A local lawmaker is looking to bring professional women’s sports teams to play in Oklahoma by using rebates.
A local lawmaker is looking to bring professional women’s sports teams to play in Oklahoma by using rebates.
A local lawmaker is looking to bring professional women’s sports teams to play in Oklahoma by using rebates.
A local lawmaker is looking to bring professional women’s sports teams to play in Oklahoma by using rebates.
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Last year a bill was signed into law that gives millions of dollars in rebates to teams like the NBA, NFL and more.
Right now, we only have one professional team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. There are developments all over, with a new arena on the horizon and a new soccer complex.
A lot of movement for the state and one legislator said she wants to put millions of dollars toward attracting women’s teams to play in Oklahoma City.
“Anybody that looks at the numbers and wants to develop the economy sees that women’s sports is growing,” said state Sen. Mary Boren.
In 2024 lawmakers passed a sports league rebate to give money to qualifying teams.
But it was strict, only the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS qualified.
“I was very disappointed that when I brought that to the attention to the author of the house bill that was passed last year that we weren’t able to include women’s sports,” Boren said.
And nearly a year later, Boren wants to women to get fair share, too.
Her bill would add teams from the WNBA, women’s professional fastpitch and the national women’s soccer league to the list of those eligible for the rebate.
Boren said rising interest in athletes like Caitlin Clark of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever proved it could show profits in Oklahoma as well.
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But the problem is that in Boren’s bill and the bill signed into law last year, a team’s payroll has to exceed more than $10 million to qualify for the rebate.
And right now, no women’s sports team spends that much.
“Hopefully between now and deadlines, we’ll have those conversations, and it will spur those in support of women’s sports – those that own women’s sports (teams),” Boren said.
Money is a real issue here and considering the $10 million minimum, there’s no guarantee the teams will see the rebates.
“My hope is that you wouldn’t have to differentiate. My hope is that we would find a number that would work for both men and women sports equally,” Boren said.
Boren hopes that conversations happen soon about the bill, adding that there could be different amounts of rebate between men and women’s sports teams.
The next legislative session starts in a few weeks.
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