The NBA filed for trademark rights to six nicknames for Oklahoma City’s franchise on Monday – Barons, Bison, Energy, Marshalls, Thunder and Wind, according to the United States Patent and Trademark office.
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There is more evidence Thunder could be the nickname. A search of Whois reveals the domain name Thunder.com was created for Thunder.Net Communications, based in California, in July of 1994 but the domain name rights expires on July 26 (Sunday).
It’s not known whether the NBA or owner Clay Bennett have held discussions with Thunder.Net Communications.
KOCO-TV has reported that "according to a source close to the ownership group," the name will be Thunder.
Thunder was the winner of a fan vote on NewsOK.com
“The NBA will not have a comment on this until a nickname is selected,” said Tim Frank, NBA senior director of basketball communications.
When asked if the Charlotte Bobcats or other teams went through a similar process, submitting as many six nicknames, Frank said: “Right now we won’t get into any specifics about the process.
“When we have a name the Oklahoma City team will announce it. The process is ongoing. We’re not going to get into specifics until it’s time to reveal the name.”
One theory is Oklahoma City must choose a nickname soon before the NBA announces the 2008-2009 schedule, which traditionally is released the first week in August.
“That’s a flawed theory,” Frank said. “The schedule is not done. We’re not holding up the schedule because of the nickname.”
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Well then, so are the names Magic, Heat, Spurs, Jazz...but we all know those aren't epic fails.
Someone needs to tell the writers and editors at The Oklahoman that the term "nickname" as it applies to Oklahoma's NBA team is incorrect. Whatever the Professional Basketball Club decides to call the team is simply referred to as the NAME.
Maybe if they go with Thunder, they can get some old senior citizen ladies to sew some nice fluffy white clouds on their uniforms...make them the "Darlings" of the league like this paper called them in a couple articles......
Thunder works for me. I hope the uniforms look good. Some proposed uniform designs were in the Oklahoman a while back. Some looked great but the Thunder design looked completely gay.
Why name a team just so you can play a Intro Song? Is "Thunderstruck" the only possiblity for a Intro. Why not the "Grand Illusion" by Styx? Thunder is a minor league Hockey Team. I hope that use a better name than Thunder.
I like the idea Justin in OKC has to use lightning bolts for Bison horns. Animate the logo. The Bison could come forward from distance, stop (Just like BATMAN logo you see on the movie ad)then blow smoke out of nose with snort (wind,clouds) the horns could flash like lightning bolts, then you could have Thunder. I like it for cool logo. Thunder Bison ?
The last major league team to fail was the Cleveland Barons of the NHL. Don't want that. Marshall's is a department store. Don't want that. Wind? Energy? Please... So it's really between Thunder and Bison. I'd prefer Bison.
I just saw the story from The Sporting News. I am surprised no one used the name the "Oklahoma City Twisters".
I lived in Shawnee for a few years, and am very aware that OK is in the heart of Tornado Alley.
We can obviously see the level of Paul's education with his master use of commas and periods in broken sentences. I wonder where Paul received his education.
I don't like any of the names they are week, Outlaws would have been better. I planed on buying some of the merchandise to help support the new home town team but now I will not I hope the team tanks and has to leave the state and wipe wich ever name they go with out of the records forever. OKC shows how week and out of touch with fans they realy are.
Okc Stallions all the way! I'm starting to really like it and maybe it's not too late to get it in the mix. Just think a black stallion for the logo and standing on it's hind legs with a mean look.
daniel...I was hardly "telling" anyone how to name anything. I was only giving my opinion of the proposed names..."jeesh...so sensitive!". BTW, Bison works better for a football team but for an NBA team, is sounds clunky and heavy. Sorry. Don't hate me.
Hey, Chris from Seattle, talk about sticking out as the lamest of the lame, what kind of all knowing loser gets off telling OKC how to name their team? If your Sonic fans weren't the "lamest of the lame", maybe you'd still have a basketball team or an NFL team that might win a Super Bowl one day.
