The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/soccer/fans-vote-to-resurrect-roughnecks-name-for-new-tulsa-pro/article_5f48c868-d653-5fc7-bc2e-c1f9567273b1.html

Fans vote to resurrect Roughnecks name for new Tulsa pro soccer team

By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer 

Tulsa's new professional franchise name will ring a familiar tone with longtime local sports fans. The city's new USL PRO soccer team will be known as the Tulsa Roughnecks. The "Roughnecks" name was an overwhelming choice by fan voting in the Tulsa World Media Company Name Your Team Contest.

The name is shared with the wildly popular Tulsa Roughnecks, who competed in the North American Soccer League between 1978-84. The NASL was the United States' top league at the time, comparable to Major League Soccer that is played today. Tulsa won the 1983 NASL championship.


The new team's official name will be Tulsa Roughnecks FC and the franchise will begin play in the 2015 season. Work has started to develop team colors, logos and uniforms. Those items are expected to be released later this spring or summer. The name "Roughnecks" received nearly 50 percent of the votes. Tulsa Strike finished second with 25 percent, FC Tulsa was third (16 percent) and Oil City FC (9 percent) finished fourth.

"Throughout the voting process, it became clear that the nickname Roughnecks has come to be the name that soccer fans associate with Tulsa professional soccer," said Mike Melega, the team's general manager. "It is our city's soccer identity here and throughout the country, and we are excited to bring it back.

"We realize the name may be unpopular with some fans and also realize that it comes with lofty expectations. We are not trying to present this team as the past Roughnecks, because we have so much to prove as both a team and an organization. But, like that franchise, we do want to work to build a club and an operation that everyone in the city can be proud of. "We hope the name will help introduce the game and the city's soccer history to a new generation of fans."

Dale Hubbard, the second-generation owner of the Tulsa Drillers, is the Roughnecks' majority owner. "Went Hubbard made a commitment more than 25 years ago to operate a quality, professional baseball franchise in the city of Tulsa," Dale Hubbard said. "We are very excited to now extend that commitment to the beautiful game of soccer with the long overdue return of a professional franchise to our city.

"We look forward to being involved in the soccer community as we are with the baseball community. There is a lot of work to do in the next 12 months, but we cannot wait until the first game comes to ONEOK Field." The Roughnecks' home games will be played at ONEOK, with the season beginning in March 2015. USL PRO is a third-tier league in the United States Soccer Federation pyramid and has started a partnership with the MLS.

All MLS teams must have an affiliation or field a team in USL PRO by 2015, and it's expected the Roughnecks will have an affiliation by that time. Season tickets for the inaugural season are now on sale. Fans may secure a priority position for selecting seat locations by placing a $25 per seat deposit.

I suspect this will not be well-received by Rufnex. Everybody else I know associated with the other outdoor team is mad that there is going to be competition.

I went to see the Athletics play. I liked their game and fans. I suspect I will like this new team too.

I don't really get the rift.  Did the A's make a bid to move to USL Pro and get beat out?  USL Pro is higher on the pyramid and has MLS affiliates so they seem to be the logical choice for most fans who are new to the game.  I enjoy the A's games and will be attending this year.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens in 2015.  I'm pretty excited about a higher MLS affiliated team playing downtown.

I have been attacked in the comments section of the Tulsa World story by an Athletics fan. He seems to be an expert on soccer and I don't know nuthin.

He's expressing his/her opinion.

Just like you did here on the TulsaNow forum a few years ago when you went on your little anti "soccer-only" stadium yet curiously pro- baseball-specific-stadium rant.
I will not be privy to being the baseball-centric New Hampshire Hubbard family red-headed stepchild.

Evidently, soccer people are not worthy of placing a team in your leftover baseball stadium on 15th and Yale.

