Charlotte Hornets and the Arena

[nashbill]

I liked the tickets on the window one. Very funny.

[Guest]

Hah, and yet attendance is up

[ah59396]

yeah i was actually pleasantly surprised to see the attendance numbers. I'm honestly a fan of the bobcats and only make the jokes in jest. i want them to do well just as much as anyone else does, but it doesn't hurt to have a little fun while they stink. nice win last night though!

all things aside i think the team is moving in the right direction. biyombo appears to be the real deal and is still very raw. some decent FA moves and another draft pick or two and we could have a contender in 3-4 years. gotta stay optimistic!

[Skyline49er]

yeah i was actually pleasantly surprised to see the attendance numbers. I'm honestly a fan of the bobcats and only make the jokes in jest. i want them to do well just as much as anyone else does, but it doesn't hurt to have a little fun while they stink. nice win last night though!

all things aside i think the team is moving in the right direction. biyombo appears to be the real deal and is still very raw. some decent FA moves and another draft pick or two and we could have a contender in 3-4 years. gotta stay optimistic!

I agree that it was a great win and Biyombo is going to be a lot better than that Ajinca guy. I feel that these cats have a nice nucleus to build around (Biyombo, Henderson, Walker) and can only get better with another high draft pick.

[hambone931]

The Onion takes a shot at Jordan and the Bobcats:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/pathetic-bobcats-owner-again-regaling-players-with,27572/

[tozmervo]

...and the NYTimes talks about the Bobcats struggles: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/sports/baseball/bobcats-struggle-to-keep-up-in-nba-and-with-acc.html

[Guest]

...and the NYTimes talks about the Bobcats struggles: http://www.nytimes.c...d-with-acc.html

Actually a fairly positive article. I expected much worse.

[ah59396]

It does annoy me that these articles always lean towards Charlotte as not being a viable NBA town and only suitable for college bball. We're these people paying attention at all in the early 90's??

[HopHead]

It does annoy me that these articles always lean towards Charlotte as not being a viable NBA town and only suitable for college bball. We're these people paying attention at all in the early 90's??

Most people that write those articles have very short-term memories. Sometimes selective short-term memories.

[HopHead]

Per this morning's Charlotte Biz Journal, this year's CIAA tournament broke more records. More than 197,000 attended the tournament and CIAA related functions. It brought in over $50 million to the local economy. This is a 14% increase from 2011. This goes to show valuable this annual tournament is to the area, even if uptown becomes too crowded for the non-CIAA person.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/morning-edition/2012/04/ciaas-2012-tournament-breaks-more.html

[ah59396]

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Will-Jordan-change-Bobcats-back-to-Hornets-147693615.html

I honestly think this is a no-brain-er for Jordan. Re-brand the team, re-unite the city, re-energize the fan base. People in this town are very nostalgic of the Hornets and the franchise would see an immediate increase in ticket sales and especially merchandise.

I know it doesn't change the product on the floor, but outside of the loyal few, the "Bobcats" name is like poison. $2.2 million to be the Charlotte Hornets again would be awesome. Add in an Anthony Davis draft pick and the "buzz is back" in Charlotte.

The end.

[New Name]

^Wouldn't you lose the loyalty of the 8000 +/- people who own Bobcats merchandise that is now useless?

[ah59396]

^ are you saying that you think it would be bad for business? That more Bobcats fans would be apt to turn away from the team than new ones brought on by a name change to the Hornets? I would think the value is there, even at $2.2 million.

[New Name]

Yeah. I think it's a risky gamble to assume that there are more untapped "Hornets Fans" than there are "Bobcats/Casual NBA Fans." If you alienate the Bobcats Fans (and they're all you've got right now), you alienate your built in customers. Sure, some may not care if the team is called Bobcats or Hornets - but for the ones who are just out to follow their local team, they'd lose out on whatever time/energy they've put into building an identity around the Bobcats.

^ are you saying that you think it would be bad for business? That more Bobcats fans would be apt to turn away from the team than new ones brought on by a name change to the Hornets? I would think the value is there, even at $2.2 million.

[tozmervo]

I guess it's just telling when I see far, far more people walking around in Hornets gear than I've ever seen in Bobcats gear.

[ah59396]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/04/16/3178967/poll-what-nickname-do-you-favor.html#storylink=omni_popular

While not scientific...there is something to be said when the current team name is losing to the old team name 3297 votes to 101. I'm willing to say we can drum up 101 new Hornets fans to replace these ones.

