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sports in norfolk


rusthebuss

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Yeah, I think carolinaboy is right. It's a possibility. But there are way too many die-hard Redskins, Steelers, Ravens, and Panthers fans around here. And without any large stadiums to accommodate an NFL team it will be a lot harder. It could happen, though. L.A. has proven time and time again it cannot support an NFL team. Honestly, I think L.A. needs the Rams back, but there are rumors that team will be relocated to London in the future, so idk about that. Who knows? Anything could happen.

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I think the NBA is the best option for us. 40 or so games with 15,000-18,000 people is do-able.

I have to agree with this one, which I have stated before...I also think that in a few years as the popularity of MSL grows, especially in the northwest of the US, that there will be a possibilty for an expansion team in that league as well.

The NFL will never happen there because of all the reason stated. I know LA is seeking a new NFL team right now...though I dont know all the details in that because I dont care about LA. I dont think Chicago is in the market for another team, I think they have enough teams as it is. And OKC would be the only long shot city out of the three that might have the chance if they are actually pushing for it.

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I agree, I think the Redskins are the biggest reason why football won't come here anytime soon as long as the Redskins are in D.C!!! The owner of the Redskins and probably Ravens and Panthers wouldn't approve of a move or expansion team in Richmond nor Norfolk's Metro. To much competiton for fans. Most already consider us Redskin land. recently the Carolina Panthers have some fans here as well but, it's more of a Redskin town here. The Steelers have alot of fans because they go back years and years ago and thats the case coast to coast for Steeler fans(Redskin fans as well) and In My Opinion the Redskins have a strangle hold here hence the event they do on the Va Beach oceanfront now annually! Basketball may work being the Wizards havent got a strong hold here as of now. Will the owners approve a move here or expansion franchise? Maybe, fact is were in a area were pro sports may not come ever because of the distance of the teams that surround us and a lack of the things needed to justify a pro team(stadium/18,000/20,000 seat arena minimum sizes being some are 25,000-30,000 in size now) and I say that with all due respect!!

Question? How would the area react to a losing team if it lost after the 1st 2-3 years. Would support drop like Jacksonville's did. Economy plays some part in Jacksonville not drawing crowds needed to keep there team but, it's more about the fact the team is middle of the road now(some good players like Maurice Jone-Drew though) and long away from glory days of Mark Brunell and Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCradell!! I don't know if football is good for here because I visited Jacksonville a couple times and despite less of metro population its very similar to Norfolk's metro with military influence and issues of roads and light rail etc. and growth concerns and not being able to attract whats needed to expand the cities financial core as is the case in Norfolk!! Very similar city to us fellow members and very gorgeous place as well, nice looking suburbs and downtown(A recent Super Bowl was held there and NFL said, they won't go back because weather was to cold and the city lacked things to do for those visiting for game)!!! L.G.N.M

Edited by usermel
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I agree, I think the Redskins are the biggest reason why football won't come here anytime soon as long as the Redskins are in D.C!!! The owner of the Redskins and probably Ravens and Panthers wouldn't approve of a move or expansion team in Richmond nor Norfolk's Metro. To much competiton for fans. Most already consider us Redskin land. recently the Carolina Panthers have some fans here as well but, it's more of a Redskin town here. The Steelers have alot of fans because they go back years and years ago and thats the case coast to coast for Steeler fans(Redskin fans as well) and In My Opinion the Redskins have a strangle hold here hence the event they do on the Va Beach oceanfront now annually! Basketball may work being the Wizards havent got a strong hold here as of now. Will the owners approve a move here or expansion franchise? Maybe, fact is were in a area were pro sports may not come ever because of the distance of the teams that surround us and a lack of the things needed to justify a pro team(stadium/18,000/20,000 seat arena minimum sizes being some are 25,000-30,000 in size now) and I say that with all due respect!!

Question? How would the area react to a losing team if it lost after the 1st 2-3 years. Would support drop like Jacksonville's did.

Jacksonville worked hard to get that team, and it would be a bit sad to see them lose it to another, bigger and more prominent metro. But, in response to your question, take a look at the Washington Nationals. They've been around since 2005 and are absolutely horrendous. If you ever watch any of their home games, you will notice that very, very few of their fans are present. If a team like the Phillies, the Reds, or the Mets come to play, Nats fans are almost always outnumbered by fans of the other team in their own home stadium. For their sake, though, they are lucky because they recently completed Nationals Park, which ought to give Washington a good grip on the team (regardless of how bad they are) for another 5-10 years.

Personally, I think, if Hampton Roads ever got a team and it did poorly, support probably would drop. But any team that is an expansion or relocates somewhere else is usually guaranteed ten years in their designated metro before the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, etc. decides to move the team elsewhere. So we would have to spend those ten years building a good team and creating a strong, dedicated fan base.

The redskins quit doing the beach blitz after vabeach turned the redskins request down to upgrade the sportsplex to NFL standards for training camp...which was stupid move for vabeach

WHAT?! Are you serious? If I'm not mistaken, they just had the Beach Blitz again this year, and VA Beach turned down a chance for a training camp? What could possibly be the reasoning for that, other than an attempt to keep our market clear of other teams' presence in case we get chance to have a team of our own some day?