You realize that Went Hubbard spent over $6 million dollars in the 90s to remodel Drillers Stadium for a potential AAA baseball team at the exact same time that MLS would have placed a league-owned team in Tulsa in exchange for a $1mil field reno from turf to grass at Skelly Stadium.... I lived in Boston in the 90s... please tell me exactly how Went Hubbard's New Hampshire sons from Walpole magically became fans of Tulsa soccer... ?

Buehler?  Buehler?   :P

I ranted against a soccer only stadium?

I think you and the Athletics fans are being childish. You are attacking the Drillers owners because they grew up in New Hampshire? I see him at every Driller game so I assume he lives in Tulsa now. Did you grow up in Tulsa? If not, is that a dealbreaker on being a fan?

Just because he owns a baseball team then he can't possibly be a soccer fan? I didn't realize that soccer fans were so territorial.

I went to Athletics games. I got a large group of people to tailgate and go to the games. I helped promote the games here and on facebook. I guess that was before I realized that Athletics fans feel like the are the only true soccer fans.

The Drillers are the classiest minor league sports franchise in Tulsa's history. They have put on a good product, invested in their stadiums, and hired good people. The fact that some of them are spending big dollars to bring a professional soccer team to Tulsa should be a good thing.

But not to you and the Athletic soccer hooligans. You are jealous of their money and ability. I get it. But attacking anybody who likes the idea of even more soccer in Tulsa is nothing but childish.

I posted this in a dead thread so I will ask it again on this one.
The team is going to be the "Roughnecks" but. They are deciding on colors and logo?

Who knows, could this signal an eventual return of the Roughnecks to the North American Soccer League (NASL)?

It would be great if they could use the 'original' Tulsa Roughnecks logo--it would certainly bring back memories.  2015 will see a new long awaited 'in state' rivalry with the Oklahoma City Energy who will begin USL-Pro play in 2014.  This will be great for soccer in the state of Oklahoma.

OKC will also have a team in the NASL beginning 2015.  Tim McLauglin (NASL-OKC expansion), who was the primary owner of the team has withdrawn and the other investors have picked up the slack.

The best Logo by far of any Soccer team ever.

Sweet. I'll be a season ticket holder.

Whenever the subject was brought up about a "soccer specfic stadium" back when it looked like we could get a relocated Kansas City MLS team, you went out of your way to paint it as a place where only soccer could be played.


I think you and the Drillers are being childishly opportunistic.


Actually, baseball fans are territorial.
You'll find that out in the summer of 2015.


Now you're just pouting because we Athletics fans question the motivation and wisdom of the Hubbards owning a soccer team that will always play second fiddle to the Drillers.


The Athletics are turning into the most amazing grassroots organization I've ever witnessed in any city.
To have their dreams cut short and their existence co-opted would be tragic.


To the contrary, I believe the Drillers became so jealous of the kind of crowds we were getting last summer, they decided to secure a team without partnering with the Athletics.
Sad... and I find your own accusations directed towards Athletics' fans little more than childish thuggery, truth be told.

You seem to forget all about the NASL bid... http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/john-klein-lund-is-hopeful-soccer-crazed-tulsa-can-get/article_7e301e19-ba72-59d7-9bf9-54a73706b386.html

Would be sad if Bob Funk Jr's OKC Energy get an MLS team of their own and then secures the "Tulsa Roughnecks" as their farm team.
Because that's been his plan all along... http://wvhooligan.com/2013/07/mls-expansion-oklahoma-city-eyes-future-bid/''

Word Mark    TULSA ROUGHNECKS FC
Goods and Services    IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, organizing, providing and conducting professional soccer exhibitions and games
Standard Characters Claimed    
Mark Drawing Code    (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number    86069516
Filing Date    September 19, 2013
Current Basis    1B
Original Filing Basis    1B
Published for Opposition    March 4, 2014
Owner    (APPLICANT) Prodigal Soccer LLC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY OKLAHOMA 615 N. Hudson, Suite 100 Oklahoma City OKLAHOMA 73102
Attorney of Record    Harvey L. Yusman
Disclaimer    NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE "TULSA" AND "FC" APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN
Type of Mark    SERVICE MARK
Register    PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator    LIVE

I politely disagree.

