Business Not As Booming from Big 12 Baseball

By Alex Cameron, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Big 12 baseball is giving downtown businesses a boost this week, but it hasn't been the homerun they were hoping for like in years past.

Bricktown business owner Daryl Maness looks forward to the Big 12 baseball tournament coming to town each spring.

"Well, in the five days in the tournament, we do a lot of business and business is usually about double," said Maness.

He said this is the slowest he's seen it in three years, partly because a couple of perennial contenders didn't make the tournament this year.

"Notably OSU and Nebraska," Maness said. "Neither one of them being here has made a difference."

All Sports Association officials said OSU's absence, in particular, will keep most of their rabid fan base from being here and buying tickets.

"But I think there will be a lot of them that will be. They're such great baseball fans. They'll come out and watch this event," said Tim Brassfield from the Oklahoma City All Sports Association.

Dick and Annie McRee, from Stillwater, are doing just that.

"We're just good ol' fashioned country baseball fans, like to watch good baseball," said OSU baseball fan Dick McRee.

And there has been good baseball. Paid attendance per session so far has been just over five thousand, though the actual number of fans in the seats has been less, which is typical, but also a product of OSU's absence and the economy.

Still the tournament is bringing in people from out of town, people like Craig Copeland and his son, loyal Tech fans who have never been to Oklahoma City before.

"This is first class. This is a nice stadium. Plenty to do around here, there's plenty places to see and eat, so we've had a good time," said Copeland.

Officials with the All Sports Association estimate the tournament has an economic impact on the local economy of around six or seven million dollars. By way of comparison, the Big 12 basketball tournament's impact is estimated at around $40 million.

There are still plenty of tickets left for all games this weekend.