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| Photo: Shan |
Oklahomans are known for their sports enthusiasm and pride toward their athletic teams. With a new NBA basketball team, strong collegiate athletic programs, semi-pro hockey, baseball teams and several sports-themed museums, Oklahoma has a wide array of events and attractions for sports fans.
College football has been the king of sports in Oklahoma for several decades thanks to the perennial powerhouse Sooner football team from the University of Oklahoma. Attend a Sooner football home game in Norman and you'll understand why Sooner Magic is so contagious. Or watch the Cowboys from Oklahoma State University in action in Stillwater and you might catch orange fever.
Oklahoma City is the proud home of the OKC Thunder professional basketball team. So catch a game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in downtown Oklahoma City and see why they are the state's newest obsession.
Baseball is America's pastime and in Oklahoma you can attend a minor league game to see the Oklahoma RedHawks take on challengers in the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in downtown Oklahoma City's Bricktown Entertainment District. The park is fondly referred to as "The Brick" and is widely recognized as the top rated minor league facility in the country.
Tulsa fields a minor league baseball team - Tulsa Drillers - and the semi-professional Oilers hockey team plays in the new state-of-the-art BOK Center in downtown Tulsa.
From baseball and gymnastics to wrestling, football and softball, Oklahoma also has a wide variety of museums featuring great athletes from each sport and showcasing many Oklahoma-born athletes.
The Oklahoma Sports Museum in Guthrie features a collection of memorabilia honoring athletes with an Oklahoma connection. Featured in the museum are Oklahoma's five Heisman Trophy winners, three Pro Football Hall of Famers, and five Pro Baseball Hall of Famers just to name a few. In January, the museum presents the Warren Spahn Award to the outstanding left-handed pitcher in the major leagues.
Oklahoma City is the proud home of the OKC Thunder professional basketball team.
If you are a softball fan, pay a visit to the National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located in Oklahoma City. This museum is considered a shrine to the former players of the sport who had exceptional careers.
For all the fans of mankind’s oldest and most basic form of recreational combat, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater is an absolute must-see. This is the only hall of fame devoted to the sport of amateur and Olympic wrestling. The museum covers the entire history of the oldest sport with its diverse assortment of freestyle wrestling memorabilia.
Football fans will enjoy the Switzer Center on the University of Oklahoma campus. This museum chronicles the history of OU football including the national and conference championship trophies, historical photos and memorabilia. And you might even bump into a well-known OU player or coach on their way into the adjacent training center.
Norman is home to another point of interest for OU fans - Sooner Legends. Part restaurant, part boutique hotel and part museum, this place is a shrine to OU athletic teams. The walls of the restaurant are lined with photos of legendary OU athletes from a variety of sports, and you can wander the halls of the hotel corridors for a trip through the entire history of OU sports back to the turn of the century. Each luxurious room is themed for a high-profile OU athlete or coach, containing photos and memorabilia such as signed jerseys.
Another outstanding athletic tribute is the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. It showcases the careers of Oklahoma Olympic champions Bart Connor and Shannon Miller among other prominent gymnasts, a unique collection of medals and awards from the past to the present and a gift shop.
As you can see, there are plenty of things to do around the state, so gather your family and make your plans now to take a day trip or weeklong getaway to one of the many interesting places throughout the state.
