Views from OKC: Figuring out a jersey sponsor for next season

Views from OKC is a diary from an OKC Thunder fan. Today we hypothesize what companies may advertise on the Thunder’s jerseys starting next season.

Once upon a time, advertisements were not an omnipresent force in the world. You could leave your house, run errands, play with your kids in the park and order take out, all while experiencing minimal companies/organizations bombarding your senses.

But now – in the year 2017 – we can’t even root for our favorite basketball team without being tied to some sort of business.

Starting next season the NBA will allow teams to sell a 2.5-inch square on their uniforms. Six teams have already sold ads, including the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Unsurprisingly the Utah Jazz and a Salt Lake City based business Qualtrics found a way to turn this deal into a social positive; they are promoting Qualtrics cancer research charity 5 for the Fight. Shoutout both the Jazz organization and Qualtrics for that one.

The Thunder, as expected, have yet to make a deal. Being a small market, non-championship contender, yet third-most watched team in the league puts them in an interesting predicament. Utah sold their three-year deal for over $10 million while the Golden State Warriors are reportedly trying to sell there’s for $20 million a year.

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So what should Clay Bennett and the Oklahoma City Thunder do? Do they go for the big money business like Chesapeake Energy Corp. to make extra cash to put back into the roster? Or do they go the philanthropic like Utah and make a statement to the world?

Let’s give them a few options to ponder.

Big Baller Brand: This option was proposed by TI’s newest writer Bo Cardona; I gotta say I like it. With these patches costing at least $3-4 million a year Lavar Ball would finally have to prove that he himself is a “Big Baller.” Plus every time the Thunder play Lonzo Ball and whatever lowly lottery team he ends up on, Russell Westbrook will have that much more reason to go to work on the rookie.

“Don’t tread on me” snake: I don’t know how this would work but I need it to happen. 1) This is essential America, Oklahoma is essential America. 2) It’s the perfect slogan for an OKC Thunder team that is fighting against all odds but won’t back down. 3) Kevin Durant is a snake and now is our opportunity to remind the world of that for 82+ nights.

Oklahoma City National Museum & Memorial: I visited Oklahoma for the first time last winter; this museum was the highlight of my trip. I’m all for a way to give the national population an opportunity to learn about the resilience of the people of Oklahoma. Each new player is required to visit the museum, and that patch would be a daily reminder of who they really are playing for.

Raising Cane’s: Few things make me happier than a Cane’s chicken tender. An OKC Thunder win is one of those things. As a broke college kid I refuse to spend the $99.99 it costs for a jersey, but combining the two entities into one product would easily make me reconsider. The Storm Chasers are already tied to the chicken company..it really is too good to be true.

Sonic: This option was proposed by TI’s resident social media expert Dillon Mattox, and my oh my is this idea beautiful. Not only is Sonic based in Oklahoma City, it’s first location was in Shawnee. The old-school roller vibe of the drive-in would fit perfectly with the OKC organization. And c’mon. Who doesn’t want to throw shade at all those Seattle fans every time the Thunder touch the court?

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True Religion: At the front of my local True Religion store (Cincinnati, Ohio) is a familiar face: Russell Westbrook. In fact, I go to the mall at least twice a day just to look at the League MVP up close and personal. Russ is the face of the Thunder. He is also the face of True Religion. Might as well combine the two. Plus you can’t tell me the True Religion horseshoe wouldn’t look fantastic on a jersey.

The Thunderous Intentions team is only one small group. We need each and every OKC Thunder fan to come together in order to ensure that the ownership group doesn’t pick some blase brand. If you have a suggestion please please please reach out to us and we will continue to post the best ideas on our Twitter.

DM our account @thunderousint if your explanation is more than 140 characters. If we blocked you for whatever reason, my DM’s @tony_heim are always open.

Thunder nation, together we can make magic happen.