Sports in Charlotte

[ChessieCat]

Now that UNCC is in Conference USA, the Cable Box should hopefully enter the rotation for that tourney.  The 2014 version was held in El Paso of all places.  CLT's aviation links to the entire nation should make it a no-brainer...

 

This is old news but good to know the ACC football championship will be held at BofA thru 2019:

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2014/02/six-more-years-in-charlotte-for-acc-football.html?page=all

 

My guess is that Greensboro will still continue to host the ACC tourney more than any city, however with additional schools the city will host it less than it has in the past. Greensboro just treats the ACC like gold and its where the conference is headquartered. The atmosphere there during the tourney just hasn't been duplicated anywhere else no matter how big and sophisticated some of the other cities are and think thats the problem. In larger cities its just another event. In Greensboro its the event. I do think Charlotte will continue to host ACC football championships more than any other city.

 

Bad (ish) news for Charlotte, and really bad news for old-school ACC fans like me:

 

ACC finalizing details to play its tournament at Barclays Center http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-basketball/news/20140314/acc-tournament-barclays-center-2017/

Edited March 25, 2014 by ChessieCat

[cltbwimob]

I could see a scenario whereby the Canes moved here if the Arena was appropriate for the NHL. I can't remember where I saw the article but it said that the Canes consistently lose money year over year. That said, the all-knowing members of the council decided to build the arena to be NBA specific rather than an acceptable arena for both Hockey and Basketball. I think this why I will chalk this up to an opportunity lost. I initially took solace in the notion that NBA only arenas were less expensive until I found out the Cable Box (NBA specific) and the Sprint Center in KC (pictured in the article; NHL or NBA will work) carried approximately the same price tag.Plus the Sprint Center is infinitely more beautiful architecturally IMHO.

Edited March 25, 2014 by cltbwimob

[CLTProductions]

I could see a scenario whereby the Canes moved here if the Arena was appropriate for the NHL. I can't remember where I saw the article but it said that the Canes consistently lose money year over year. That said, the all-knowing members of the council decided to build the arena to be NBA specific rather than an acceptable arena for both Hockey and Basketball. I think this why I will chalk this up to an opportunity lost. I initially took solace in the notion that NBA only arenas were less expensive until I found out the Cable Box (NBA specific) and the Sprint Center in KC (pictured in the article; NHL or NBA will work) carried approximately the same price tag.Plus the Sprint Center is infinitely more beautiful architecturally IMHO.

How do the checkers play there then? What would the difference be of the Checkers vs Canes other than open the whole arena?

[HopHead]

^I honestly don't think the ACC Tourney going to Barclays Center is as bad for Charlotte as it is for Greensboro. We only get the tourney every so many years anyways since the early 2000s...2008 was the last time?... Greensboro was the most constant city. Now they'll just be part of the rotation more than anything else with NY, DC and maybe Charlotte or Atlanta. 

 

Regarding the NHL, yea there won't be a team here as long as the Canes are in Raleigh. I still vote for an annual switch off, where they'd get the (soon to be) Hornets one game and we get the Hurricanes one game each season. Good way to grow the local fan bases. I'm not a huge hockey guy, but I'd probably still go. I just hope that the NHL (like the other leagues) stays away from Las Vegas. Just think that's a bad idea on so many levels to put a pro sports team there. Put one team in Seattle and the other in a Canadian city like Quebec.

[kermit]

How do the checkers play there then? What would the difference be of the Checkers vs Canes other than open the whole arena?

 

The ice surface is bigger than a basketball court so hockey configurations remove the lower bowl seating at Caldwell st end of the floor. This removes about 1500 (?) seats from arena capacity. The fan gap can make hockey games feel a little empty and quiet sometimes.

Edited March 25, 2014 by kermit

[CLTProductions]

The ice surface is bigger than a basketball court so hockey configurations remove the lower bowl seating at Caldwell st end of the floor. This removes about 1500 (?) seats from arena capacity.

Ha, that might not necessarily be a bad thing

[cltbwimob]

How do the checkers play there then? What would the difference be of the Checkers vs Canes other than open the whole arena?

The arena is too small. An ice hockey rink is approximately twice as long as a basketball court. In an arena like TWC it forces seating into the much maligned "horseshoe" configuration. For AHL this is not necessarily a big deal but for the NHL it's a major deal. It reduces seating significantly and leaves one end of the rink open with no spectators to beat on the boards. Next time you go to a Checkers game look at the arena. You will find no seating on one end and will notice the scoreboard is not centered over the ice. That is because they have to shoehorn the rink into the arena.

Edited March 25, 2014 by cltbwimob

[CLTProductions]

The arena is too small. An ice hockey rink is approximately twice as long as a basketball court. In an arena like TWC it forces seating into the much maligned "horseshoe" configuration. For AHL this is not necessarily a big deal but for the NHL it's a major deal. It reduces seating significantly and leaves one end of the rink open with no spectators to beat on the boards. Next time you go to a Checkers game look at the arena. You will find no seating on one end and will notice the scoreboard is not centered over the ice. That is because they have to shoehorn the rink into the arena.

