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I agree that we are a long ways from running out of decent tailgating space. The most interesting tailgating I have seen in Charlotte was in the industrial portion of Graham st between Palmer and Summit. The good thing about tailgating is that it is _very_ flexible.

 

Getting the trolly running on the old P&N tracks would also open up more viable space.

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Yeah I was torn, but in the end I voted for Charlotte out of pure selfishness that I may get to actually attend an event or two.

 

I think we still have somewhat of a chance, since even in the face of the more unique choices of Detroit or Austin (everyone seems to be ruling out Chicago), we do have the most ready-to-go site for it with all the space for just about every event in one complex. The X-Games doesn't usually do a lot to feature the surrounding location anyway except for the recent international ones, so backdrop may not be as huge a consideration as we're thinking.

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Voted for us because A video is not going to change my opinion that there's no reason we can't hold just as good if not better XGames than Detroit.

I think our infrastructure might be the saving grace. (in regards to our location for the events)

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  • 3 weeks later...

CBJ reports that the Knights will bid for the 2015 (and later) ACC baseball tournament. While this is no surprise it would represent a nice opportunity to pull out of towners into Charlotte during an otherwise sleepy time.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2013/07/here-comes-charlotte-pitch-for-acc.html?ana=e_du_pub&s=article_du&ed=2013-07-05&u=jDmEk+CKbYnAvaVfOFOlFGXcGSC&t=1373055327&page=all

 

The article also features one of the poutiest quotes I have seen in some time. Jerry Reese was asked...

 

 

...his thoughts on the potential impact of the minor-league stadium, Reese answered, “You reap what you sow.”

 

what a DB.

Edited by kermit
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First phase of the Sportsplex in Matthews is slated to open this September. The first phase will include five fields, restrooms, and playground. The second phase will start almost immediately after the completion of the first phase. The final site will include facilities for soccer, football and lacrosse, and will also have a championship stadium.

 

http://www.matthewsminthillweekly.com/news/2013/07/sportsplex-preps-for-september-opening/

 

If Charlotte ever lands a bid for a multi-sports event, like the PAN American Games or even the Olympics, I can easily see this complex being used for such. It should also be worth noting that the Silver Line will one day (hopefully) run through this area, along with a station (known as "Matthews TOD" on the 2030 map).

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  • 2 weeks later...

X Games went to Austin.

EDIT: 

Reading the ESPN Article I was surprised to see that Austin's bid was not that different from Charlotte in basic concept:

 

"Circuit of The Americas (COTA), a 1,600-acre sports and entertainment venue 20 minutes southeast of downtown Austin, submitted the winning bid" 

 

However they clearly seem to take a slight slap at the CMS bid along the same lines that many of us did re: their campaign which kept showing NASCAR racing scenes:

 

"If you haven't visited the venue, you would probably think of it as only a motorsports venue," Epstein said, crediting the bid's project manager, Paul Thornton, for leading the campaign. "But when you get there, you see that it's designed to host big events. We've got 1,600 acres. It's really a campus. And as part of that, there's a tremendous park area, a beautiful amphitheater. The other components of COTA are not afterthoughts. It's more than a racetrack." 
Edited by Urbanity
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I don't think anyone was totally surprised that Charlotte didn't get the X-Games. Say what you want about the racetrack, it really being out in Concord, etc but the fact that our bid was one of 4 finalists shows how far the area has come. Ten years ago, this wasn't possible IMO. Congrats to Austin.

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We might have lost the X Games but we're looking at 6 years worth of ACC vs SEC in the Belk Bowl.

 

The SEC is in the final stages of a deal that will partner the power football conference with the ACC in the Belk Bowl for six years

 

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/07/23/4184896/belk-bowl-set-to-become-acc-vs.html

Edited by Urbanity
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The SEC-ACC matchup might be a bigger deal than it first appears. Not only will this be a huge improvement for the play-quality of the bowl game itself but Charlotte will have:

  • A consistently sold out (and highly nationally visible) bowl game in late December
  • A better ACC championship game (hopefully) with league expansion
  • A very good early season matchup of regional college teams in August / September (e.g. UNC vs USC)

Suddenly Charlotte has become a very good college football town -- something it never has been before. Once that reputation is established I could see more frequent regional matchups in BofA stadium (something like a mid-season Clemson vs. Va Tech matchup in Charlotte modeled after the Georgia-Florida game in neutral-site Jacksonville). More big events in BofA stadium are a good thing. More events would also help me feel better about the Panthers stadium remodeling extortion.

 

As a bonus all this activity should improve the visibility of the fledgeling 49ers program.

Edited by kermit
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The SEC-ACC matchup might be a bigger deal than it first appears. Not only will this be a huge improvement for the play-quality of the bowl game itself but Charlotte will have:

  • A consistently sold out (and highly nationally visible) bowl game in late December
  • A better ACC championship game (hopefully) with league expansion
  • A very good early season matchup of regional college teams in August / September (e.g. UNC vs USC)

Suddenly Charlotte has become a very good college football town -- something it never has been before. Once that reputation is established I could see more frequent regional matchups in BofA stadium (something like a mid-season Clemson vs. Va Tech matchup in Charlotte modeled after the Georgia-Florida game in neutral-site Jacksonville). More big events in BofA stadium are a good thing. More events would also help me feel better about the Panthers stadium remodeling extortion.

 

As a bonus all this activity should improve the visibility of the fledgeling 49ers program.

unc vs usc at South carolina, not BOA.

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During the MLS All-Star Game the league commissioner said the league wants to add 4 teams by 2020.  We need to get something started to get a team in a renovated Memorial Stadium! 

 

Actually it might be harder than being fanatical as a community.  MLS tends to expand where there's already a strong local team on a lower level (see Portland, and it's only a matter of time for Orlando).  There also needs to be a willing owner to drop ~$40M for a team to make the leap to MLS.  Sadly I thnk that fits the Railhawks in Cary more than anything we have going in Charlotte.  But I am still holding out hope we could get MLS in the QC.

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I'd love to see an MLS team in Charlotte, but I have a bad feeling that Raleigh will get it (if Carolina gets one) barring some sort of miracle*.

As nice as it would be to have here, Raleigh/Cary does kind of deserve it...I grew up there and soccer just always seemed like a bigger deal than it is in most places. Lots of fans there. 

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And just like that @MLSinCharlotte has been born on twitter.  They have enlisted the help of the Bring Back the Buzz guys for their grassroots movement.  It'll be interesting to watch if this can drum up enough support.  Maybe a strong grassroots showing will motivate a potential owner to take a chance on Queen City FC :fun:

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There are other soccer leagues than just MLS... NASL would be a good fit for Charlotte and from the looks of it, Memorial Stadium would be awesome!  NASL is actively looking for 3 more franchises to add by 2016 to bring the total number of teams to 16.

 

And honestly, NASL is probably the best fit for the Triangle for at least the next 15 years, if not longer if the NASL continues to grow.  And I could see a lot of regional interest generated with rivalries between the Raleigh, Charlotte, and Atlanta teams.

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Really agree that going after  NASL franchise makes sense for CLT.  We would probably have it a lot quicker than MLS expansion.

 

Question - can an NASL move into the MLS at some point?

 

Also agree that it would be great to have a CLT/German name like ah59396's suggestion of FC Bayern Mecklenburg.

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