Now that the trash is taken out, Let's go Bison! If you've ever seen a Buffalo charging, lame isn't the word that comes to mind.
I can't wait for the fast break call for the "wind"..."here come the breaking Wind!" What a joke. I hope it is the Thunder since it is so lame as to be laughing stock...all of them are actually but the Thunder seems to stand out as the lamest of the lame.
I just thought I'd throw a few more your way. The name is pretty important and I'd like to see us use due dilligence right to the end! OKC Crop Dusters, or just Dusters. OKC Haymakers. OKC Clay or Red Clay. OKC Skyropers. OKC Sky Kings. OKC Skynets.
Pssst, Maria..it's called "slang"..sorta like "y'all", "I'ma fixin"..you know those relevant Okie terms...we used "dillard" as a term for the slack jaws we had to deal with up home....I know the proper phrase is "dullard". I also know there's a bunch of Okies on here arguing about the proper spelling of marshal, apparently confusing a department store name with a "marshal" of old west lore, which is what I would assume the intention was in naming a team as such...perhaps I should have been more to the point, since "dullardism" seems rampant in the general population in "these here parts"....
Barons sounds so much better. I think it is the only name that doesn't make Oklahoma sound like we are a place of buffalo, storms, and wild shootouts. Plus, if Thunder is the name, we'll have professional teams named Thunder & Lightning (the women's professional football team).
Psst, Paul, "dullard" means "A person regarded as mentally dull; a dolt." "Dillard's" is an entirely different word. In other news, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
"Go T-breds!"....don't you mean "inbreds", Marc? Maybe since you all think Marshall's is spelled the same way the department store spells it, and you like department store names, perhaps you should name the team the "Dillards", it means somebody of very limited intellect where I come from, sort of like a sloth on two feet...and it would fit OKC perfectly.....
BARONS, you've got to be kidding me. Do we really want our team named after the oil barons who are currently raping our country's ecconomy with outrageous profits from oil?
Michael, Yukon - Jul 25, 2008 1:00 PM
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Hey there El Hefe'....I'm just submitting an idea (or vision) on what the team name and mascot could be. In my line of work we spend a great deal of time focused on finding creative solutions to difficult problems. I wouldn't think that 'daydreaming' would accomplish very much. Instead, taking what you have (or what you've been presented with) and then finding creative ways to use it and make it work often produces very favorable results. Having both imagination and creativity is usually pretty helpful when trying to come up with something (in this case a team name and mascot) that has to satisfy a wide range of criteria. And that's why I feel the Thunder name and bison mascot would work together very well.
How about the Oklahoma Settlers? Our State is based on Settlers. We got the team by "settling" out of court. Most people in Oklahoma "settle" for living here. The Oklahoma Settlers!!!! I keeeed I keeeeed
L, what is wrong with Bison? Although you might only find Bison in a few places in OK today (more than just Pawnee by the way), historically, bison herds could be found all over western Oklahoma. You say that most of the tribes in Oklahoma did not traditionally hunt the buffalo. That's not true. Most of the tribes in Oklahoma including the Wichita, Osage, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Arapaho, Comanche, and Pawnee hunted the buffalo just to name a few. Bison would be a very appropriate name for the team.
Thunder is by far the best of the 6. Barons and Marshalls would also be acceptable, but I hope its not the energy, wind, or bison. Bison is is the worst of the group. The only place in Oklahoma that you're going to find bison is at the Pawnee Bill Ranch in Pawnee. If the name bison is meant to have something to do with all of the Indians that live here, that is the wrong reason for going with that name; most of the tribes here in Oklahoma didn't traditionally hunt Bison. Energy just sounds too generic. I could kind of see the name "Wind" but it sounds too gay. If Boone Pickens would of bought the team it would probably be Wind. Go Thunder!!!!
