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Wouldn't the Bobcats argument actually help Charlotte as a "sports town"? The Bobcats still managed to get over 15k a game this season, after just getting to 20 wins this season and finishing with the worst win % record in NBA history last season. That should be a testament to those fans that showed up.
Throw the Panthers in there, who have had 4 winning seasons since 1995. Carolina Panthers hope to preserve sellout streak - Charlotte Business Journal
"Despite the handful of winning seasons, the Panthers have sold out all but two of the their 171 exhibition, regular-season and playoff games in franchise history. "
And let's not forget that when the Hornets were here, they led the NBA in attendance for nearly a decade "The Coliseum hosted 364 consecutive NBA sell-outs from December 1988 to November 1997." The Coliseum held 24,000 people. Also of note, the Hornets never even made it out of the second round of the playoffs.
Baseball is still a different animal, and I don't think Charlotte is ready. But for a city full of transplants with a bunch of poorly managed, relatively new franchises, Charlotteans are pretty loyal. It's a tough town to cheer for, but you dance with the girl your brought to the prom.
Hold the phone............I've seen games on TV and the stadium is NEVER full! I KNOW Bank of America (or whomever) has agreed to buy out whatever tickets the team can't sell, and although that technically counts as a sell-out, it's subsidized. When the Vikings (my team) played the Panthers the fanbase was so lackluster that it seemed that there were half as many Vikings fans as Panthers fans.
Can any locals shed light on this, or am I just making this up in my head?
The answer to your question is PSL's. And honestly, the Vikings have been a team since 1961. The Panthers, 1995. Jurrasic Park came out before the Panthers existed. Is that really a fair comparison to make? At least give a team like the Panthers a generation to build its fan base.
Hold the phone............I've seen games on TV and the stadium is NEVER full! I KNOW Bank of America (or whomever) has agreed to buy out whatever tickets the team can't sell, and although that technically counts as a sell-out, it's subsidized. When the Vikings (my team) played the Panthers the fanbase was so lackluster that it seemed that there were half as many Vikings fans as Panthers fans.
Can any locals shed light on this, or am I just making this up in my head?
The stadium always looks full to me...I don't recall any noticeable empty seats when watching the Panthers. I think it's just in your head honestly. I also don't buy the "half as many Vikings fans" comment...maybe a lot of Giants fans, but not Vikings. The Panthers fans never seemed at all lackluster to me.
Hold the phone............I've seen games on TV and the stadium is NEVER full! I KNOW Bank of America (or whomever) has agreed to buy out whatever tickets the team can't sell, and although that technically counts as a sell-out, it's subsidized. When the Vikings (my team) played the Panthers the fanbase was so lackluster that it seemed that there were half as many Vikings fans as Panthers fans.
Can any locals shed light on this, or am I just making this up in my head?
To mention the Orioles as a potential team that could relocate is just absolutely ludicrous, and shows that the OP knows nothing about the team and its relationship with its fans and the city of Baltimore.
I am just absolutely shocked that anyone would imply that the Orioles could move, and to call Camden Yards an "aging stadium" is so ridiculous that as a diehard Orioles fan and Baltimore resident I have to say that I am offended that someone could even make such a statement and actually be serious about it.
^I wouldn't take it seriously. The O's aren't going anywhere. I hear people talk about the Jays "relocating" all the time. It's usually from someone that thinks Toronto is the same size as Omaha, or that people in Canada don't like baseball. It just blows my mind. Less Tampa, the AL East is set in stone.
To mention the Orioles as a potential team that could relocate is just absolutely ludicrous, and shows that the OP knows nothing about the team and its relationship with its fans and the city of Baltimore.
I am just absolutely shocked that anyone would imply that the Orioles could move, and to call Camden Yards an "aging stadium" is so ridiculous that as a diehard Orioles fan and Baltimore resident I have to say that I am offended that someone could even make such a statement and actually be serious about it.
I don't think the O's are leaving Baltimore either, but there are a few variables to consider with their long-term future in Baltimore.
1) Yes, Camden Yards is a model ballpark, but it's also 20 years old, and the Orioles lease expires there in 2021. Will the Orioles renew there? Almost definitely, but until they do, leaving the door open for speculation is not totally out of line.
2) Market share. Yes, the O's get a lionshare of the joint TV revenue between them and the Nationals, but if the Orioles were to go into another multi-year slump, I don't think they could compete with the Nationals for ratings, merch, attendance, etc. In other words, if there comes a day when MLB decides the Beltway isn't large enough for two teams, I see the Orioles being on the short end of that argument.
3) New Ownership. You never know what new ownership will want to do these days when a smaller to middle market team gets sold. Nothing is on the horizon in this regard, but you never know 5-10-15 years down the line.
There are a few common offenders in attendance inflation in all four major sports, but to me, the Panthers numbers have always seemed fairly legit. The bright blue seats in the stadium sometimes make it seem more empty than it really is. The Bobcats on the other hand.......they seem to be using some gimmicks to pump up their numbers.
The answer to your question is PSL's. And honestly, the Vikings have been a team since 1961. The Panthers, 1995. Jurrasic Park came out before the Panthers existed. Is that really a fair comparison to make? At least give a team like the Panthers a generation to build its fan base.
I have no qualms with what you're saying, but I just want to iterate the differences between "sell outs". If, for example, the city KNEW that to sell out the baseball games it'd have to find a corporate sponsor (or PSL) to subsidize a large % of the tickets, I don't know if that'd be a tough sell for MLB, that's all. What do you think??
Perhaps there are a lot of season ticket holder then? Because the game I saw wasn't even close to sold out, and maybe ticket holders didn't care to show up that day? IDK. At best, it's anecdotal evidence I'm giving here, and I'm not trying to suggest that my personal observation is THE way in Charlotte, it's just all I've seen.
I'm curious what the actual attendance numbers are by stadium (turnstyle attendence, not sold tickets) as a percentage of the max?
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