“Thoughts to ponder”.
Oklahoma State University holds 45 National Titles in sporting events. WOW!!! Are we alums proud of that? YOU BETCHA. Let’s examine this, me thinks….
33 National Titles are held by our outstanding Wrestling team…..need I go further?
Being the “cool cat” that I am, this got my curosity goin’. What is the secret of the Wrestling program’s success?….. Must be FANCY FACILITIES. So I asked an OSU alum, a wrestler in the 60′s when Gallagher arena was packed to the gills with fans, “Do you know how our wrestling facilities compare with other big 12 schools?” His reply, “I really can’t tell you how they compare today, but when I was on the team, our facilities didn’t even compare to many HIGH SCHOOLS in the state”. And they were still able to win National Titles? Impossible. Hummmm, could it be that it is NOT luxury facilities? Could it be that it has to do with attitude, tradition, coaches, dedication by the athletes, abilities? What a thought! And even though Gallagher-Iba is not packed with fans these days, and there is very little publicity and praise given to this program; these guys just keep winning those championships. Congrats, guys. You have overcome!!!! Guess that’s what some folks call “makin’ a purse out of a sow’s ear.
Another thought to ponder: Kansas University’s football team has had indoor practice facilities for several years……….. Need I say more?
How much was spent on the football stadium at Lewis Field ? And it’s not packed? And Allie P. Reynolds Stadium — how often is it sold out?
Yet they want to put more money into facilities, including new baseball stadiums.
That sound you hear is me smacking my forehead with my palm. In what way does this land acquisition make any sense at all?
I am probably behind on the news. Is it correct that Oklahoma State does NOT have sufficient funds to complete the new football stadium? That Holder has decided to leave it unfinished until attendance is higher and there is more money available for completion? If that is true it just doesn’t make any sense to spend funds to buy up homes and rental properties when there is also insufficient money for developing that land. What is really going here? Does the University want this property for an Athletic Village or are they just trying to move parking and rental income from Stillwater property owners to the University’s balance sheet?
My brother got a call on behalf of the OSU foundation just tonight, asking if he’d like to donate to the fund for completing T. Boone Pickens stadium. So apparently it’s true — not only is the current stadium unfinished and unfunded, but the more recent gift is just for buying up land (that was confirmed at one of many of the city or homeowners’ meetings).
I think the OSU administration is excited at the thought of “big money” and, frankly, has lost its marbles. I know of no rational explanation.
As a business onwer (not in Stillwater) I understand OSU’s thinking. Currently game days hold isolated events – people come to town for the game, then leave. An athletic village is a great idea to create a tourist destination and get people to stick around for more than the game. This is not about the current number of people in the stands, this is about business expansion. If my business was located in Stillwater, I would be supporting this 100%! I would want people in town all day long, to stay the weekend, or even to visit when there is no game.
Anytime you have growth, you will displease a small percentage of the people.This is very unfortunate, but in every case, this small minority is very vocal. The vocal people keep talking about displacing the elderly. Perhaps OSU should build a retirement village near campus and offer the displaced eldery very favorable rental pricing. The money the displaced people get for their money should be more than ebough to cover their reduced rate rents for 10 years at least. Mush of the soon-to-be condemned property is dilapted – an OSU village would offer new, safer, more efficient living conditions.
How easily you put forth a solution without knowing the circumstances of each and every elderly resident. Why should a elderly longtime homeowner give up a cherished home that is mortgage free for a rental in a retirement home, it does not make any sense. Most senior citizens are proud to be self reliant and want to stay in their homes as long as possible. I take issue with your statement that most of the “soon to be condemned property” is dilapidated , my mothers home is well maintained as well as her neighbors homes. This is not a small minority, this is a large chunk of Stillwater real estate that will impact all of Stillwater with property tax loss, loss of school funds and create incredible traffic problems. Most homeowners and rental property owners will not receive enough funds to be in the same shape they were before the property takeover and in this tight market will not be able to purchase similar properties without paying more out of pocket. This is also a moral issue, is it right for a University to be able to disrupt homeowners lives for a project that will benefit so few. I expected my University to exhibit a higher moral stature, the way this process has been handled has been deplorable and has created loss of respect and trust that will take years to repair. These views are shared by many Stillwater Citizens, not just those residents in the affected areas.
I have a bachelors (Economics ’84) and masters (Geography ’90) degree from OSU and have lived in Dallas and Enid, but wanted to come back to Stillwater because of sports.
I broadcast a daily sports radio show on a network of three stations and see that a high number of retired OSU alumni have moved back to Stillwater because of athletics and there are a large number of OSU alumni I’ve come into contact with over the years that wish they could move back to Stillwater.
I do understand that many of the people who are writing in have a disdain for athletics (it shows) and so are against anything Boone Pickens, Mike Holder or anyone in athletics does to improve our program, so it’s not surprising when you now have a “cause” like the land acquisition that you take advantage of it.
I would imagine that in any project of this magnitude that there are people who are displaced, but there are just a handful of owners in this entire area that actually live on their property, so you’re wasting your breath.