Kurt and Grant have the RIGHT IDEA! Thunder could be the team name, but using a bison as the mascot. I can already envision the promotional videos....a storm begins to form in the Oklahoma sky....which catches the attention of grazing bison on the Oklahoma plain. Suddenly one of the bison begins to run...then another...and another until the entire herd of bison is thundering across the plain in a V-shape, with the first bison leading the way, the storm raging behind them. A flash of lightning, then a clap of thunder is heard in the background! Suddenly it's apparent where the hard-charging and determined bison are headed---the Ford Center! As the thundering bison approach and crash through the Ford Center entrance, the video fades out to a view of the inside of the arena, showing the two teams warming up, and the announcers begin doing pre-game coverage, introductions, etc, etc. Kurt is right--many teams have a certain team name but use something different for the mascot. I think this is a great idea for the NBA in OKC!
One other thing, KOCO's website is using the two L's as well with a (sic) notation. That would seem to mean that it really was filed that way. How blanking embarrassing.
If "Marshalls" isn't misspelled in the story at the Oklahoman and they actually filed their trademark that way, the NBA and PBC will be embarrassed. The country will say, "Yep! Oklahoma can't even spell their nickname." It's not like there is a question over how to spell the name. If you use it as a lawman, it is one L. It's not open for interpretation. If it's filed that way, it is wrong.
Tell me someone in authority knows that marshals is spelled with one "l". It's bad enough that every news story that mentions that name misspells it. By the way, of all the comments about the spelling, Andrew's is the best.
Warren, are friekin' serious? One of the worst on-field tyrades by a fan came in Chicago when the Royals were playing the White Sox. Is Chicago a "Big League City?" How far out of left field did you come with that one? When the Hornets were here, they were ours, and if memory serves correctly, there were no on course stampedes over bad calls. Need I remind you of the worst brawl in NBA history came in Detroit. I have 100% faith that even the "hillbillies," as you call them, can and will act better than those goons. Get off your pedestal and quit looking down your nose. Besides, this a discussion about the team nickname.
Oklahoma City has six syllables so the name should have at least three, preferably four syllables in order to roll off the tongue. Thunder is okay but too short. It isn't catchy. Thunderbird would be an improvement. Or the Thundering Herd? (darn, Grant beat me to it). Armadillos? Or the Thundering Stampede?
Warren and Michael. You guys need to eat some fruit or something. If I was as "internally distraught" as you, I'd be terminally negative too. As far as the name, doing a bison thing - a la "Thundering Herd" - gives the Thunder name an element of uniqueness. It also somehow takes the focus off of the singular name by conjuring up an image of a huge, powerful herd rumbling across the plains. Think Dances with Wolves.
Plus, there is the famous Fulsom archaeological site where they found a Buffalo skull with a lightning bolt drawn on it.
Barons, Bison, or Marshalls sound half way decent. Get rid of the other 2 names. Wind and Thunder will not stand up against the other NBA names. They will against the WNBA. But we are not part of that league. So......
It appears that newsok did not misspell Marshalls as KOCO is reporting the same (though I have not checked the patent myself). But, at least KOCO added [sic] to theirs.
Sic is a Latin word meaning "thus", "so", "as such", or "just as that". In writing, it is placed within square brackets and usually italicized—[sic]—to indicate that an incorrect or unusual spelling, phrase, punctuation, and/or other preceding quoted material has been reproduced verbatim from the quoted original and is not a transcription error.
Any of those would work except THUNDER... Terrrrible name... Oklahoma already has a terrible reputation for weather related disasters ... Why continue this stereo-type with a noise? Are you serious? A noise? boring... and it sounds minor league... I know that is the only type of teams we have had in the past but we need to get out of naming minor league teams and thing bigger. My votes to Barons it sounds great ends in S and will not take any "getting use to" like the OKC Thunder... lame
I wonder why Thunderbirds wasn't considered. I assumed that it wouldn't be acceptable because there is already an NBDL team with that name, but there is also an NBDL team called the Energy, and that name made the cut. Thunderbirds would have been my first choice.