[49er]

I'm being honest here, I've never meet someone who actually liked the Bobcats nickname. Some are indifferent, but most lean towards not liking it even if they go to games. There is still the widely held notion that Johnson named the team after himself and he is about as liked as George Shinn around here. I see nothing but positives from the renaming other than there are young kids that have now grown up cheering for the Bobcats.

Would they have to swap out the seats in the arena? Aren't they doing that for DNC anyway?

[Guest]

HAH! The Name "Bobcats" is losing to the name "Cougars." I have always said that if the Hornets weren't availabe I liked the idea of renaming us the Cougars! Now thats a throwback! ABA!

[nonillogical]

HAH! The Name "Bobcats" is losing to the name "Cougars." I have always said that if the Hornets weren't availabe I liked the idea of renaming us the Cougars! Now thats a throwback! ABA!

I am just so sick of any big cat name. Almost every city and school I've ever had any ties to has been a repeat of panthers/cougars/bobcats/catamounts/jaguars etc etc etc. I think its easily the least creative genre of team name.

[HopHead]

The funny thing about this whole change the name campaign is that if the Bobcats were in the playoffs, it would be a complete non-issue. It just so happens that the team is in rebuilding mode and won't be a competitive squad for another year or two. Personally, I don't care what they are called. You can call them the Queen City Queens for all I care if they won and were an entertaining group to watch. Problem is that they aren't even close and that's why there's a visible call for their name change, along with the new Hornets owners calling for a new name as well. If the name change does happen and the Hornets name is brought back, yea it will be cool and I'll support them. I think to get a true gauge for the name change, the Bobcats should query the season ticket holders for their opinion. Their opinion should way heavily. Half the people on the CO web site, as we know very well, are not a true gauge of public support or common sense.

[cltbwimob]

I don't think it would be a non-issue if the Bobcats were in the playoffs. The simple fact is that most people in the Charlotte area could not care any less about the Bobcats. I would imagine that most would not flinch if the team picked up and moved tommorrow. The Hornets are a different story. Yes there was a lot of bad blood around the time of their departure, however in the mid to late 90's the team was able to draw average crowds approaching the size of the average MLB crowd of today...that's in a small market and it's the NBA no less, one of the least popular if not the least popular sport of the big 4 (maybe more popular than Hockey).

This is a chance for Charlotte to reclaim it's history, something it usually seems bent on destroying. This history goes far beyond the fact that the Hornets were our first professional big league franchise, and dates to the infancy of our country. The name symbolizes more than just cool team with cool colors, it embodies the spirit of Charlotte, a spirit that has been present in the community for nearly 250 years. If Michael Jordan wants to reinstate the NBA era gone by in Charlotte, he should do so by changing the team name to the Hornets should it become available. There is so much capital in the Charlotte Hornets brand that he would almost certainly be able to recoup the costs of rebranding in merchandise sales. If you don't believe that then consider this: about 2 months ago I was walking through two different Norfolk/Hampton Roads area malls and found Charlotte Hornets merchandise for sale in both malls. I did not see any Charlotte Bobcats merchandise or any New Orleans Hornets gear.

As far as season ticket holders go...I will guarantee that if they are willing to pay for season tickets to see the Bobcats, then they are true fans that probably could care less what the team is named and will support the team regardless of what they are called.

Here's hoping that we can soon refer to TWC as "The Hive 2.0"

Edited April 18, 2012 by cltbwimob

[New Name]

^I agree with you DBull. Honestly, I don't care for the Bobcats OR the Hornets name much. I have no connection to the Hornets because I didn't live here during their time. Both names come with baggage. I'd much rather they go with Cougars (and use Bobcats and Hornets both as throwback jersey night). But I do own some Bobcats merch, and I'd hate for my *meager* investments into supporting our local team to be nullified. In that vein, the vote of the season ticket holders (the shareholders of the barely-buoyant franchise) should get the ultimate decision.

As for the popularity of the Hornets swag right now... it's not about the team, it's about the style. Remember years back when everyone was sportin' Brooklyn Dodgers throwback fashion? Did the Mets try to win back the name from LA?

