Sports in Charlotte

[kermit]

On 11/30/2021 at 8:33 PM, kermit said:

I'll set the over/under on attendance at the ACC Championship game on Saturday night at 24,000 (butts in seats, not ticket sales). Who's taking the under?

OK, it doesn’t look disastrous on TV, they easily made the over. Hats off to Pitt and Wake for getting folks to travel.

(its hard to tell but I think the lower bowl is 90% full and upper is 20%? midway through the first quarter. So maybe 45,000 in attendance?)

Edited December 5, 2021 by kermit

[kermit]

Nice Mayo bowl match up (Heels and Cocks). Props to the committee for making this matchup happen, it should help make up for a lackluster (in terms of attendance) ACC championship game.

Edited December 6, 2021 by kermit

[carolinaboy]

UNC Charlotte's future conference (American Athletic Conference, AAC) has a participant in the college football playoff this year (Cincinnati). Last year the AAC had a basketball Final Four participant.

If UNC Charlotte makes a commitment to grow it's athletic programs and facilities, there is a path for the same success for them in the AAC. 

#Power6

[KJHburg]

from the Triangle Biz Journal 

""Hockey is set to come to Carter-Finley Stadium next year.  The National Hockey League on Friday announced the Carolina Hurricanes will host an outdoor game during the 2022-23 season as part of the league’s Stadium Series.  The game will be played at the home of N.C. State football in Raleigh next February, the league said. The Canes opponent will be announced at a later date.""

they better bring some thick ice in because weather in the Carolinas in Feb can be warm or cold no one knows. 

[videtur quam contuor]

It will be 65º and the ice will sublimate from solid to gas vapor without melting to liquid and there will be a fog on the rink and the players may see each other but not the puck. I have seen this exact situation.

[kermit]

I had forgotten that the Big South Conference is playing its tournaments (both men's and women's) at Bojangles this week. Nice get, although I am sure it generates a fraction of the room nights filled by the CIAA.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2022/02/28/big-south-hopes-fans-embrace-charlotte-move.html

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

Huge week for Charlotte. This Saturday is going to be a sellout for Charlotte FC inaugural match at 7:30.  There’s also a hornets game against the spurs at 7pm. Weeks like these are great for the service/hospitality industry.  Grab your hotel or MLS tickets now bc they won’t be getting any cheaper as the days go on…coupled with great weather this should be a fantastic home opener. 

Edited March 1, 2022 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[go_vertical]

What is the latest ticket sales figure for the home opener?  Last I heard was 63k to 65k.

[kermit]

10 minutes ago, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

Huge week for Charlotte. This Saturday is going to be a sellout for Charlotte FC inaugural match at 7:30.  There’s also a hornets game against the spurs at 7pm. Weeks like these are great for the service/hospitality industry.  Grab your hotel or MLS tickets now bc they won’t be getting any cheaper as the days go on…coupled with great weather this should be a fantastic home opener. 

Plus bit-time college lacrosse (four games) at Memorial Stadium all day. The biggest game is Penn State vs U Penn @ 4pm. Its certainly not the biggest event of the day, but "Charlotte's got a lot" on Saturday.

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

15 minutes ago, go_vertical said:

What is the latest ticket sales figure for the home opener?  Last I heard was 63k to 65k.

From their official ticket platform (Ticketmaster) the only standard tickets available are single tickets sporadically sprinkled amongst the section. Even those are very limited. This appears to be very close to a sellout. If you want more than one ticket and sitting together, only way possible is through verified resale tickets or sites like stubhub or vivid. I’m sure they’ll call it a sellout or do whatever they have to do to beat atlantas record for largest mls attendance in league history. 
 

It’s going to be a great crowd regardless, but if I’m not mistaken, panthers calculate “attendance” by tickets sold vs butts in seats. So, I’d imagine someone could just buy up the remaining single tickets and call it a sellout. 

Edited March 1, 2022 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[kayman]

On 3/1/2022 at 6:25 PM, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

From their official ticket platform (Ticketmaster) the only standard tickets available are single tickets sporadically sprinkled amongst the section. Even those are very limited. This appears to be very close to a sellout. If you want more than one ticket and sitting together, only way possible is through verified resale tickets or sites like stubhub or vivid. I’m sure they’ll call it a sellout or do whatever they have to do to beat atlantas record for largest mls attendance in league history. 
 