I'm not crazy about the Barons or the Wind. It is Marshals with one l not two according to the dictionary. I like the Marshals or the Thunder. The Marshals do offer more marketing advantages in with logos but the Thunder has the adavantge in music and sounds. If using the Wind would they play our state song with the phrase, "where the Wind come sweeping down the plain"?
Wind? You have got to be kidding me. Worst. Name. Ever. We'd be the laughingstock of the NBA. Energy isn't great either. The rest are OK. Don't love any of 'em, but don't hate them either.
BARONS, you've got to be kidding me. Do we really want our team named after the oil barons who are currently raping our country's ecconomy with outrageous profits from oil?
I like Bison, Marshals and Thunder, and I hate Energy and Wind. There is an NBDL team named the Energy, and the Wind shouldn't never have even made it to the top six. Barons would be alright, but it's at the bottom of the acceptable list, IMO.
Too bad Storm is already taken by the WNBA team that refused to come to Oklahoma. Thunder sounds ok. Then they can play Thunderstruck by AC/DC to get the crowd going, and Thunder Rolls by Garth for the intro video. That or we can be the Energy, sponsored by Devon and Chesapeake! haha!
is it possible that the name has been picked and it's not any of the names we're hearing about in the media? Just a thought. Wind? yea one bad season and all you'll hear is "the okc wind... yea they really blow"...
My choice would be to pick "Thunder" as the nickname, but have a bison as the mascot. NBA mascots don't always fit perfectly with the team name anyway, but in this case there would be a fit because Thunder describes the sound that a stampede of bison makes. I just hope it isn't wind. I could live with any of the six potential names except that one.
i must admitt i liked bison at first but they are to close to bulls. and they are in chicago. thunder is the best out of the 6 presented. barons arent kings(sacremento). marshal's aint mavericks(dallas). i kind of do like energy so i could see OKE (okie) on the espn ticker.
thunder think about it. play in the thunderdome, the dance squad could be the thunder thighs. with the bison, you play at the ok coral, dance squad could be the herd. wind is great with ties to the state song, play in the middle of nowhere, dance squad could be the windbreakers, or the toots. whatever the name ive enjoyed the anticipation. cant wait to have beers and think of all the marketing ties.
I think you did not let the creative proccess work to think up a name. You have to think about the name real hard for a few weeks then stop thinking about it. The best name will come after or during this lull in thinking. The name will just come to you, it will just pop up out of nowhere. Be patient. The NBA said it could take 2 years to think of a name. Send your names to the team website and hope it is not being deleted by a team employee to prevent Mr. Bennit from seeing it. Bison-maybe,Marshalls-maybe (Lawmen-maybe),Barons-? Wind-no,Energy-no(Fuel-Fuelers,maybe)Thunder-? What happened to the NBA criteria for the best name??? You have to give the creative process time to work.
Bison I think of Kansas anyways. When I lived in Kansas I wasn't far from the largest free roaming buffalo heard in the world. Marshalls sounds tough and does have a western heritage ring to it. I think I like that one best. Energy isn't totally bad. Thunder is overrated and would be a tough marketing sell. Wind is just ridicules. And for the record, I'm really sick of the DOK producing stories over this... we won't know until it is announced!! Half the story we already read the other day.
Change it to OKC FLIGHT!!! Go FLIGHT!!! We have Tinker AFB, which is something that we are known for. it would be great... I can already hear the sound effects of a jet taking off through the speakers at the Ford Center when they announce the players before the game.
Bison is by far the best way to go. The Bison are strong native animals to Oklahoma and could have a really cool mascot. Have you ever touched a Thunder not very intimidating. The Energy just sounds weird. Wind, we will be the laughing stock. Barons so-so, Marshalls I think more of Texas or Kansas than Oklahoma.
Hey Chicago- you ever seen a Bison move? Slow and huge are not accurate adjectives. Their running, jumping and cutting ability is much, much more similar to a deer than a cow.
OKC Barons - only Texas has real Barons
OKC Bisons - why would you want to associate basketball players after huge, slow moving animals?
