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Sooners' Away Game Costing Norman Millions

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- Sooner fans are headed across the Red River for Saturday's big game in Arlington, but the University of Oklahoma's decision to move the first game out of Norman will cost the city millions.

For the first time in several years, OU is opening its football season on the road against BYU in Arlington, Texas, and merchants back home in Norman aren't happy about that.

The owner of an apparel shop on Campus Corner said no one asked her about scheduling the first game on the road.

"I don't know that they told anything about it until it was a done deal, and I think most of the merchants were upset about that," said Suzy Canon, Campus Corner Merchant.

Usually a home game brings a bonanza of business to businesses around campus.

"Game days here, our business probably jumps four or five hundred percent, and when it's away, it's just like a normal day," said Suzi Cohen, Campus Corner merchant.

So on home game days, all of Campus Corner benefits and so does all of Norman.

"Well, we estimate about $8.8 million new dollars comes into the community with a home football game," said Stephen Koranda, Norman Convention and Visitors' Bureau.

Keith Allen said his restaurant will look a little empty Saturday but it's his staff who will suffering the most from the lack of business.

"I figure my staff looses anywhere between $4,0000 and $8,000 in tips. So they're all sitting there the first of the month thinking, ‘wow, this is going to pay for my rent for this month,'" Allen said.

OU officials said the match up in Arlington was arranged between Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and ESPN, and if the BYU game had not come about, the Sooners would probably have scheduled an opening game away from Norman anyway.

The Sooners will play six home games in Norman later this season.