Charlotte Bobcats Arena

[uptownliving]

It should also be pointed out that Charlotte re-elected the majority of the City Council that voted for the Arena deal we have today. I think that if there truly was an uproar in the community over the new Arena then there would have been a clean slate of new people at the city council....just like there was at the County Commision over the whole Arts Funding Gang of Five.

[soccer1guy_99]

I just got bored and looked through the schedule for the arena. The schedule I was viewing had 99 events scheduled through mid April, which was as far ahead as it showed. Of these, only one, a Globetrotters game and a Bobcats game will occur on the same day. It is safe to assume that the arena will not be closed 250 days this year.

[monsoon]

I just got bored and looked through the schedule for the arena. The schedule I was viewing had 99 events scheduled through mid April, which was as far ahead as it showed. Of these, only one, a Globetrotters game and a Bobcats game will occur on the same day. It is safe to assume that the arena will not be closed 250 days this year.

[Mobuchu]

The only thing proven here was that people in general don't care for sports venues, and they do nothing to improve the places where they were built.

[krazeeboi]

Is everything downtown supposed to generate pedestrian activity 24/7? What about religious structures, civic structures, etc.?

[dubone]

I've made that argument before, but it doesn't seem to fly. I live downtown and am in the house maybe 1/3 of the time, and generating street activity in front of my house only a small fraction of that.

My feeling is that as long as we have 1/4 of the land uptown being dedicated to surface parking lots, any human use building that goes up will be a dramatic improvement.

[Batou]

Is there any news as to anyone interested in putting their name on the arena or who would everyone like to see the arena named to? (Thank god their's already a Bank of America Arena in some other city so it won't ever get an awful name like that)

[atlrvr]

Well....one win for the Bobcats. Also, as reported by the A.P.

The Bobcats sold extra seats for the game, making the crowd of 19,147 the largest in the arena's short history

[revitalize]

yeah, exciting game too. Seemed like a great crowd, probably alot there to see LeBron, but they were definitely suporting the Bobcats. I wonder how much pre- and post- game action there was at the uptown bars & restaurants...

[Seabreeze]

Post game activity was awesome, looked like speed week up 5th, traffic was a nightmare though. A ton of people filing into the clubs, bars, and restaurants. I remember thinking that I wished I had my camera for the photo contest this month

[RaleighHeelsfan]

Post game activity was awesome, looked like speed week up 5th, traffic was a nightmare though. A ton of people filing into the clubs, bars, and restaurants. I remember thinking that I wished I had my camera for the photo contest this month

[browngeo]

I completely agree.

I think the problem that most have is that there was a vote against it and then they went ahead had the public pay for it.

I am very happy that it was built and it's a boost for all of uptown. Too bad the baseball stadium and park will take forever to get built because everyone is complaining about the arena.

I was in uptown for the panthers game and for the bobcats games in the last 2 weeks and uptown is very alive before and after both events.

[monsoon]

This is exactly why the arena belongs in uptown charlotte. Anyone who thinks otherwise is crazy. .....

[monsoon]

Channel 18 did their report tonight on the fact that Bob Johnson had to sell off the Charlotte Sting and as a result there will be a lot more empty seats in the Arena that the taxpayers paid for. They went on to speculate if this could mean that Johnson might have to eventually vacate the arena all together because they said, I believe that it is not any secret the Bobcats are losing lots of money. Apparently they don't have much support in the Charlotte area.

The TV show also said that "some" are saying the whole thing (the arena) may have been a big waste of money. I wonder if they read UrbanPlanet.

[dubone]

The city would have a worse black eye if the Bobcats left, but then we'd permanently end the arena debate, as they would have to pay for the whole thing. We could be discussing what to spending the 250 million dollars on.

That is the point though that most of the news agents don't really play up, the costs of leaving are very steep, so I think it will be cheaper to take a few more years of losses. It would be vastly cheaper to just hire all the stars in the NBA for a few years to rebuild than to leave and get such a huge bill.

[monsoon]

The city would have a worse black eye if the Bobcats left, but then we'd permanently end the arena debate, as they would have to pay for the whole thing. We could be discussing what to spending the 250 million dollars on.

[tiblerbrit]

But the NBA owners have to approve moving a team and I seriously doubt they would move a team that had a brand new arena and had only been in the city a couple of years. I think the most likely scenario is that a new ownership group would buy the team and have to keep in it Charlotte if the Bobcats did indeed declare bankruptcy.

[monsoon]

Possibly. But it it does highlight the lunacy of spending $300M, $300M that could have been used for something much more useful for the city, on a team that goes bankrupt in just a few years.

[reverbandwhiskey]

Possibly. But it it does highlight the lunacy of spending $300M, $300M that could have been used for something much more useful for the city, on a team that goes bankrupt in just a few years.

[DanRNC]

The Bobcats in the current financial form will cease to exist in 5 years. To cut costs they have fired their PR person and legal counsel-this team is a disaster.

[rooster8]

Hate to say it, but I wonder things would have turned out if the Larry Bird group had been the recipient.

My wife and I went to the Rockets game last week. There were more people than I expected, but the lower bowl was about half empty. The upper levels were pretty full which I take to mean that people are only willing to pay just so much for a 5 and whatever team.

It was almost pathetic when the guy kept asking for the sixth man to make noise. There was no excitement for the team whatsoever.

[Bynocerus]

I read an article in ESPN magazine recently stating that the Bobcats were $2M below the salary cap MINIMUM. Word 'round the campfire before the Bobcats selected player one was that Bob Johnson is the flintiest cheapskate around, and his unwillingness to pursue talent anywhere except through the lottery is good evidence that those fears weren't unfounded.

Until Mr. Johnson opens his wallet and gets some cagey vets and a legitimate scorer, the Bobcats will give Atlanta a run for its money as worst basketball franchise in the NBA. I realize that many are still upset that the arena got built in the first place, but at least as many if not more are just as upset that Mr. Johnson is unwilling to field a competitive team.

I support the 'Cats as a matter of principle, but a few more years of languishing in the East cellar and futher demonstration of Johnson's unwillingness to field a competitive team will exhaust my patience.

[cinco]

^ so, do ya'll think that it is a lack of talent on the bobcats team that is keeping away the fans here? that seems odd b/c the hornets games we're packing the house for many a losing season even when kelly tripuka was our "star".

i also don't think the lack of attendance is due to a grudge against the arena. i think the problem lies within the game itself... the culture it has allowed itself to build. with such a huge schedule, focus on money, and extremely boring individual play... PROFESSIONAL basketball is eating itself. IMO, it's as lackluster as it gets and i am someone who really loves college basketball.

[atlrvr]

I think it's lack of talent. The Hornets had fans because going to the games was the social thing to do in the big city with with a pro team. The Panther's have changed all that. We now expect winners in this city. The Bobcat's start winning, they'll fill the place up, keep losing, and things will only get worse.

Even cities such as Atlanta with 3 times the population only fill 8,000 seats or so when they have bad teams, and I've seen Knicks attendence in the 12,000 range on bad team years.

As cities grow, and there is more competition for people's attention and dollars, people expect a better product. 10 years ago, Discovery Place could pack the place by filling up one room with some plaster dinosaurs, now they need the Dead Sea Scrolls.

For the Bobcats, winning is the only way to reverse its fortunes.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

The Bobcats in the current financial form will cease to exist in 5 years. To cut costs they have fired their PR person and legal counsel-this team is a disaster.