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Wow, those comments are brutal! But, most of them about USC running and dominating the City are true. Our capital likes to boast the University as an asset, and it is to an extent, but it also seems to hold Columbia back. I'll take Greenville's connections with Clemson any day.

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Wow, those comments are brutal! But, most of them about USC running and dominating the City are true. Our capital likes to boast the University as an asset, and it is to an extent, but it also seems to hold Columbia back. I'll take Greenville's connections with Clemson any day.

You have to love all newspaper comments, they are funny. The "mayberry of the South" comment seems to describe each southern city at some point. It was used countless times here in Charlotte when the transit tax was being debated. I have seen it in the AJC in reference to Atlanta as well.

However, I do fail to see how Carolina holds Columbia back. In reference to the article in "The State", I can understand that some are disappointed that Carolina Stadium does not have a minor league team playing there in addition to Carolina. But, that does not qualify as holding the city back. As much as Charlotte has, I would love to have a major research university (and over 30k students/professors/staff) located within the 277 loop instead of being located in Chester County 30+ miles away. How do you see Carolina holding Columbia back? Would Columbia be better off without Carolina? Or, would you rather have Clemson located across the Church Street bridge instead of being a 40 minute drive? I know some are biased against anything Carolina but, it simply makes no sense to say that Carolina is not an unqualified asset to Columbia.

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No, any research university is an asset to their community. They employ a lot of people, they bring in investment (not so much Innovista apparently), and they can be an economic engine. However, Carolina runs the show in Columbia. Gamecock athletics are king in the City. Which, can be fine.

However, when you limit one's entertainment options to college athletics, you're immediately alienating groups of people. Strong allegiances are formed with one's undergraduate alma mater. Rooting for the cocks isn't going to be an easy bandwagon to jump on (mediocrity jokes aside). If Columbia is 'ok' with only attracting USC grads, that's the perfect world for those individuals. But, if Columbia wants to compete seriously in the Southeast region by attracting industry and recent graduates, then only college athletics seems to be problematic. Disagree?

Greenville isn't the IDEAL example, but since this is the Greenville forum, I think it's an appropriate case study. Greenville offers Furman athletics very close by, and Clemson athletics at 35 minutes away. If you have no allegiance to either school, you're not required to become a fan. The Drive offers baseball throughout the summer, and a new hockey team is going to offer hockey this upcoming winter. They aren't the only options in the metro, but offer athletics in addition to any festivals and typical nightlife that takes place. Just something else to consider when planning a weekend. I, personally, think it's nice, especially in a place where so many transplants locate. They each have their own background to consider.

Raleigh is a good example too, though. Despite the number of division 1 teams in the triangle area, none of them dominate the metro. If you want to see baseball, you can check out NCSU, UNC, or Duke. However, if you're a loyal supporter of another team, you also have the Durham Bulls to offer a baseball option.

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However, when you limit one's entertainment options to college athletics, you're immediately alienating groups of people. Strong allegiances are formed with one's undergraduate alma mater. Rooting for the cocks isn't going to be an easy bandwagon to jump on (mediocrity jokes aside). If Columbia is 'ok' with only attracting USC grads, that's the perfect world for those individuals. But, if Columbia wants to compete seriously in the Southeast region by attracting industry and recent graduates, then only college athletics seems to be problematic. Disagree?

You make an excellent point with that paragraph. What if my partner and I had moved to Columbia? Both being Bama grads, where would we spend disposable income on sporting events? Certainly not in Columbia. We would drive to another city for the weekend....taking our sports entertainment dollars, food dollars, shopping dollars and hotel dollars with us. We certainly would not go to a Gamecocks event....no reason, no interest. Columbia is being very narrowly focused to have only USC athletic events for a city its size. I know of no other city in the country, where a university dominates, that only offers university sports. Most all others have pro sports as well. Take for example Austin, Texas....in addition to Texas sports, they have the Round Rock Express triple AAA baseball, Texas Stars in the American Hockey League as well as arena football, womens basketball, etc, etc. Same for Boise, Idaho. In addition to Boise State sports, they have the Steelheads hockey, Hawks single A baseball, arena football, soccer, etc. Columbus, Ohio has the triple AAA Columbus Clippers baseball, the NHL Blue Jackets plus a host of other minor league basketball, soccer, football, etc.

