THEY'RE LOUD ... THEY'RE PROUD ...

It is among the greatest weapons in the Thunder arsenal, and yet it doesn’t shoot, drive or dunk. It was not selected in the draft or picked up in free agency. As far as we know, it hasn’t landed a single endorsement deal.

And yet it plays a pivotal role in the success of the Thunder. Its strength, tenacity and unwavering spirit serve to inspire the team while intimidating opponents.

We’re talking, of course, about Thunder fans.

“I’ve been with a lot of teams as a player and as a coach.
I understand the NBA very well, and I’m amazed with our fans,” says Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks.

“The fans stuck with us during a tough (first) season and gave us hope that we could keep getting better and improve. And I thought that was a big reason why we did improve, knowing that we were going to come back with a fan base that was going to be with us through everything we encountered during this year.”

As proud as they are loud -- and that’s no small feat -- the Thunder faithful have taken the NBA by storm. No wonder. They’re enthusiastic. They’re boisterous. They’re friendly and hospitable. And did we mention they’ve got an almost superhuman ability to make noise?

“They really support our guys, and our guys feel the energy,” Brooks says. “They feel the love that they receive each game.”

But don’t take our word for it. By the close of the 2009-10 regular season and the subsequent playoffs, Thunder fans had already caught the imagination of NBA observers around the globe.

The denizens of Thunderland earned kudos from scores of sports journalists, TV commentators, bloggers, others fans – you name it.

In covering the Thunder’s first home playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 22, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated marveled at the “ear-splitting noise that reached 109 decibels.”

NBA.com writer Scott Howard-Cooper mused that there appeared to be no limit “just when the love affair between team and city couldn’t get any better, just when the Ford Center couldn’t get any louder.”

Over on CBSSports.com, columnist Gregg Doyell noted that Thunder fans appeared to be different than those found in many NBA arenas. “Maybe that's why the Ford Center crowd behaves like grown-ups,” he wrote in a May 3 column. “They cheer and they boo, but more than that, they appreciate the game.”

The Los Angeles Times’ T.J, Simers didn’t mince words. “The fans here are better,” he wrote, “louder, in their seats for warmups, not so worried about being cool, so therefore willing to pull on a T-shirt and look like everyone else in the place.”

But Thunderland, impressive as it is in the Ford Center, stretches far beyond arena walls.

There are the fans who routinely watch the games on TV or follow the action on radio broadcasts. There are the fans who devour every newspaper or magazine article about the Thunder. There are the fans who stay connected to the team through the Internet’s maze of websites, blogs and the interactive online community, THUNDERALLY. Thunder loyalists come in all shapes and sizes, all ages, and from all walks of life. And their love for the Thunder can take many forms, from a pennant hanging over a child’s bed to a storefront window adorned with Thunder gear.

THUNDERLAND is about those fans.

It’s about chronicling the people who are so essential to the Thunder experience. It’s about honoring those who honor the team. It’s about the passion, joy and bonds of community that transcend the court.

It’s about you.

Phil Bacharach is the Director of Corporate Communications for the Thunder. He is looking for die-hard Thunder fans throughout the world to chronicle in an online series. If you or somebody you know bleeds Thunder blue, contact Phil by clicking here