Sports in Charlotte

[JoshuaDrown]

On 3/15/2018 at 6:15 PM, eastsider said:

Charlotte did not make the list of 23 North American cities selected as host sites for the World Cup 2026 bid. Atlanta and Nashville did make the cut.

Atlanta is no surprise, they are pulling over 70,000 per game for Atlanta United matches... shattering attendance records along the way. It now seems Charlotte has officially been passed over by Nashville,  at least as far as being on the U.S. Soccer map.

[15895]

I see our other notable competitor isn’t on that list. Austin.

 

Austin scores sometimes, Charlotte scores others, then Nashville has its times too. We hosted the DNC. We have light rail. We’re on certain short list at times. It all equals out. 

 

Detroit, Portland, Tampa, Minneapolis, Phoenix are among others left out.

[JoshuaDrown]

27 minutes ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

I see our other notable competitor isn’t on that list. Austin.

 

Austin scores sometimes, Charlotte scores others, then Nashville has its times too. We hosted the DNC. We have light rail. We’re on certain short list at times. It all equals out. 

 

Detroit, Portland, Tampa, Minneapolis, Phoenix are among others left out.

It’s just a little sad to be eclipsed so quickly by Nashville on the soccer front... they were hardly on the radar prior to their very successful MLS bid, and now they are the clear #2 in the non-Florida Southeast.

[Twin Citian]

On 3/19/2018 at 4:34 PM, AirNostrumMAD said:

I see our other notable competitor isn’t on that list. Austin.

 

Austin scores sometimes, Charlotte scores others, then Nashville has its times too. We hosted the DNC. We have light rail. We’re on certain short list at times. It all equals out. 

 

Detroit, Portland, Tampa, Minneapolis, Phoenix are among others left out.

Neither Minneapolis nor Phoenix were left out, they pulled out of the running as did Chicago and Vancouver.  FIFA officials were trying to pull some b.s. (i.e. asking to bypass labor laws) and the MPLS bidding committee said no thanks, which I fully support.   Charlotte, Las Vegas, SLC, and Tampa were cut; resident and city officials should be relieved.

I hope other cities will follow suit.

Chicago, Minneapolis, Arizona drop World Cup bid, blast FIFA.

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/chicago-minneapolis-drop-world-cup-bid-blast-fifa-53782785

FIFA's Requirements

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/2018/03/16/13565/chicago-minneapolis-vancouver-drop-out-of-world-cup-bid-rather-than-grant-fifa-a-decade-long-tax-exemption/

 

Edited March 20, 2018 by Twin Citian

[JoshuaDrown]

14 hours ago, Twin Citian said:

Neither Minneapolis nor Phoenix were left out, they pulled out of the running as did Chicago and Vancouver.  FIFA officials were trying to pull some b.s. (i.e. asking to bypass labor laws) and the MPLS bidding committee said no thanks, which I fully support.   Charlotte, Las Vegas, SLC, and Tampa were cut; resident and city officials should be relieved.

I hope other cities will follow suit.

 

First off, I have no issue with city officials doing what they feel is in their best interest. Negotiations with large International organizations like FIFA or the IOC are complicated and difficult at best, and impossible at worst. But to say that residents and officials in cities that did not share the point of view of Chicago, Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Vancouver “should be relieved” is laughable. 

After the Olympics, the World Cup is the premier sporting event in the World... but where the Olympics puts tremendous strain on one city/region, the World Cup is spread out over many cities. The U.S./Canada/Mexico bid for 2026 will be in a new and expanded 48-nation format,  more countries and more games, the largest and most spectacular World Cup in history, but we will need no new infrastructure, no new stadiums... in short, we are ready.

After the politics of negotiations with FIFA wears off, some cities and their residents will be left with the kinds of memories they will cherish for the rest of their lives. Memories of sheer athleticism, memories of strength and balance and skill. They will have seen citizens of so many different countries coming together in respect and sportsmanship; they will have seen the ecstatic joy of victory or the disappointment of defeat. These cities and their residents will forever be a part of what we are at our best, what we are when we put aside conflict and sociopolitical agendas.

Sixteen cities will get the honor of being host cities, the honor of opening their doors to the world and welcoming visitors with kindness and hospitality. Charlotte hoped to be one of those cities, and many Charlotteans hoped we would be one of those cities. I do not feel relieved.