There is huge difference in being a city with a major university and being a city that is the major university. Columbia/USC seem to have a hard time with that distinction.

The comments on baseball from The State say to me, many citizens of Columbia get the fact that USC dominates. Wonder why elected officials, university officials and private enterprise don't get it?

Thank God Columbia didn't want the Bombers (Drive).....that organization has done soooooo much for Greenville the last several years. Their loss has been our gain.

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I can think of two cities off the top of my head where one major university dominates, yet that clearly doesn't hold the city back: Columbus and Austin. Cities can make do with the hand that they are dealt.

Exactly. It doesn't have to happen, yet Columbia allows it.

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There have been times when USC has held the city back. When The Panthers were denied access to Williams-Brice for their inaugural season is a good example. Another was when the Law Training center for the FBI was located at USC instead of on Main St. Inferno negotiations would be another. Things improved greatly when Palms and McGee left as President and AD respectively.

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You make an excellent point with that paragraph. What if my partner and I had moved to Columbia? Both being Bama grads, where would we spend disposable income on sporting events? Certainly not in Columbia. We would drive to another city for the weekend....taking our sports entertainment dollars, food dollars, shopping dollars and hotel dollars with us. We certainly would not go to a Gamecocks event....no reason, no interest. Columbia is being very narrowly focused to have only USC athletic events for a city its size. I know of no other city in the country, where a university dominates, that only offers university sports. Most all others have pro sports as well. Take for example Austin, Texas....in addition to Texas sports, they have the Round Rock Express triple AAA baseball, Texas Stars in the American Hockey League as well as arena football, womens basketball, etc, etc. Same for Boise, Idaho. In addition to Boise State sports, they have the Steelheads hockey, Hawks single A baseball, arena football, soccer, etc. Columbus, Ohio has the triple AAA Columbus Clippers baseball, the NHL Blue Jackets plus a host of other minor league basketball, soccer, football, etc.

There is huge difference in being a city with a major university and being a city that is the major university. Columbia/USC seem to have a hard time with that distinction.

The comments on baseball from The State say to me, many citizens of Columbia get the fact that USC dominates. Wonder why elected officials, university officials and private enterprise don't get it?

Thank God Columbia didn't want the Bombers (Drive).....that organization has done soooooo much for Greenville the last several years. Their loss has been our gain.

Sorry to keep on the Columbia subject, I know it is not the proper thread but, I will be brief. I could not disagree more that Columbia has a hard time with seperating itself from Carolina. While Carolina is certainly a large part of Columbia, The State Government, Fort Jackson and private corporations all play a part in Columbia. To some degree, politicians from around the state play a part in the identity of Columbia....good or bad, the Confederate Flag fight which had nothing to do with Columbia was not a Chamber of Commerce highlight for the city. Someone stated correctly, it is the city's responsibility to manage these assets to grow and prosper.

As I stated in my post, I fully understand how some would be turned off if you are not a Carolina fan. Fans of other schools have the same feeling here in Charlotte as you read/hear about Chapel Hill for the 1,000th time during the week. But, although there have been a few instances like the Panthers not being allowed to play at Williams Brice, Carolina is not stopping anyone from placing team in Columbia. That is up to the city and Richland county. And, as much as I would ike to see a AA team in Columbia, I am not one who believes that minor league baseball will entice college graduates into moving to any city. In this economy, a job would be the top draw for a college grad to move to a city. As an example, although Charlotte has a AAA team, it plays 15 miles from downtown in Fort Mill, and we are still attracting over 40k new residents per year in a bad economy.