I just want professional soccer in Tulsa. The Athletics games were fun, but it was not the best product. The players were amateurs, the referees let fights happen during the game and on the sidelines, and the games never even started on time. The league was two teams from Houston and a team from Plano. To make a season, they played those same three teams four times each. There was no investment into the fan experience. When you sang the national anthem, no one could hear you because of cheap audio equipment. The concessions were some food trucks parked on the other side of the stadium that no one went to.

It was completely underfunded. Grassroots is a polite way to say doing everything cheap.  

Compare that to OneOk field with top notch food and beer options, seats with actual backs, a big screen TV, and even luxury boxes. The league is tier three professional (same as the Drillers). The downtown location and new stadium alone will make it a better experience for the fans. It is incredibly presumptious of you to say that baseball fans and baseball teams owners can't possibly want to have a great soccer team and product. Your judgement of others disappoints me.

The Athletics had one season. That doesn't give them the right to own all things soccer in Tulsa. Competition between the two clubs will be good for the fans. You have one more season to build your brand and fan base before the Roughnecks start play in 2015. Obviously, Houston has two teams because you played them last year. It might be possible to have an amateur team at old Drillers Stadium and a professional team at OneOk Field. It would even be possible to work together (but I doubt it now that you and the hooligans have been so vocal against the Roughnecks in the media).  

The Athletics didn't invent soccer in Tulsa. There have been two other times when teams named Roughnecks have started and failed the last twenty years here. They failed because they tried to do everything without any money (sounds familiar).  

I hope you get over it. I was pissed at the Thunder when they promised to be the Oklahoma Thunder and then at the last minute decided to become the Oklahoma City Thunder (after getting $40 million in state funds). I was a Maverics fan and a Celtic fan and wasn't going to change just because there was a team closer to my house. But after seeing the product they put on the court and the way they treat their fans, I have come around. I now cheer for the Thunder and look forward to watching their games.

Ruf, It would have been nice to see the Hubbards at least try and work with Sonny.  But, as long as the Athletics put a good product on the field they really shouldn’t have anything to worry about.  It sounds like they have gained a very loyal following in a short amount of time.

I hope we get a really bitter rivalry out of this!

If so it would resemble the movie "Little Giants". Great movie by the way.

So now we have a city derby in the making. A "Friendly Derby" à la Merseyside I hope. Obviously it's unfortunate that we're splitting our fan base, but perhaps, the rivalry will actually generate more combined excitement and participation. Wishful thinking? Probably.

I mentioned this in a FB comment but is there an opportunity for a true club scenario to do well in Tulsa? True club meaning owned (fully or partially) by it's members. It seems like a campaign launching something like that could gain a lot of attention, generate great support and ultimately lead to a really well rooted club in our community. I would join that club. I would pay dues. I would vote.

I respect and appreciate what Sonny, his organization and the supporters have done in leading the way. I support the Athletics. Even though I don't care for the Athletics moniker (A's? Green & Yellow? not exactly original), I like the motivations I can see in the club. Of course NPSL is not where we want to be, but if the club survives, it will be stronger for starting at the bottom.

As for the USL team, it's great that people with money want to put pro soccer in our community. It shows the interest and demand is there. But, this will always be the owner's team with a priority of drawing a worthwhile profit. With OKC minority owners initiating this, you can see it coming 100 miles away. OKC first, Tulsa second.

It's hard to picture the football atmosphere at OneOK field. I just don't see it. Athletics stadium is awkward and far from ideal but it does work.

http://www.supporters-direct.org/
http://www.theguardian.com/social-enterprise-network/2013/nov/27/fan-ownership-football-premier-league
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2010/apr/11/bundesliga-premier-league
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fan-owned_sports_teams

The Tulsa Athletics have a team in the 4th division of the American soccer hierarchy.
The Tulsa RINOs (Roughnecks-in-name-only) will play in the 3rd division of the American soccer hierarchy.
Neither will be "the best product," so your poo-poo-ing of an Athletics team that never lost a game in the summer of 2013 rings hollow, Michael.