To be honest, it looks like a good number of the posters on this site would be better suited to living in Berkely, CA…I’ll help you pack!!
{*From the moderator: I have allowed your comment only because it is one of the very few “Pro” comments we have received. This comment barely slipped by “requirements to the site”. Your hostile remark regarding helping posters to this site to move, is somewhat like saying you’d like to get rid of them. I believe from reading all the comments, that most of the posters are very much for the athletes and their programs. Perhaps you failed to read what they are saying.
Had you been at the Board of Regents meeting, you would have heard ALL the speakers supporting OSU in their endeavors to become, not only academically competitive with the other Big 12 schools, but atheletically as well. Many are HUGE supporters of ALL OSU sports, and have been for more years than you have seen of life. However, they are opposed tothe current plan and to not using properties OSU already owns, rather than taking other’s property.
The current proposed plan, including Washington Street {the strip} becoming a canal, tax loss to the City, closing of main arteries in the city that our taxpayers funded, etc., all will cause an even greater tax burden to our citizens. Most are concerned for OSU AND the CITY of Stillwater as a whole.
I am one of those “retired” that has moved back to Stillwater. I grew up here. I did not return just for OSU sports, but I do hold season tickets for football, women’s basketball, softball, baseball, and wrestling. I also am on the waiting list for men’s basketball tickets and will stand in the cold to buy them before each game. I have attended Equestrian events and women’s soccer games as well. I have always been ORANGE through and through.}
James, I don’t understand how an Athletic Village for OSU athletes, basically practice fields and training rooms, is going to keep tourists in town? Can you explain?
It is funny how those from outside of Stillwater don’t understand how the University is being run and its priorities. OSU has had a retirement village planned now for probably close to 3 years. Obviously the priority is for recruiting athletes. The university could have chosen to use the money to complete the retirement village and then move on to the village. The construction of the village has nothing to do with tourism or activities to surround game days. If anything the master plan will do away with one of the favorite activities surrounding game day, that is tailgating. Part of the master plan is to build underground parking around the stadium and the multilevel parking garage at Hall of Fame and Monroe. No, this plan will not attract additional fans to Stillwater, and the fans that do come for the games may actually stay for less time than they did in the past.
James–
The whole idea of displacing long-time residents is disgusting not only to those directly affected, but to the majority of the citizens, OSU faculty, students, and city officials of Stillwater. Contrary to your belief, the property north of Boone Pickens stadium is not “soon-to-be-condemned” — we’ve only just begun!
You state this is not about the number of people in the stands, but about business expansion. Where in the Constitution does it grant any entity the right to just take whatever is in its way at someone else’s expense and loss for “business expansion.” That is not the basis for the exercise of eminent domain.
So you think an “athletic village” will be a tourist destination when it is not a game day? Perhaps you’ve really hit the nail on the head — the whole idea is more akin to the building of an amusement park than something for the good of the university.
I’m curious — when are you planning to move your business to Stillwater?
Mr. Swaim, I listen to your show very often and I’m a long time season ticket holder in football, basketball and wrestling. I love Cowboy sports and I’ve even taken in a Cowgirls basketball game this year. I watched as our number 1 rated recruiting class went down to the wire with Northwestern monday night. I was amazed with 2 minutes left in the game as people were leaving, don’t they know our head coach is Eddie Sutton? So don’t judge my comments and think that I am anti-sports. If you read most of the threads the overiding theme is that OSU has the land already available to do what they want with the athletic village. They have the ability to do what they want, however, Boone Pickens wants to do things his way and he is used to getting his way. The fact is, we had a number 1 recruiting class in basketball because of our coaching staff. Eddie Sutton, James Dickey, Sean Sutton what kid wouldn’t want to play for these men? How about John Smith? Kids love to wrestle for him. Mike Gundy? Who? While it appears we have a fairly good class going right now, we’ll know within 2 games next year whether the young man that has coached at powerhouse programs like Baylor and Maryland will become a legend. Now as a professional, you HAVE to admit that if Boone had spent the money to bring Steve Spurrier here we would have won 7 or 8 games this year and would be well on the way to winning a Big 12 South title next year. Ask Myron Roderick, you’re related to him, how were his facilities? Boone would have helped the university far more by giving us 15 million a year for a REAL coaching staff. So don’t stereotype us as anti-athletics. Heck, even Tamera Maschino had come home to her alma mater for Football Homecoming. She had no idea at the time that her mother’s house had a target painted on it by famed corporate raider Boone Pickens. So Go Pokes! Go build your athletic village at McElroy and Western!
So I barely “met the requirements” of posting, yet you can make fun of OSU’s president and greatest supporter (and yes, Picken’s gave millions to academics before he even gave a dime to athletics) and it’s o.k?