[teeg]

3 hours ago, JoshuaDrown said:

First off, I have no issue with city officials doing what they feel is in their best interest. Negotiations with large International organizations like FIFA or the IOC are complicated and difficult at best, and impossible at worst. But to say that residents and officials in cities that did not share the point of view of Chicago, Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Vancouver “should be relieved” is laughable. 

After the Olympics, the World Cup is the premier sporting event in the World... but where the Olympics puts tremendous strain on one city/region, the World Cup is spread out over many cities. The U.S./Canada/Mexico bid for 2026 will be in a new and expanded 48-nation format,  more countries and more games, the largest and most spectacular World Cup in history, but we will need no new infrastructure, no new stadiums... in short, we are ready.

After the politics of negotiations with FIFA wears off, some cities and their residents will be left with the kinds of memories they will cherish for the rest of their lives. Memories of sheer athleticism, memories of strength and balance and skill. They will have seen citizens of so many different countries coming together in respect and sportsmanship; they will have seen the ecstatic joy of victory or the disappointment of defeat. These cities and their residents will forever be a part of what we are at our best, what we are when we put aside conflict and sociopolitical agendas.

Sixteen cities will get the honor of being host cities, the honor of opening their doors to the world and welcoming visitors with kindness and hospitality. Charlotte hoped to be one of those cities, and many Charlotteans hoped we would be one of those cities. I do not feel relieved.

I was certainly not relieved either.  But since you mentioned the expanded 48-team format, and that we did not make the cut of 16 US cities (plus 3 more in Mexico and 3 in Canada), I did start to wonder what we will really be missing out on.  2026 will be the biggest World Cup to date, but will the honor of serving as a host city be diluted because the number of teams and host cities increases so much?  Thinking about where Charlotte would fit in the hierarchy of host cities if we had made the cut, it seems like we would be lucky to host a few group stage matches and a round of 32 game, and then watch the tournament move on to higher profile cities.  Not sour grapes on my part, but perhaps a little pessimistic.  

[deleted]

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/23039767/acc-charlotte-agree-10-year-extension-keep-league-football-championship-game-queen-city

And no dome was necessary...

[Jack152]

I guess we have an Arena Football League team. I had  no idea.

Carolina Energy

Now bring back indoor soccer.

 

 

[KJHburg]

Big league exhibition soccer maybe coming back to BofA Stadium.

""Charlotte is back in the game when it comes to international soccer. Sources told CBJ this week that Bank of America Stadium will be one of the sites for the International Champions Cup tournament this summer, though tournament owner Relevent Sports has yet to confirm Charlotte as a host city.""

Business Journal exclusive https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/04/12/sources-charlotte-to-host-international-soccer.html?ana=e_mc_prem&s=newsletter&ed=2018-04-12&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1523538885&j=80988961

[ah59396]

3 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Big league exhibition soccer maybe coming back to BofA Stadium.

""Charlotte is back in the game when it comes to international soccer. Sources told CBJ this week that Bank of America Stadium will be one of the sites for the International Champions Cup tournament this summer, though tournament owner Relevent Sports has yet to confirm Charlotte as a host city.""

Business Journal exclusive https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/04/12/sources-charlotte-to-host-international-soccer.html?ana=e_mc_prem&s=newsletter&ed=2018-04-12&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1523538885&j=80988961

@birky and I were discussing this about 5 minutes ago.  I’d bet dollars to donuts it’s Liverpool vs. Dortmund.  Nashville was supposedly hosting this one but apparently it fell through.  Not certain, but that’s my guess.  If so, looks like I’m flying home.

YNWA

[KJHburg]

and from Seattle we have a winner @ah59396 on Twitter tonight Liverpool v Dortmund in Charlotte on July 22, per @SoccerInsider

[15895]

On 3/19/2018 at 4:35 PM, JoshuaDrown said:

Atlanta is no surprise, they are pulling over 70,000 per game for Atlanta United matches... shattering attendance records along the way. It now seems Charlotte has officially been passed over by Nashville,  at least as far as being on the U.S. Soccer map.

So. This is a pretty amusing turn of events...

[JoshuaDrown]

10 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

So. This is a pretty amusing turn of events...

Not sure I understand what you are inferring... what turn of events?

[SouthEndCLT811]

22 hours ago, JoshuaDrown said:

Not sure I understand what you are inferring... what turn of events?