The A's had better average per game attendance than more than half of the USL Pro's clubs in 2013.


Three cheap shots in one sentence-- very impressive.

1.  Our squad has the best players from TU, ORU, RSU and NSU along with a smattering of former professionals who have played at both the USL Pro level (Charleston Battery) and the MLS and NASL level (Daniel Wasson played for both the Colorado Rapids and Minnesota along with a couple of German squads).  Current NCAA players lose eligibility if they play on the same team with paid players, so it is to our competitive advantage to be designated amateur.

2.  You're talking about a single game in June where the refs lost control of the game.  If you think that won't happen from time to time in USL Pro, you probably need to have your head examined.  (FYI, the game in question drew over 3,700 fans, which is more fans than the average attendance for all but two of the USL Pro's thirteen teams.)

3.  Our very first game had around a thirty minute delay-- because over 3,200 fans showed up when we figured the turnstile count would be closer to 2,000.  A couple of other games had delays of around 15 minutes to accommodate a surprisingly large walk up crowd, not to mention the occasional snafu with sharing fairgrounds parking lots with horse trailers and Winnebagos.    


This season, we play our division rivals twice and four teams from an all-Texas division once each.
To say there was "no investment into the fan experience" is an OUTRIGHT LIE.
Food trucks, fun for the kids, a beer garden... I could go on and on.... were there errors in our first season of play--- yes.
The problems were largely addressed over the course of the season.... if you went to every game the way you said you did, you'd know this.

Concessions were available where they always have been at the old ballpark.
In addition to those options, food trucks were parked in such a way that you could still watch the game while waiting in line for food or a beer.


You don't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to finance a first year team in an amateur league... you just don't.
However, I invite anyone reading this to come see us this year... the field is in much better shape, got new kick-donkey goals, and have spent the off season learning from our shortcomings last year.
AND..... the sightlines at our stadium will be infinitely better than having primo seats on the third baseline at OneOk Park only to find out that the sidelines in the soccer setup are way over on the other side of the pitcher's mound... good luck with that...

(https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/1488142_181011912094547_930345607_n.jpg)
(http://www.tulsa-athletics.com/tulsaathletics/cache/file/0CBE1A2F-1984-4E5A-A6F2A87B32CAF9DC_W700_Hauto.jpg)
(http://api.ning.com/files/JXaRcx22dSKG0EJ2llKMwHC4B*Ko92BUkGnsBm0QMJgAQFwdzGWFyxTXYeQCarumP8h76cXZ76cL0-ahv2WKbXW7kE5O7mVj/533Tulsa.JPG)

Yes... and all at taxpayer expense.  Lower level seats at the fairgrounds are no different than at OneOk... the upper level at the old ballpark has bleacher seats with "actual backs."  
Comparing tier three soccer to double A baseball is like comparing apples to cadillacs... there is none.
Tier three is the lowest level of professional soccer in existence in North America.
The "amateur" Tulsa Athletics are one step below that..... well... at least for next summer.

I watched Drillers fan scoff at our booth at the Blue Dome Arts Festival last May on their way to the game.
After witnessing this first hand, I believe diehard Drillers fans will be doing a lot of complaining about field conditions in summer 2015, especially in the outfield.

None of those teams averaged 3k per game... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_Roughnecks_%281993%E2%80%932000%29
And the Tulsa Roughnecks team from 1997-99 were???... wait for it........ third division, which is why so many of the Athletics fans don't like the idea of calling them the Roughnecks.
I will support the dreamers (Sonny & Dr Kern) over the schemers (the Drillers).

good luck rufnex.

I didn't start this fight and I haven't seen the Drillers or the new Roughnecks comment at all. The fight has been all from pissed off Athletics fans who have gone hooligan because someone else wants to bring soccer to Tulsa. I am now in a position to support something I have no connection with, no more knowledge than what I read in the papers.  