{From moderator: I don’t recall any posts susggesting getting rid of the president or OSU greatest athletic supporter, or helping them to pack or such. I do recall comments regarding Boone “running the university”, but that does have some validity. I could be wrong, wouldn’t be the first time, but please point out to me the comment to which you are referring. And thanks for your imput concerning athletes being for the plan….do they care where it is located? We would love to have imput from the athletes themselves. I am serious, this is NOT scarcasm.}
Interesting that you posted your comment regarding the “disdain for athletics” in this thread, “Hooked on sports.” I know that many people posting are, in fact, OSU sports fans. Some posters feel strongly that academics should have priority over athletics, but I haven’t seen a “disdain for athletics” in any of these posts. It does seem that most of the property owners in the proposed expansion area feel that their rights of private property ownership outweigh the need for OSU to raze their homes and build practice fields and parking lots rather than making use of available undeveloped land.
James,
The reason those in the minority are vocal is because they were dumb enough to believe we have rights in this country. We thought in the 1700′s we were fighting for equal protection under the law. We thought when men like Gadsden yelled to the British “Don’t Tread on ME”, signed a piece of paper, and then fought for the principal that it was going to be upheld.
Unfortunately too many in our country believe like you. The good of a cultural elite (athletes, rich, business, etc) are now more important than the rights that were fought for all those years ago. We have traded royalty for celebrity, and in the process we have now given away what we struggled so hard to get.
p.s. The fact that several of you might need to look up who Gadsen is just illustrates my point. We do not teach history in this country any more, or what we had to do to get the freedoms we are increasingly loosing.
Greg,
Since you have economics degrees, maybe you can do what OSU was unable to do. Give us an economic analysis of how this will even keep the city revenue neutral. While you are at it, maybe you can also prove how the university can afford to go ahead with this project and still be able to keep the same level of services to the students. When 3 different studies all showed that it would require increases in fees or more layoffs the president said we disagree, but said he had no numbers to back it up.
I would be willing to grant the positive economic impacts if you (or anyone else) can prove it. I will never, however, be persuaded that it is proper under the laws or spirit of our country. We might allow taking private property for athletes in our state laws, but just because it is legal it is not right.
Lastly, just because I do not want to send the national guard or the county deputies to remove people from homes or business they have had for generations does not mean I am anti athlete. I currently work for a former OSU football player. Before OSU took my house I loved to walk down the street to watch baseball games. I loved that I could walk to football games. My friends would have tailgate parties from my yard since you could listen to the play by play over the loud speaker. You might find that most that live this close to the stadium did not hate the athletic department until it started using its celebrity status to justify violating peoples constitutional rights. Ask yourself this. Would I be justified in building a movie theater on the land one of your houses is on? If I paid you less than you have been paying taxes on in exchange would it make you feel any better? You talk about having multiple homes, but several of us did actually live in our houses as well as using them for rental income. We are not rich enough to move to one of our other houses. This is a sentiment that so incensed me in OSU lawyer that I had to deal with in my case. He keep saying things that reminded me of “just move to one of your other houses.” Well, many of us do not have multiple houses or if we do the other house is in the area as well. Since you have 2, why don’t you just give one of them to one of the elderly in this area. That would do a lot to put your dedication to this project to the test.
Most Stillwater natives and alumni are avid OSU supporters including my family. We planned a huge homecoming weekend with family coming in from Oklahoma and Texas, and Colorado for the festivities starting with the walk around Displays Friday night and culminating in a birthday party on Sunday at Hideaway. Mom even cooked an early Thanksgiving meal for everyone Friday, and we also went to Stillwater restaurants. We gladly purchased tickets at a price of $108 per seat for the game. That weekend we purchased OSU apparel and blankets at almost $300total. The weekend spent in Stillwater costs well over $1500plus and does not include air fare, rental cars, etc. . If that isnt an example of supporting OSU then I dont know what is. If you multiply that by all the other families living in this area that also support OSU then you are coming up with incredible amounts. This was the week before my mom received her letter from Cinnabar.
That is why this is such a slap in the face to our families, after years of loyalty, the total disregard for longtime residents and OSU supporters is unbelievable. We do not feel disdain for the Sports Program, we feel disdain for the lack of consideration OSU has shown to its neighbors to implement a
massive life changing master plan without solicitng true input from the community. OSU wants to change the very charm and spirit of Stillwater instead of respecting its history and people. These plans to remove homes and businesses, close streets, change the Strip and Downtown have got to slow down and allow comments . True community planning involves all parties, that has been lacking here.
We have received many supportive phones calls from the community and alumni and many have expressed that they are now reluctant to purchase more OSU logo items, or support OSU during this time. They dont want those dollars to go towards removing people from their homes.
My husband, Peter Naff, attended OSU on a wrestling scholarship. He was third in the Big 8 (191 lb) and a member of OSU’s 1968 wrestling team that won the National Championship despite the fact that their workout room was in an old converted classroom. We own property in the affected area. We are not conflicted with the issues at hand. We know from experience that sports are important to a university. We also know what is important to sports are the individuals who make the team — individuals who are talented, dedicated, intelligent, and of high moral character. Perhaps the football team should take a lesson from the wrestling team — know what is truly important and you’ll be winners no matter what.