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

How about those Admirals? 6-0-1 on a 7-game road trip, under their new coach. The went from 7th to 3rd.

Yupp, we're on a roll. Playoff push perhaps? I might hit up the game on Saturday night, supposedly there is a scrimmage between NPD and NFD. Wonder if attendance is up..?

Edited by varider
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Okay, I'm serious about voicing my opinion on the need for a 18,000+ seat arena in downtown Norfolk.

I understand/respect you all's arguments (money pit, "dead" megablock, culture,etc.) but this is something I feeel very strongly about.

What :An 18,000 seat state of the art replacement for Scope with parking decks wrapped with ground floor retail. Financed by the combination of Hampton Roads' tax dollars and corporate grants through simple things such as naming rights. For example, the "Norfolk Southern Arena" or the "Stihl Center," etc. The venue could be used for major concerts, family and social events, conventions, ice shows, civic events, and sporting events from local universities and high schoools.Once a team is lured, most likely an NBA one, the arena would turn more into a strictly sports venue and could host events such as the CAA tourney, NCAA tourney, NBA all star game, etc.

How: The team should be named the Virginia "insert name here" in order to drum up additional support from Central/Western Virginia.The stadium would cost approx. $100M and should be funded through a joint-venture public-private partnership. If local companies could invest $25M, the remaining $75M could be financed by the seven cities. Virginia Beach's initial investment would be $21M, Norfolk's would be $13M, Chesapeake's would be $11M, Newport News's would be $9M, Hampton's $7M, Portsmouth $6M, Suffolk, $6M. Equal Risk=Equal reward. The arena would be Hampton Roads' property.

Why:Pro sports teams benefit cities in a plethora of ways from a better QOL, ability to lure jobs, ability to lure transportation dollars, increased tourism, etc. && the fact that they are AWESOME!

We would only need 1/100 southeast VA residents to be at the arena on any given night for a sold out stadium. There is no doubt in my mind that an NBA team in Hampton Roads would be a success story and a boost to the economy/morale of the entire state.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME!

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I agree Varider with you 1,000,000% sir! I'm always puzzled when I hear those against sports in cities without major league sports. Watching the Super Bowl today was hard. I saw a team in the New Orleans Saints whom before the Hurricne Katrina disaster had a population still less than our metro win the Super Bowl. Cities around the world will here the news of who won the game today because its our nations most popular sport. Across the USA sports represent cities in a close personal way. I dont think those against it are looking at the glass half full, they only see it half empty. That said, I respect there views and when you havent had something for so long, how can you miss or want what you never had. I think thats part why those who oppose a team feel as they do, they never had a true pro team(Virginia Squires ABA) to support for more than 10 years here.

I want my kids to support a city or state team like North Carolina does now and even a state as small as Utah has a tean with the Jazz! Im with Varider but you know Varider someone with the glass half empty will post soon and rip apart the positive mindset we have in moving the metro and state fully into the 21st century Virginia of sports and beyond due to the benefits and nation wide name recognition a pro team brings(one name, Green Bay Packers). We have went to long without having to be Redskins fans and Im tried of not having any pro team in state based to support. Id got to Richmond if it were there to. Just as long as its a team located in VA it will have my support and I'll get season tickets!!! Also, I myself had never heard much about Olahoma City until they got the Thunder in the NBA and never heard much about the city of Jacksonville either. Sports introduced me to these towns and each season after season they get mentioned helps national recognition for those towns/cities/states! L.G.N.M

Edited by usermel
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I agree Varider with you 1,000,000% sir! I'm always puzzled when I hear those against sports in cities without major league sports. Watching the Super Bowl today was hard. I saw a team in the New Orleans Saints whom before the Hurricne Katrina disaster had a population still less than our metro win the Super Bowl. Cities around the world will here the news of who won the game today because its our nations most popular sport. Across the USA sports represent cities in a close personal way. I dont think those against it are looking at the glass half full, they only see it half empty. That said, I respect there views and when you havent had something for so long, how can you miss or want what you never had. I think thats part why those who oppose a team feel as they do, they never had a true pro team(Virginia Squires ABA) to support for more than 10 years here.

I want my kids to support a city or state team like North Carolina does now and even a state as small as Utah has a tean with the Jazz! Im with Varider but you know Varider someone with the glass half empty will post soon and rip apart the positive mindset we have in moving the metro and state fully into the 21st century Virginia of sports and beyond due to the benefits and nation wide name recognition a pro team brings(one name, Green Bay Packers). We have went to long without having to be Redskins fans and Im tried of not having any pro team in state based to support. Id got to Richmond if it were there to. Just as long as its a team located in VA it will have my support and I'll get season tickets!!! Also, I myself had never heard much about Olahoma City until they got the Thunder in the NBA and never heard much about the city of Jacksonville either. Sports introduced me to these towns and each season after season they get mentioned helps national recognition for those towns/cities/states! L.G.N.M

Thanks, I agree with everything you've said. A team becomes one with the city. That Saints team has uplifted the entire City of New Orleans, which is not bigger than Hampton Roads. I see Bourbon St. overflowed with people after the victory. Why can't that be Granby St.? Why can't we have a team we can call our own!

