Loud City: Where One Team Unites an Entire State

Away from the hustle and bustle of major cities like New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles lies a city many sleep on. It’s rarely mentioned on tv or in the movies, and, generally speaking, it's a quiet city.  

Oklahoma City is not the first city that comes to mind when you think of American cities. And perhaps its residents prefer it that way. Not too much happens there, so it’s understandable for that to be the case. With two major universities within a couple hours of each other, college athletics leave the state pretty divided amongst itself.  

However, Oklahoma City does have one thing that can bring even the greatest college rivals together in unity. For forty-eight minutes on any given day or night between October and June, the entire state comes together to root for the only major sports team in Oklahoma. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder, established in 2008 after the relocation from Seattle, has seen multiple HOFers on its roster. Names like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden come to mind, along with later additions of Carmelo Anthony and Paul George. Then came 2020, the “bubble year,” and after trading away the last superstar on the roster, Russell Westbrook, the past offseason, it was time to accept the rebuild was officially underway. 

Now, there are numerous articles about the historic 2024-25 Thunder team. The numbers they have recorded through the regular season and postseason put them in discussion to be one of the best teams in NBA history.

However, there is one aspect of this team you just don't find many articles about. Oklahoma City is known for being one of the most difficult places to play on the road, but it's not just because of the 18 players on the roster (including 2-way contracts). In addition to the players on the court, road teams must face 18,203 of the best fans in the country. Oklahoma City is a one sport city, which means the fans put everything they have into disrupting the opponent's rhythm.  

Though the fanbase is made up of a diverse group of people, they have one common goal: to wear down the visitors so much that they have no energy left to play the game.  

Each team has a fanbase that tries to do this, but with there only being one team in town, the environment the fans create is second to none in the league. The Thunder players act more like family than coworkers, and likewise, the fans act like family, too. If you wanna see sports, go anywhere, but if you wanna feel like family, come to this quiet city away from the hustle and bustle of a busy life; because on gameday, it's “Loud City.” 

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