[HopHead]

I don't think it would be a non-issue if the Bobcats were in the playoffs. The simple fact is that most people in the Charlotte area could not care any less about the Bobcats. I would imagine that most would not flinch if the team picked up and moved tommorrow. The Hornets are a different story. Yes there was a lot of bad blood around the time of their departure, however in the mid to late 90's the team was able to draw average crowds approaching the size of the average MLB crowd of today...that's in a small market and it's the NBA no less, one of the least popular if not the least popular sport of the big 4 (maybe more popular than Hockey).

This is a chance for Charlotte to reclaim it's history, something it usually seems bent on destroying. This history goes far beyond the fact that the Hornets were our first professional big league franchise, and dates to the infancy of our country. The name symbolizes more than just cool team with cool colors, it embodies the spirit of Charlotte, a spirit that has been present in the community for nearly 250 years. If Michael Jordan wants to reinstate the NBA era gone by in Charlotte, he should do so by changing the team name to the Hornets should it become available. There is so much capital in the Charlotte Hornets brand that he would almost certainly be able to recoup the costs of rebranding in merchandise sales. If you don't believe that then consider this: about 2 months ago I was walking through two different Norfolk/Hampton Roads area malls and found Charlotte Hornets merchandise for sale in both malls. I did not see any Charlotte Bobcats merchandise or any New Orleans Hornets gear.

As far as season ticket holders go...I will guarantee that if they are willing to pay for season tickets to see the Bobcats, then they are true fans that probably could care less what the team is named and will support the team regardless of what they are called.

Here's hoping that we can soon refer to TWC as "The Hive 2.0"

Well, I completely disagree with your assessment that if they were in the playoffs that this would a story. Where was this story in 2010 when the Bobcats were in the playoffs? It was the one, and really only, season that there was an excitement about this team. Both playoff games were packed with nothing but Bobcats fans (a rarity these days). I had season tickets that year (and still do) and I had countless people trying to pay more than face value for those Game 3 tickets, again a rarity these days. Now you can barely give away those tickets because the team stinks so bad. I'm all for the name change if it brings back a buzz around the city again, as I have no real tie to either name. But the real reason this has become a story is because the team plays at the D-League level now. If they had been in the playoffs the last few years, you'd hear crickets about changing the name. People, especially in Charlotte, don't like being associated with mediocrity and lack of recognition. And that's what the current name resembles.

[ah59396]

^

"Both playoff games were packed" does not really help your argument. The Florida Panthers sell out their NHL playoff games too but no body shows up during the regular season, regardless of how good they are. All that proves is that Charlotte Bobcat "fans" are fair-weather at best.

I like the Bobcats, don't get me wrong (even though they stink), but the franchise would be better off with the Hornets name. Ask anybody who was around during the Hornets era and they will say the same. The fact is, the Hornets name gets more coverage and buzz (I'm using the CO and my office as examples) than the team THAT ACTUALLY EXISTS in the city. Just look at the attendance. The Charlotte Hornets were never a great team and sold out for like, 6 straight years. It wasn't until Shinn pissed everyone off that people stopped going. They didn't have to be good for people to care...unlike the Bobcats.

[HopHead]

^

"Both playoff games were packed" does not really help your argument. The Florida Panthers sell out their NHL playoff games too but no body shows up during the regular season, regardless of how good they are. All that proves is that Charlotte Bobcat "fans" are fair-weather at best.

I like the Bobcats, don't get me wrong (even though they stink), but the franchise would be better off with the Hornets name. Ask anybody who was around during the Hornets era and they will say the same. The fact is, the Hornets name gets more coverage and buzz (I'm using the CO and my office as examples) than the team THAT ACTUALLY EXISTS in the city. Just look at the attendance. The Charlotte Hornets were never a great team and sold out for like, 6 straight years. It wasn't until Shinn pissed everyone off that people stopped going. They didn't have to be good for people to care...unlike the Bobcats.

You're missing my point. I was using the playoff games to reflect the excitement that actually did exist for a change. There were many games in the latter half of that season that were well attended because the team was winning and in playoff contention. I vividly remember a Monday night game against a pre-LeBron Heat team that had a playoff atmosphere to it. For a change it was actually fun, unlike most other lost seasons. You know just as well as I do, that Charlotte supports winners. I don't see any bigger buzz if a 7-50 team is named the Bobcats or Hornets. I just don't. You're also speaking to an era where professional sports was new to the Charlotte area and a lot of those sell out years were before the Panthers came to town in 1996 (1995 was in Clemson while the stadium was being built).