I was an Athletics fan. I went to more games than probably any one else on this forum besides you. I had fun. I took a lot of people with me. They had fun.

We like soccer.

I also like OneOK Field. My wife hates baseball, but she loves to go to OneOk Field. The Drillers are good people.  Yes, there are some OKC people involved, but the majority owner and the General Manager are Tulsans. The fact that you spread gossip that this is all a ruse to benefit OKC is the real lie on this thread.

I understand you are not happy. Get over it or don't. I plan to watch soccer. You plan to pout about it not being what you want.

Dale Hubbard... http://www.homesteadfarmsnh.com/
Jeff Hubbard... http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hubbar001jef

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_Drillers

And one more thing, RM... is this really your definition of "grassroots?"


Because if it is....

(https://therecoveringcatholic.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/words1.jpg?w=323&h=215)

If you want to see the level of play USL Pro offers.... http://www.orugoldeneagles.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17000&ATCLID=209420879

I get the feeling that this is the real reason why you are upset. Some kid in a Driller shirt hurt your feelings.

Buck up buttercup.

Not "some kid in a Driller shirt."
Full grown adults who should have known better.

And no, that's not it, smartypants.

I'm upset because Sonny deserves a chance to succeed.
You need to ask yourself why the Drillers are doing this NOW when they don't even start playing until 2015.

In contrast, Oklahoma City didn't name their 2014 USL Pro team until last November... but they DID secure Tulsa Roughnecks FC as a trademark a couple of months prior to that.
Funny how that works.
And I'm not the only one who smells a rat...
(https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/1888488_617083188364177_1651060489_n.jpg)

Got my popcorn, love it when a couple of houligans square off and a soccer match breaks out!

(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a305/M1Riflenut/misc/smiley-face-eating-popcorn_zps4c1d1ac7.png)

I see. You are mad that the new soccer team actually started working on their product and name in 2013? How dare they plan ahead!

Or is it that they named themselves the Tulsa Roughnecks and bought the name instead of you? I guess if someone trademarked RecycleMichael and had the nerve to recycle in Tulsa I would go on internet public forums and whine too.

You might want to grab an appropriate hooligan beer to wash it down... just sayin'   8)

http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/scene/whattheale/what-the-ale-dead-armadillo-brews-a-hooligan-brew-for/article_57246d28-7256-11e3-973a-0019bb30f31a.html

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t1/s403x403/1888463_744573792220898_1270129263_n.jpg)

Thanks, but I'll pass. Bitter and a dead armadillo on the label reminds me of cheap Lone Star beer.

Actually Dead Armadillo is pretty good beer.  It's being brewed in Midwest City by some Tulsa boys.

Beer?  In the spirit of English Hooliganism I'm grabbing a cider.

The Athletics are great for Tulsa.  There is passion.  There is diversity.  I had a blast every time I went.

What the drillers bring will certainly be a more commercial product. No doubt.  The two will go head to head and we will see who comes out on top or if both survive.

Clearly Tulsa messed up BIG not grabbing a MLS team when we had the chance.  That's done.  MLS is probably never coming to Tulsa.  We are a third tier sports town I'm afraid.

I just want to point out the fact that USRufnex:

1. Is a huge fan of Tulsa Roughnecks
2. Is named after the Roughnecks
3. Was one of the first pointing out soccer could be played at OneOK
4. Has been an advocate of professional soccer returning to tulsa for years
5. Is now mad there is a professional soccer team playing at OneOK named after the Roughnecks.

+1 For Dead Armadillo.  Good beer, and seem like good guys.

 :D

Hilariously true.

Has me wondering if the account was hacked?!?