Ah, okay that is obnoxious.

[HopHead]

It's official... ACC Men's Basketball Tourney will be Brooklyn in 2017 and 2018. Then returning to Charlotte in 2019 and Greensboro in 2020.

Edited March 27, 2014 by wend28

[kermit]

If this proposed WVU - UT regular season football game actually happens here (in 2018) it might be the biggest single contributor to local hotel tax revenue since the DNC.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/04/04/4816621/tennessee-volunteers-west-virginia.html#.Uz6pnSe9KSM

They need to find a way to host two or three, neutral site, regular season college games a year, IMO.

[tozmervo]

As a UT grad, I approve. 

[HopHead]

If this proposed WVU - UT regular season football game actually happens here (in 2018) it might be the biggest single contributor to local hotel tax revenue since the DNC.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/04/04/4816621/tennessee-volunteers-west-virginia.html#.Uz6pnSe9KSM

They need to find a way to host two or three, neutral site, regular season college games a year, IMO.

 

Getting UT and WVU would be a nice coupe... I agree that BofA should host three college games a year, but I think more in the format of what Atlanta does is better: 1 season "kickoff classic" type game, 1 ACC title game (exists today) and 1 bowl game (exists today). I doubt you'd get the Panthers to agree to adding more regular season college games. That just further chews up the field (since it's a natural grass surface) and uses their facilities during their regular season. 

Edited April 4, 2014 by wend28

[rjp212]

A collegiate team, who's players have aspirations of playing Major League Baseball will begin to play in Downtown Mooresville.  The Mooresville Spinners will play 25 home games this season.

 

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/04/08/4826394/mooresville-lands-collegiate-baseball.html#.U0Rq8ahX-uY

[MilZ]

Wow... For anyone else who knows Moor Park, there will be a good bit of work to have it ready in just over a month. This will be a good entertainment option for a town that lacks entertainment options.

[ah59396]

Charlotte sports. This is Charlotte sports at it's finest...Ugh.

[ah59396]

Here are a couple videos from Hooligans during the USA Ghana game I have come across.  I was there and it was amazing.  Hopefully Sunday will be just as fun!

 

 

 

[CLTProductions]

Those are awesome videos. I was there as well and definitely will be sunday!!

[SouthEndCLT811]

Cool videos!  I was there underneath the outdoor bar in the background.  I had some videos of random chants/celebrations during the game but they didn't turn out so well.  I see that Hooligans and QC Outlaws are posting we made the top 10 for outrageous celebration videos.

 

https://www.fanduel.com/insider/2014/06/17/the-10-most-outrageous-celebrations-after-team-usas-world-cup-win/

 

I thought Hooligans had a good crowd but Kansas City looks crazy!

[grodney]

I fully expect that if, errrr when, the US makes it to the knockout round, the match(es) will be on the BB&T screen with the crowd in Bearden.  Or better yet inside the ballpark on the big-screen.

[ah59396]

It's just good to see us on the list!

[RVA2CLT]

Here are a couple videos from Hooligans during the USA Ghana game I have come across.  I was there and it was amazing.  Hopefully Sunday will be just as fun!

 

 

 

Hey that's me on the inside bar video far left in frame, the end of the bar starting the I Believe chant at 1:49 !  hahaha awesome

Can't wait for Sunday!! See you lads up there, even if I don't really see you..

[Madison Parkitect]

Love it! I was under the outdoor bar too. Last WC I was at Connoly's, but this is easily the best environment Charlotte's had for a WC. They've had decent turnouts for the non-US games too.

[ah59396]

I was also under the outdoor bar.  As was birky.  Weird.

[Madison Parkitect]

Videos of cities like Kansas City and Chicago where it's obvious they had one specified place for everyone to go makes me with Charlotte did something like that too. I understand the fan zones in those cities are tied in with their MLS teams, but it would have been cool for Charlotte to just be like "we're setting up a zone with TVs and speakers in Bearden Park. Don't go anywhere else to watch. End of story." Hooligans is really cool and has a great set-up, but I'm sure Connoly's and RiRa are packed too, not to mention all the other bars in town. It would be cool to just have it all in one place and get a HUGE crowd.

[grodney]

The BB&T external video board is 14' tall (x 35' wide).  A random 46" (diagonal) TV I checked is 24.4" tall, so call it 2' tall, for a 7:1 ratio.  So if you watch a 46" TV from 10 feet away at home, you could have a similar experience from 70 feet away at Bearden.  Unfortunately, 70' away doesn't even get you into the park.  It's probably watchable from a couple-hundred feet away, though I've never seen anything on that external board other than ads, so I don't know what it would be like.

 

A bigger trucked-in screen would obviously be better, in the park itself, but way more work and expense.