When You Talk Oklahoma Sports, Everything Starts with Football!
NEVER SAY ITS JUST A GAME
Oklahoma has two outstanding college football programs with the University of Oklahoma Sooners in Norman and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys in Stillwater.
The Sooners are Fierce and Determined
This Elite Program Boasts seven national Championships and the most wins in college football since 1945!
The Cowboys Play Hard & Smart Together
The Cowboys realized the first step in winning was believing they could. Hard work and determination have brought home two National Championships to Oklahoma State University.
Extraordinary Rival Teams= Great Times
The passion for football in Oklahoma permeates all levels, from youth football to high school to college. Ask the average Oklahoman who their favorite team is in the NFL. You are likely to hear about the Dallas Cowboys, but to get the best idea of sports in Oklahoma, recall the movie and television show Friday Night Lights. That movie is Blanchard, Oklahoma.
Pro Basketball
With all this football talk, you might think that we forgot about the pro basketball team in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Thunder. Oklahoma loves the Thunder. The name of the team comes from two sources. The first is because of the proximity to nearby Tornado Alley, and the second is that Oklahoma City was the home of the U.S. Army’s 45th Infantry Division, the Thunderbirds. Very few cities can match the love the Thunder get from their fans. A few years ago, the Thunder came close to winning the NBA Championship and are now involved in a significant rebuilding process. Hopefully, the slogan “Thunder Up!” will soon mean the team is back in the playoffs.
Baseball
And let’s not forget about baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers have two minor league teams in Oklahoma. They have a Triple-A Ball team in OKC and play at the Chickasaw Bricktown ballpark, and they have a Double-A team in Tulsa that plays at the ONEOK Field in downtown Tulsa. In college baseball, the OSU Cowboys rule and are considered the better program versus the Sooners.
Youth and high school baseball are important, just not quite the same as football. There have been several Oklahomans to play professional baseball. Some of the more well know players are Mickey Mantle, Carl Hubbel, and Johnny Bench.
Women’s Softball has become an institution in Oklahoma. ESPN stated that the Women’s Softball Center of the Universe is Oklahoma City. The College Softball World Series is held every year at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Sooners reached the pinnacle of Women’s College Softball by winning the 2021 College World Series. In many small towns in Oklahoma, the baseball and softball fields are usually together in sports complexes that are pretty impressive.
Hockey
Believe it or not, there is a professional minor league hockey team in Oklahoma, the Tulsa Oilers. The Oilers have a playoff-caliber team every few years. There are several excellent ice skating arenas in OKC and Tulsa.
What are other sports popular in Oklahoma? There are several professional soccer teams in Oklahoma. Because of their size and population, Oklahoma City and Tulsa each have a team. Soccer grows in popularity every year in Oklahoma. Young kids may want to emulate Chris Wondolowski of the San Jose Earthquakes, whose mother was born into the Kiowa Tribe in Oklahoma.
Golf
There are many excellent golf courses in Oklahoma. Some famous golfers from Oklahoma include Bob Tway, Rickie Fowler, and Nancy Lopez.
Because of the milder temperatures, you can play any of the over 240 golf courses year-round whether your play is championship-caliber courses or maybe just windmills and clowns, you will find your field of greens.
Tennis
I almost forgot to mention tennis. There are some outstanding college programs in Oklahoma; Oklahoma City has a world-class USTA tournament-level facility. Most high schools have tennis programs and good tennis courts to play on. Daytime tennis during the summer months can be brutal from the heat but get out early in the morning or later in the evening to keep your swings. The Westwood Tennis Center in Norman has indoor and outdoor courts and plenty of instructors and classes to keep you playing.
So that we didn’t miss anything. There are more to mention on our list: wrestling, bowling, water skiing, fishing, off-roading, horse racing, auto racing, motorcycle racing, hunting, shooting, archery, and if I missed any others, I sincerely apologize. As you can see, the only sports you might miss in Oklahoma are the winter sports, but Oklahoma is not far from Colorado and New Mexico, and you can get your fix at the resorts there.