It’s going to be a great crowd regardless, but if I’m not mistaken, panthers calculate “attendance” by tickets sold vs butts in seats. So, I’d imagine someone could just buy up the remaining single tickets and call it a sellout. 

Charlotte's mission these days has been to outdo Atlanta on everything. I don't blame them as Atlanta's reign of excessive boosterism should've long been over here in the South.

[HopHead]

Here is some potential big time sports (and economical impact) news for the Queen City.... Charlotte is one of 5 cities vying to host the annual Army/Navy college football game (along with Orlando, Boston, Chicago and Dallas) in 2027. Outside of the national college football championship and probably the Rose Bowl, it's the biggest game on the calendar. A bit of a long shot for Charlotte, but just being on the short list is pretty awesome. Hope city and regional leaders can find a way to make it happen. 

https://charlotte.axios.com/290615/charlotte-is-vying-to-host-the-army-navy-game/

[videtur quam contuor]

I went to a Belk(?) Bowl game some years ago, Navy vs Syracuse. Great game, last second plays, real exciting. The true spirit was all the hundreds of midshippersons who came for the game during their Christmas holidays. They were in the West endzone and stood the entire game in their dress gray, with cape. A neighbor who is a Navy Academy grad said the local group bought the tickets for them and offered housing for the students. 

[CltFlyer]

This would be an awesome win.  As noted above I'm not sure what the likelihood is, but it is certainly nice to be in the conversation with the likes of Orlando, Dallas, Chicago, and Boston.  These are the cities you want to be competing with and seen as equals to when it comes to these caliber of events.  NC's military background and history should help, but will it be enough? 

You can hate on Tepper with the way he has managed the on field and off field performance of the team so far, but his vision (and success) in turning Bank of America Stadium into a year round events venue is impossible to deny.  

[rancenc]

News from the golfing world!

https://businessnc.com/charlottes-quail-hollow-club-scores-a-prize-golf-tournament/

[rancenc]

Minor league baseball is a economic generator for downtown Charlotte and other downtown areas throughout the state.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/article259654125.html

[kermit]

apropos of nothing, does anyone else get the feeling that all of Dabo Swinney’s  recent tantrums about NIL and the transfer portal foreshadow a long Clemson football downslide?

He does have some valid points, and Clemson is gonna struggle to generate much NIL cash given its location, but it sure does sound like he has decided just to not play the modern recruiting game.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/33700813/clemson-tigers-coach-dabo-swinney-says-there-needs-complete-blowup-college-football

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by kermit

[rancenc]

Urban pickleball complex coming to Charlotte.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2022/04/19/pickleball-entertainment-venue-set-for-charlotte.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_23&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s

[Hushpuppy321]

Actually excited for the upcoming AHL Playoffs.  Go Checkers!

[kermit]

Queens U is becoming a D1 school and joining the Atlantic Sun Conference.

This is pretty good news, basketball opponents (based on current league configuration) will include: Liberty, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama and Jacksonville State.

[Blue_Devil]

On 5/6/2022 at 4:04 PM, kermit said:

Queens U is becoming a D1 school and joining the Atlantic Sun Conference.

This is pretty good news, basketball opponents (based on current league configuration) will include: Liberty, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama and Jacksonville State.

That is huge news, especially for their growth. Queens U is going to be a flagship of Charlotte in a few decades.

[kermit]

^ I think we need an annual Thanksgiving weekend Charlotte ‘Big 4’ tournament featuring UNCC, Davidson, Winthrop and Queens. 

[ChessieCat]

United States to host Rugby World Cup as sport breaks new boundaries | Rugby World Cup | The Guardian

Charlotte is one of the cities bidding to host some matches for the 2031 Rugby World Cup

[Hushpuppy321]

Seems like the ACC Headquarters relocation from Greensboro to Charlotte is a done deal, just waiting to be announced.  The new state budget has $15 Million dedicated to Construction/Relocation of their new HQ.

[kermit]

30 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

Seems like the ACC Headquarters relocation from Greensboro to Charlotte is a done deal, just waiting to be announced.  The new state budget has $15 Million dedicated to Construction/Relocation of their new HQ.

Since we entered college sports semi-annual bizzaroworld yesterday its not entirely impossible that UNC Charlotte will become an ACC member (in an embarrassingly diminished league) before the conference office moves.

Yesterday was also a big blow to the bowl system. Duke’s mayo may have already seen its best days.

Edited July 1, 2022 by kermit