedly have offered the Hornets a home include Nashville, San Diego, Kansas City, Louisville and Las Vegas, which will host the All-Star Game in 2007.
Updated on Monday, Sep 19, 2005 3:48 pm EDT