A representative from the International Basketball League was recently in Corvallis to guage the level of interest the Corvallis business community might have in sponsoring a basketball franchise, representing Corvallis, in the International Basketball League. Last season the league had three teams in Oregon. Salem, Bend and Eugene currently have teams in the IBL. The city of Corvallis is the right size for such a team. The question is will the financial support come from the Corvallis Business Community? The league is looking for at least one and preferably two "title" sponsors. The sponsor/s would need to support the franchise with a $10,000 commitment. It seems to me that with Hewlett Packard withdrawing from the Corvallis Chamber and Samaritan Health not a likely candidate the Corvallis business community will not support this venture. Corvallis already supports the Corvallis Knights Baseball team. Their games are currently played at Oregon State University. While the idea of basketball in Corvallis sounds wonderful, it is unlikely to happen. The Oregon State Basketball team does not draw that well and is currently looking to rebuild the team having recently hired a new basketball coach, Barack Obama's brother-in-law. Maybe a sponsor will step up and make a financial commitment. The weak economy Nationally and locally makes most possible suitors wary of budgeting such a large amount of money with few guarantees of a return on investment. Your Toughts are important.
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