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Thanks, I agree with everything you've said. A team becomes one with the city. That Saints team has uplifted the entire City of New Orleans, which is not bigger than Hampton Roads. I see Bourbon St. overflowed with people after the victory. Why can't that be Granby St.? Why can't we have a team we can call our own!

money and a team looking to move are key factors in all of this. Vote for people that support such things, contact local and state officials to support the idea of getting a team for Virginia. Organize groups that creates awareness for such an idea. I doubt anyone in here has the money to build a stadium and move a team to Virginia, but if you guys are that passionate about it, then you should go out and do something about it, posting in here about how much you want a team in the region isnt going to be the key factor in getting such a team.

Norfolk had a shot at a NHL, NBA, and MLB (not really, but they were on the short list.) So the region clearly has a chance at getting a pro team in the region, but the city needs people that make such choices to be in charge pushing for such things. If those on the city council see this as a bottom of the list priority, then it will not be something they will be trying to pursue, therefore you guys should try to get those that support such an idea into office.

And the "build it and they will come" idea is probably the toughest sell any city can do because even having such an arena is not a sure bet the region will score a team, but it is an effort the city and region and state would be willing to make such a team happen....though the same thing could be said if the cities and state put aside money to have such an arena built if a team was interested in moving to Virginia.

But basically, I doubt there will be much pull for this within local and state politics until the economy picks back up because I doubt there are too many supporters of spending $225 million on a stadium that has no team when money like that could go to much more needed projects in an already cash strapped budget. But once there is an upswing in the economy, there is a better chance of scoring such an arena and that is why it is important to elect those that support such an idea.

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The Monarchs were, pouncing on George Mason from the outset, and cruising to a 76-60 win in front of 8,424 at the sold-out Constant Center.

422421000.jpg

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/02/monarchs-improve-207-7660-win-over-george-mason#primary_tabs

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/02/impressive-win-strengthens-odus-ncaa-tourney-aspirations

ODU may be dancing this year.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just finished watching ODU-VCU on Comcast..ODU won by three in front of a sold-out Constant Center. ODU won their conference. Now on to the CAA tourney. It's really looking goood for an NCAA tourney bid for the Monarchs this year

&& the Ted was rocking this eveningg. The broadcasters called the noise "deafining" [sp.?] It was so exciting.

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http://www.norfolkadmirals.com/release_story1.php?id=1823

NOTES … The attendance at Scope tonight was 6,108 – the second-highest attendance of the 2009-10 season, trailing only the 6,582 on January 16 for Pink in the Rink … The Admirals (34-28-3-1, 72 points in 66 games) are three points back of the River Rats (34-24-3-4, 75 points in 65 games) for second place in the American Hockey League’s East Division … Norfolk’s lead over the fourth-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (32-28-1-2, 67 points in 63 games) remained seven points after the Penguins fell to the Hershey Bears on the road tonight … The Admirals’ six-game home winning streak ended … The Admirals play ten of their final 14 games at Norfolk Scope Arena … Dana Tyrell has points in four straight games (2G, 2A) and ten of his last 13 games (4G, 11A) … Adam Hall has points in three straight games (2G, 1A) and five of his last seven games (2G, 4A) … Ryan Craig has points in three straight games (0G, 3A) … Scratches: Kevin Quick.

6,100+ fans is impressive to me. Three times that and we have a sold-out NBA game.

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Great job by ODU's coach. He has got better and better coaching up his players. As for the Hockey last night, yes it was great to see the downtwn pcked last night. I went to Kincaids with my lady and we had a hard time getting parking due to the downtown chaos(good thing)!!! I think Hockey can work here. A minor league team with that many fans coming out is great for hockey(by there standards in terms of not being an NHL team) and Im sure the Admirals players love that if they are not in the NHL they play in a place were at least 5,000 fans come out ech night in Norfolk.

The support for Hockey is here!!! May transfer into great support for an NHL team!! L.G.N.M

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Great job by ODU's coach. He has got better and better coaching up his players. As for the Hockey last night, yes it was great to see the downtwn pcked last night. I went to Kincaids with my lady and we had a hard time getting parking due to the downtown chaos(good thing)!!! I think Hockey can work here. A minor league team with that many fans coming out is great for hockey(by there standards in terms of not being an NHL team) and Im sure the Admirals players love that if they are not in the NHL they play in a place were at least 5,000 fans come out ech night in Norfolk.

The support for Hockey is here!!! May transfer into great support for an NHL team!! L.G.N.M

I saw on ESPN that Blaine Taylor (coach of ODU) was the most underrated coach in the NCAA.

&& I walked down Monticello last evening and can remember how crowded Kincaid's was from the window.

The whole downtown was hoppin'. Admirals jerseys eveywhere. Felt like a real city for a moment. && I agree. The NHL might be able to have a successful franchise in Norfolk. 6,100 for a mid-major hockey team. Build a 18,000 person arena for hockey and I'd say it'd be filled to capacity.. and then since we would already have that arena built, the NBA might even start to look at us again.

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