OKC Energy - sounds like a municipal utility, not a basketball team
OKC Marshalls - this is by far the toughest sounding of the lot; has some fun mascot possibilities
OKC Thunder - sort of ok, but...I don't know...dorky mascot, and not specific to OKC, as everyone has thunder
OKC Wind - huh? A sissy name, plus it opens up to all the farting jokes when they're losing
How about the OKC Stallions? Now there's a name for the basketball men--action, virility--the OKC Stallions!!!
From the thunder.com / thunder.net/faq.html about selling their domain "Can I buy your thunder.com or thunder.net domain?
A: In case you thought you're the first to ask, you're 14 years too late for that. The answer has always been...
No. They're not for sale. The domains are in use.
With that said, people ask anyway. It's a frequent question. As the famous quote goes, "What part of 'no' didn't you understand?"
Perhaps people ask anyway on the theory that "everyone has their price." You'd have a real challenge trying to convince an unmotivated party to sell. Sale prices in recent years indicate prime dictionary-based domain names are worth many millions. (Example: in March 2008, fund.com was sold for US$10M.) So your initial offer would have to break records for domain name sale prices.
Also, some people tell us that they think thunder.com is not in use because its home page is redirected to thunder.net. It is in use - though it might not be evident to you if you're not an invited participant. "
The Bison and Marshalls are the best choices marketing wise, IMO. Thunder makes me think of the Wichita hockey team and there is no physical manifestation that you can use as a mascot. The closest you can get is to use a lightning bolt, which is what most people agree causes "thunder". With Bison and Marshalls you can have a great logo that represents the state and it can be changed in the future, which is a key to the marketing if you want to change things up every once in a while and thus produce the "need" for everyone to replace the team gear to the current logo.
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Thank you for joining our conversations on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.
I vote no for your stupid comment.
I lived in Shawnee for a few years, and am very aware that OK is in the heart of Tornado Alley.
Now that the trash is taken out, Let's go Bison! If you've ever seen a Buffalo charging, lame isn't the word that comes to mind.
Bison! Bison! Bison!
Michael, Yukon - Jul 25, 2008 1:00 PM
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Settle down Beavis!!!!!
Brian, Oklahoma City - Jul 25, 2008 12:48 PM"...Prove it, Skippy.
Plus, there is the famous Fulsom archaeological site where they found a Buffalo skull with a lightning bolt drawn on it.
Sic is a Latin word meaning "thus", "so", "as such", or "just as that". In writing, it is placed within square brackets and usually italicized—[sic]—to indicate that an incorrect or unusual spelling, phrase, punctuation, and/or other preceding quoted material has been reproduced verbatim from the quoted original and is not a transcription error.
but anyway...go THUNDER! with a bison as the logo
One side could say "WIND"
The other side could respond with "POWER"
HAHAHA!
It's Bison no Bisons.
OKC Bisons - why would you want to associate basketball players after huge, slow moving animals?
OKC Energy - sounds like a municipal utility, not a basketball team
OKC Marshalls - this is by far the toughest sounding of the lot; has some fun mascot possibilities
OKC Thunder - sort of ok, but...I don't know...dorky mascot, and not specific to OKC, as everyone has thunder
OKC Wind - huh? A sissy name, plus it opens up to all the farting jokes when they're losing
How about the OKC Stallions? Now there's a name for the basketball men--action, virility--the OKC Stallions!!!
A: In case you thought you're the first to ask, you're 14 years too late for that. The answer has always been...
No. They're not for sale. The domains are in use.
With that said, people ask anyway. It's a frequent question. As the famous quote goes, "What part of 'no' didn't you understand?"
Perhaps people ask anyway on the theory that "everyone has their price." You'd have a real challenge trying to convince an unmotivated party to sell. Sale prices in recent years indicate prime dictionary-based domain names are worth many millions. (Example: in March 2008, fund.com was sold for US$10M.) So your initial offer would have to break records for domain name sale prices.
Also, some people tell us that they think thunder.com is not in use because its home page is redirected to thunder.net. It is in use - though it might not be evident to you if you're not an invited participant. "