Besides, it's not like Columbia is have a hard time developing downtown and there are no other entertainment options. A couple of 18 story office towers were recently completed, a 28 story apartment tower was just announced, the Vista is doing great, Five Points will always be a cool spot to visit, and the metro is adding more people than any other in SC.

As for the newspaper comments, I can not read too much into what is said in any newspaper comment section. Comments in Charlotte would lead you to believe that the light rail cars are empty when in fact they have easily been exceeding 10 year projections in year 1.

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HEARING about UNC when in Charlotte is completely different than UNC being your only athletics offering. It's not even in the same city. And no, the Greenville Drive are not solely attracting people to Greenville and the Upstate, but, it's another entertainment OPTION that's available to residents. It requires no affiliation to feel welcome or a part of the crowd.

Besides, it's not like Columbia is have a hard time developing downtown and there are no other entertainment options. A couple of 18 story office towers were recently completed, a 28 story apartment tower was just announced, the Vista is doing great, Five Points will always be a cool spot to visit, and the metro is adding more people than any other in SC.

Those 'towers' have nothing to do with entertainment or the vibrancy of the city. Where can you find SCANA these days? The point being: you can't judge a city by it's towers. At least one of Columbia's is mostly empty. Furthermore, Five Points is continuing to lose its urban village character to drivable suburban style developments. And the worst part: it's allowed to happen! No, I guess there's no need for Carolina to ruin Columbia, it appears that the City can do it just fine on its own. :unsure:

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HEARING about UNC when in Charlotte is completely different than UNC being your only athletics offering. It's not even in the same city. And no, the Greenville Drive are not solely attracting people to Greenville and the Upstate, but, it's another entertainment OPTION that's available to residents. It requires no affiliation to feel welcome or a part of the crowd.

Those 'towers' have nothing to do with entertainment or the vibrancy of the city. Where can you find SCANA these days? The point being: you can't judge a city by it's towers. At least one of Columbia's is mostly empty. Furthermore, Five Points is continuing to lose its urban village character to drivable suburban style developments. And the worst part: it's allowed to happen! No, I guess there's no need for Carolina to ruin Columbia, it appears that the City can do it just fine on its own. unsure.gif

Actually, I think the towers have a lot to do with the vibrancy of the city as they bring more people to the city, what city is vibrant without people? Sure, SC's only Fortune 500 Headquarters moved to the suburbs and that hurts but, the new towers are full and downtown moves on. Besides, if towers are not important, why are there so many post in the Greenville section about how important it is to build the tallest building in SC? In this economy, if there is only one mostly empty building in Columbia, I think the city is doing fine, not ruined.

As for Five Points, losing its character is more of a personal observation, I am more impressed by this and the other downtown districts each time I am in Columbia. The one thing I would like to see is a more cohesive link between the districts of Five Points, Main Street, The River Front, The Vista and Carolina. Obviously Assembly Street will have to be reworked.

I have said a couple of times that I understand not being a Carolina fan in Columbia could be hard and there should be a minor league team or two. To be honest, with Columbia's demographics, I am surprised that there is not at least a Single A team in Columbia. Not sure they would play in Carolina Stadium (It was built specifically for SC Baseball) but, they would not need to. If Fluor field was only around $15-20m to build, that would be a preferable option to playing at Carolina Stadium.

Carolina gets a lot of media attention in Columbia because it is a big story just as the Greenville media constantly cover Clemson. But, that in no way can be fairly intrepreted as Carolina dominating Columbia or holding Columbia back as was originally stated. And, as I have stated before, I am not sure Columbia is Held back. By all economic measures, Columbia is holding on better than most. In fact, the annual list of top 50 destinations for U Haul was just released with Columbia being the only SC city on the list. While not scientific, combined with other indicators, it is another indication that Columbia is doing just fine.