1.  Yes.  (the old team from 1978-1985 whose last games were played at 15th & Yale)
2.  Yes.
3.  Yes, but that was BEFORE Sonny Dalesandro & Dr. Tommy Kern signed a lease on the old ballpark, sodded in the infield, and started an organization that every Tulsan should be proud of.  2014 will be alot of fun, and it has always been part of their plans to move up to USL Pro or the NASL... the ultimate goal is still an MLS bid.
4.  Yes, but I openly question the motivations of the Drillers and Bob Funk Jr, especially when it threatens the continued existence of the Tulsa Athletics at a venue which seats 10,997.  And I think starting a "name-the-team" contest at a time when the Athletics are gearing up for another season (and seeking sponsors) is a real dick move by them.
5.  You bet I'm angry.  Where were they in 2011 or 2012?  Why did this ballpark have to be so poorly designed and unaccommodating for soccer?  Where were they BEFORE Sonny and Dr. Kern put their butts on the line for soccer in this city and are (as we speak) moving forward, onward and upward?

***you also left out the website I created called tulsaroughnecks.com (http://tulsaroughnecks.com) with an accompanying @tulsaroughnecks twitter account***   ;D

I'd point out that in the summer of 2012, there were zero soccer franchises in Oklahoma.
By the fall of 2015, there could be a total of SEVEN -- three in OKC and four in Tulsa (yes, I said FOUR).

From the Tulsa Athletics FB page dated December 18th... https://www.facebook.com/ttownsoccer‎

Athletics nation-  There will be an announcement today that in 2015 a group calling themselves the "Tulsa Roughnecks" will enter the picture in our town as a USL Pro team. I would like to make it clear where the Athletics stand on the matter. Firstly, the Roughnecks name is something that is very special to me personally. As a child I was one of many who was profoundly affected by the team coming to our city. Their presence here is the sole reason that I played soccer as a child, professionally, and is essentially the impetus to the forming of the Tulsa Athletics. Victor Moreland is like a father to me. I played for Steve Earle in my youth. I count Billy Caskey and Charlie Mitchell as friends. And like many, I've shared a cold beer with "the boomer" Alan Woodward. The Roughnecks name is sacred to me and to this city.

That being said...The Tulsa Athletics want to bring an MLS franchise to Tulsa. We've been clear about that from the beginning. We are your team. Your support affirms that the love for the game still runs strong through the veins of Tulsa and is the sole reason why we work as hard as we do for this club. Today's announcement as interesting as it may seem, does not actually affect the way we'll approach anything. We're still going continue to improve our stadium, grow our fan base, and put a fantastic product on the field. I am a Tulsan. A proud one at that. If a group from Oklahoma City thinks that Athletics Nation is going to lay down and quit, then they have read myself and Tulsans all wrong. We made a commitment to you to bring top level soccer to Tulsa, and we will carrying on doing that. Like a former Roughneck just told me on the telephone, "Just because they're called the Roughnecks, doesn't make them the Roughnecks".

Yours in soccer,
Sonny Dalesandro

Chairman
Tulsa Athletics  

Sonny makes a good point.  Don’t get caught up in the up-start Roughnecks, just go play soccer and put a good game on the field.  That’s the best thing the Athletics can do right now.  Since Driller Athletics Stadium is only a few blocks from the new house, MC and I will have to walk over for a few games this year.

So if USL Pro is tier III and NASL is tier II, why don't the A's, or some other group, try and get Tulsa to the NASL level?  Seems like that would be a good power play if the A's want to win the soccer wars.  I enjoy the A's game but I don't quite understand the NPSL.  They seem to have doubled in size this year with teams in small towns (Joplin, Bryan) and suburbs (Frisco, Lewisville) or are club teams in large cities that play at high school stadiums and public soccer complexes, including in MLS cities where there can be no question that the NPSL club is more of a recreational activity than anything.  The A's might draw 4,000 fans, then play on the road in front of a couple of hundred and a suburban high school stadium.  The NASL and USL Pro seem to be more traditional minor league systems in larger markets, many of which are major markets that just don't have an MLS team.  I know I'd rather be playing teams in NYC and Minneapolis than Joplin and Frisco.

