Announcement, Yes! Advertisement? Yes for Something of Vital Importance for OSU Athletics

STILLWATER – Many of you may not know this, although I have talked about it on my radio show. Today is March 1 and as of today, Zach Lancaster is taking over the ownership and the publisher role of Pokes Report. I will still be doing basically what I always do. I will be writing a lot of content, especially in my priority sports of football, wrestling, baseball, softball, soccer, women’s tennis and all others when needed. I will be a writer, and Zach Lancaster will be the driving force. Before I get to my message on the changeover in leadership and ownership of Pokes Report, one message I wanted to put out there.

Please, buy your football season tickets! As great an accomplishment as any double-digit win season or bowl win over a Miami, Fla., Notre Dame, or Texas A&M in my lifetime and the recent past of Cowboy football has been you and all of the others that have purchased season tickets, club seats, suites and made Boone Pickens Stadium full every home game for the past two seasons. The Friday “Black Out” vs, Kansas State, the final Bedlam win over OU, the Big 12 Championship clinching overtime win over BYU, and the overtime win over Arkansas are all memories that none of us will forget. 

Bryan Terry-USA TODAY Sports

You want to be there for moments like this.

As the football program, with head coach Mike Gundy doing an overhaul to make Cowboy football what it needs to be in the new age of revenue sharing and transfer portal movement, you are needed. Coach Gundy has brought in new coaches and combined them with established staff for the right people to reshape a program that has defied the odds and eliminated the “can’t” attitude so many had for Oklahoma State football. Buying your season tickets and filling that stadium out helps football, it shows everyone on the outside Cowboy football isn’t going anywhere, and it shows athletics director Chad Weiberg and all of the athletic department and coaches of every sport that Oklahoma State fans have their back and want to achieve at the highest possible level.

I renewed my season tickets on Friday, Feb. 28, the first day for renewals. There is a very comfortable five-payment plan with no interest that is available for those renewals. Please get that done if at all possible, to send Oklahoma State athletics a strong positive show of support.

As for our change at Pokes Report, it isn’t drastic. It will be for the best in my opinion.

There are several reasons on my end. One, I’m not as enthusiastic about the business end. My wife, (for no compensation) has been doing the books and balancing the budget.

This site has plenty of opportunity for advertising. You’ll notice we have network advertising through the F5 platform. I’m not a salesman, so we haven’t had much on the local level. 

Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer

I’m lazy, I just want to write and talk and not crunch numbers.

The other aspect is for the changeover is philosophical. I’m 64-years-old and I see things the way I see them. I’m capable of change. If you aren’t it is hard to live in our current society, much less in the current climate of college athletics. However, I am somewhat stuck in my ways. I am not as critical as many over some issues in college sports. Today’s fan of sports, including college sports and Oklahoma State, are more demanding, in some cases way more opinionated. I see success and failure just as well as the next person but prefer to be more analytical about it than critical of it. 

I won’t speak for Zach, but I think he will have a different take on many situations. I think he plans on enlisting the help editorially and in the business end from people that will make our website better. I’m sure Zach will be sharing those details with you in the future.

In the meantime, I’m not going anywhere. If you enjoy my stories and takes, then they will be here. So will other takes, that some of you will enjoy or appreciate more.

Thanks for your support of pokesreport.com!