The BOK Center in Tulsa; Home of the 2023 NCAA DI ChampionshipsI thought I might write this closer to the NCAA Tournament but with some discussion stirring on this topic on Twitter the last few weeks, I thought I'd dig in now and look at some of the positives and negatives that may come from Tulsa being the host.
Tulsa's not a bad town. Outsiders in the wrestling community seem to be viewing it as some terrible hellscape, and it's just not that. I travel more than I care to for work, and Tulsa is a pretty standard mid-size city with all the normal stuff that goes with it.
One gripe a lot of folks seem to have is flight and hotel costs. There's some validity to that, but those costs are pretty high wherever the NCAA tournament is located. And if you haven't booked your travel yet, you're behind the eight-ball and going to have some struggles.
Food and drink are the main concern of most people at this point. Tulsa's food scene is solid. If you're trying to sit down and enjoy something "nicer", the James Beard list just came out and a number of Tulsa restaurants made the cut. Bird and Bottle, Et. Al, Smoke. WoodFire Grill, American Solera, and Mr. Kims, all made the cut.
Most of those are at least an Uber ride away from the BOK Center and of course the time it takes to get your food and eat. For each of those, you're more than likely going to miss all or at least a large part of a session. If you're looking for something fairly quick and to get right back to the venue to not miss a second of wrestling, that's a legitimate concern in my opinion. You "can" walk to Phryme Steakhouse, Yokuzuna, McNellies, Fat Guy's, the Ramen Bar, and several other restaurants, bars, and breweries, in the nearby area. But they don't hit you right as you walk out the door of the BOK Center. They're a bit of a walk or maybe a short Uber ride. And that creates an inconvenience when you have a short time window to get back and watch wrestling. As long as the restaurants are prepared and staffed, it will hopefully be manageable.
I haven't seen anything official on this, but I've heard they're going to clear out an area for food trucks just outside the arena. I doubt anyone in an important position would be reading this, but this is badly needed in my opinion and would be great for the event. The food truck scene in Tulsa is solid and giving fans an easily accessible food option just outside of the arena with them is brilliant.
Parking could be a concern. There's just not enough of it around the arena. Tulsa hosted the PGA Championship this summer and I was in attendance. They had a great plan for that. They utilized the ORU parking lots for parking and bused fans to the course. I'm hoping they implement something similar here. If they don't, I highly recommend you walk to the arena if your hotel is close enough or Uber, because parking will be a nightmare.
Obviously, the main thing everyone will be doing here is attending the tournament. But there are some entertainment options around for those that decide to take a bit of a break from wrestling. If you're into casinos, there are tons of them. If you follow the history of the state, there are a lot of Native American tribes and they provide a lot of entertainment options across the state. The River Spirit is just down the road and the Hard Rock and Osage casinos are maybe 15 minutes away.
If the weather's decent and you're looking for a place to take your kids, the Gathering Place is a good option and so is the Botanic Garden. The Bob Dylan Center, the Woody Guthrie Center, the Outsider's House, the Gilcrease Museum, and the Greenwood Center(one of the most prominent concentrations of African-American businesses in the nation; sometimes called Black Wall Street), are all good family-type options a little away from the nightlife scene.
Ultimately, there could be a few hangups with parking and some other things, and I'm really hoping Tulsa is adequately staffed and prepared for everything. But overall, the NCAA tournament in Tulsa should be similar to any other NCAA tournament and hopefully a fun and enjoyable experience.
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