I'm also interested to see how the NASL and USL Pro co-exist in Oklahoma City.  I just don't see how smaller markets like Tulsa and OKC can survive if the soccer viewership is split.  Lets choose one for each city, in the same league, and stick with it.  Maybe I'm reading too much into tier II and tier III, but it seems that the tier II NASL is the better product and is moving into the largest non MLS markets.  I'd like to see Tulsa in that conversation.  I'm sick of being tier three in everything.  We have AA baseball and hockey and play against suburbs while OKC is AAA and playing in cities like New Orleans and Memphis.  Can we have a better tier for at least one major sport?  Please?

MLS franchise fees are now $75 million. NASL franchise fees are now $5 million dollars. That just buys you the team and stadium and operating costs are extra.

From the USL website...

Q: What is the estimated initial investment cost?  http://www.uslsoccer.com/aboutusl/franchise/123541.html
 
A: There are variable estimated initial investments for each league. The initial franchise fee range is $75,000 to $750,000 (depending on league).  Average operating budgets for the USL First Division range from $2M- $3M.

If USL Pro succeeds, I bet we could raise the ante.

So Tulsa can't play in a better league because it's too expensive.  Man I wish I were rich.

I think $75M is worth it for an MLS franchise right now. The payoff is huge long term.

I could afford some hats and we could become beggars.

Sounds good to me!

How about free Jimmy John's for everyone?  ;D

How about some FUTBOL!

Maybe it took 4 years to get the financial backing?

2010 Hubbard buys the Drillers
2012 Went Hubbard dies
2014 Hubbard's sons expand to soccer.

That doesn't seem to be an egregiously slow timeline, especially if Dad wasn't that supportive of Soccer.

Getting warmer...
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/soccer/pro-soccer-headed-to-oneok-field-in/article_eda23ec4-df3c-5f0e-8911-51d4ebc87d95.html
   
"New Tulsa Roughnecks at New Driller Park?" posted May 5th, 2008
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=9963.0

"Forget about Major League Soccer; USL1 at the old ballpark" posted August 9th, 2009
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=14018.0

***FYI, up until Fall 2009, USL-1 was one step below Major League Soccer.  In 2010, what became the "new" NASL split off from USL and for one season both the NASL and USL-1 were one step below MLS.  Starting in 2011, the NASL was approved as North America's second division but the USSF put additional stipulations on the approval (more net worth to own a franchise) while North America's third division became USL Pro.***

Conan, you and the missus will want to tailgate with us.  Our tailgate guy is a big auto racing fan... and several of the Tulsa Ultras (who road tripped to KC) have had a few seconds added towards their 15 minutes of fame as seen on tv....  ;D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkrQH6pq56Q#t=39

Also, this is a stadium built to accommodate soccer.... Frontier Field, Rochester, NY... sadly, OneOK Field was not...
(http://www.kenn.com/images/frontier_field_rochester.jpg)

And this is a true multi-use Sutton Stadium at time of construction-- you can see that it could be used to football and soccer as well as baseball...
http://books.google.com/books?id=KBA6L4Bl1aQC&pg=PA82&lpg=PA82&dq=history+sutton+stadium+tulsa&source=bl&ots=OZHKF4KcLT&sig=H_E-_k5zQy0O-94ERIRstjcNU0A&hl=en&ei=spmASvK1K4LysQO_ydH7CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q&f=true

All ONEOK needs are temporary stands on one side to accomplish the same thing.

From the renderings of the ONEOK soccer field configuration shown a few weeks ago, the pitch from the majority of the baseball seats appears to be a bit more off put from the fans vantage point than what was the situation at Frontier Field.  I attended some matches in that stadium and the experiences were quite enjoyable for someone who is but a casual fan of the game.  Triple digit heat aside, I believe the experience at ONEOK overlooking the skyline should be enjoyable as well.

Tulsa Ultras - ding! ding! ding! ding! we have a winner!  Rufnex, I think Ultras would actually be a great nickname for a Tulsa team.