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Back to the subject - 2010 Opening Night last night. The rain held off and the field was in excellent shape. Absolutely fantastic stadium, as always. Greenville held on despite a 9th inning rally by the Delmarva Shorebirds (Salisbury, MD farm club for the Orioles).

All that being said - Is there a petition anywhere that I can sign to get rid of the ridiculous and embarassing Greenville team name?

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^I thought the "Drive" was a dumb name when the selected it, but it is what it is. People know what the "Drive" means now, so for marketing purposes it works fine. It's no worse than the Macon Whoopee :)

Also, just to comment on one thing that was said earlier: I got a kick out of "Mayberry of the South" not because of the insult, but because whoever made this comment originally (from the news article, not here on UrbanPlanet) obviously has no concept of geography.

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^I thought the "Drive" was a dumb name when the selected it, but it is what it is. People know what the "Drive" means now, so for marketing purposes it works fine. It's no worse than the Macon Whoopee :)

Glad to know the thousands of people that have made The Drive one of the most successful A teams, don't think it is a "dumb" name. ;) In this day and age of terrorism, thank God ithe team is no longer called the Bombers! :lol:

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Glad to know the thousands of people that have made The Drive one of the most successful A teams, don't think it is a "dumb" name. ;) In this day and age of terrorism, thank God ithe team is no longer called the Bombers! :lol:

So true! :lol:

Maybe the Bombers team name was a sly reference to the strong military presence in Columbia. :lol:

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The name change to Bombers (the teams was formerly known as the Reds and the Mets) was to honor the Doolittle Raiders, who had conducted their initial training in Columbia. Since the name has no connection to Greenville, it's good that the name was changed. That's one of my pet peeves about major league teams who move and keep the previous name that has nothing to do with their new city (e.g., New Orleans Hornets, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, etc.).

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Glad to know the thousands of people that have made The Drive one of the most successful A teams, don't think it is a "dumb" name. ;) In this day and age of terrorism, thank God ithe team is no longer called the Bombers! :lol:

I agree. At first I was puzzled about the name. As a season ticket holder, I am now proud of the name. It is perfect for a city like Greenville. I take it to mean the citizens of Greenville and the surrounding area have the "drive" to get anything accomplished. We have the "drive" to be the best of the best. Hence, we are...The Drive!

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I agree. At first I was puzzled about the name. As a season ticket holder, I am now proud of the name. It is perfect for a city like Greenville. I take it to mean the citizens of Greenville and the surrounding area have the "drive" to get anything accomplished. We have the "drive" to be the best of the best. Hence, we are...The Drive!

Definitely that, plus the automotive cluster here (BMW, Michelin, CU-ICAR, etc.). :thumbsup:

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Yes, the name is an obvious suck-up to the automotive industries in the area, we all get that. Funny how none of them stepped up for the naming rights to what is now Fluor Field.

Of course, it could be worse. With Fluor (Daniel Construction) being around longer than any of the auto companies, it's a lucky thing the marketing geniuses didn't name the team...

The Greenville Screw. grin.png

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Yes, the name is an obvious suck-up to the automotive industries in the area, we all get that. Funny how none of them stepped up for the naming rights to what is now Fluor Field.

Of course, it could be worse. With Fluor (Daniel Construction) being around longer than any of the auto companies, it's a lucky thing the marketing geniuses didn't name the team...

The Greenville Screw. grin.png

The Drive have some of the best marketing folks in the country behind them. What is your problem? Good grief. Chill out. It's not like it's a matter of life and death. This is pure entertainment. You certainly don't have to attend any of the games. As a matter of fact, you sound like you hate everything bout The Drive. I hope you don't come to the games if you feel this way about them.
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Take it from someone who vowed to dislike the team because of the name, perceptions can change quickly. The name seemed extremely silly at first, but the quality of the franchise has completely eliminated any apprehension or hostility I initially felt. At least it is unique and MUCH better than several of the other team names around the Sally league.

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