Relating to the comment of Nashville passing us over the game we'll be hosting was initially intended to be there

http://worldsoccertalk.com/2018/03/30/liverpool-play-dortmund-nashville-jurgen-klopp-return/

[JoshuaDrown]

1 hour ago, SouthEndCLT811 said:

Relating to the comment of Nashville passing us over the game we'll be hosting was initially intended to be there

http://worldsoccertalk.com/2018/03/30/liverpool-play-dortmund-nashville-jurgen-klopp-return/

Ahh, I see.

I am certainly glad to have a match for the International Champions Cup back in Charlotte, but what this situation drove home for me, is just another data point that Charlotte has fallen behind Nashville (at least in the soccer landscape)... we get to be their backup in 2018 after we lost out to them on being a host city in 2017. Put that together with not being considered to be a World Cup host city... it gives me the feeling that CLT is the fifth most desirable city in the SE for these types of events, after Miami, Atlanta, Orlando, and Nashville.

I hope we pack BoA and get some momentum back... Dortmund and Liverpool will be a perfect matchup, I know I’ll be there.

[KJHburg]

Here is the details on the Liverpool and Dortmund match up 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/04/17/liverpool-dortmund-soccer-match-headed-to.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2018-04-17&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1523993478&j=81075941

[KJHburg]

Local golfer Webb Simpson wins Players Championship at Sawgrass today congrats! 

Edited May 13, 2018 by KJHburg

[Scribe]

Looks like Charlotte scored another international soccer tournament....  Concacaf Gold Cup. https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/05/15/charlotte-scores-another-international-soccer.html

[KJHburg]

NASCAR and Bank of America begin ticket sales for their fall race at CMS using a road course format.  https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/07/09/bofa-charlotte-speedway-looking-for-road-course.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2018-07-09&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1531164601&j=82589901

[kermit]

The contract for the Belk Bowl expires after next year's (2019) game. Erik Spanberg strikes a somewhat pessimistic tone about renewal prospects in the CBJ

Quote

The Belk Bowl last eclipsed 50,000 in attendance in 2011. Last year, the Charlotte bowl game featured Wake Forest and Texas A&M and was played in front of an announced crowd of 32,784 — less than half of stadium capacity. Spending by visiting fans on hotels, meals and expenses totaled $5.9 million, according to estimates by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. 

There were some positives noted (such as attendance at UT-WVU last week) but the article suggests that the future is getting bleaker for lower-tier bowls.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/09/06/could-bowl-extension-follow-strong-showing-at.html

[CTiger]

To be fair, its a long trip for Ta&m fans to go to a lower teir bowl, and Wake doesn't even average 30K fans at their own home games.  The Belk Bowl needs a shot in the arm by getting teams that would get a better draw.  I bet they would do big numbers if they could get something like Virginia Tech or NC State vs Tennessee or USC.  If you look at the attendence figures on Wiki, last year was sort of an outlier.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belk_Bowl

[SouthEndCLT811]

I had the opposite opinion seeing his tweet regarding the article admittedly not having read it or the section quoted above.

 

[CLT2014]

I'd be surprised if Belk remains the sponsor with pe ownership.

Also, with the game after Chrismtas and bank accounts exhausted after the holiday, I doubt they get much of a shopping boost due to sponsoring a bowl game on Dec 29. If the game was during the shopping season it might make more sense.

Belk, Dollar General, and Camping World are currently the only title sponsors in the retail sector.

Edited September 6, 2018 by CLT2014

[QCxpat]

"Michael Jordan donates $2M for hurricane relief in NC," by Steve Reed, AP Sports Writer

"The six-time NBA champion and Charlotte Hornets owner donated $2 million on Tuesday to assist residents of the Carolinas - $1 million each to the American Red Cross and the Foundation for the Carolinas Hurricane Florence Response Fund. "It just hits home," Jordan told the Associated Press in a telephone interview.  "I know all of those places: Wilmington, Fayetteville, Myrtle Beach, New Bern, and Wallace, which is where my father is from.  So quite naturally its hits home, and I felt like I had to act in a sense that this is my home.   Jordan, 55, said he still has an aunt, cousins, and several buddies who live in coastal North Carolina.  He also has a nephew who attends UNC Wilmington.'" 

Link:  https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article218610685.html

N.B.:  Wasn't  sure whether to post this story here or in the Good News thread.

[kermit]

So UNCC beat Old Dominion last week. This week Old Dominion beat 13th ranked Virginia Tech.

I think that means the 49ers are headed to the Rose Bowl...

 

Edited September 23, 2018 by kermit