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Why should USC encourage competition? Charleston and Greenville have class A baseball; I'd hardly refer to that as "very good".
But these appeal to the newcomers, not just the yerocals. We also have a very nice hockey team, and many other things that newcomers like, including me. Not everyone likes usc sports. Would you agree?
But these appeal to the newcomers, not just the yerocals. We also have a very nice hockey team, and many other things that newcomers like, including me. Not everyone likes usc sports. Would you agree?
I think that's the important thing for people to remember: Not everyone in Columbia attended USC.
However, USC's monopoly on Columbia sports was one of the BEST gifts they could have given Greenville. The Drive moved to Greenville, built their own award-winning ballpark, and sent waves of redevelopment rippling out from the new stadium.
With past athletic directors, there was no question that Carolina discouraged professional sports in Columbia. The best example is the Panters which turned out to be a bad situation for all involved. However, I don't see the current administration working to prevent professional sports in Columbia. But, they are not going to roll out the red carpet for a minor leage team either, its not their job.
A single A baseball team would be a great addition to Columbia and would not affect Carolina Baseball. However, I would rather see a team build their own facility simlar to how other cities have done rather than use South Carolina's best ballpark, Carolina Stadium. Although that may be perceived as Carolina discouraging professional sports, it would be very hard altering Carolina Stadium to fit two teams. Everything in the ballpark is specific to Carolina, I am not sure it would be in the best interest of a minor league team to try and make that work.
In the end, whether a Carolina fan or not, having major college athletics in town is a definite benefit to the city, I wish we had this in Charlotte. The exposure the city receives on events like "GameDay" is priceless. Additionally, there is a certain vibe that goes along with college athletics which is not present in professional cities except maybe for when a team is headed to the playoffs and Super Bowl.
I think it's probably fair to say that the prominence of USC sports probably plays a role. That makes sense. I don't think it's an active effort on the part of USC to stifle competition, as such, but I think that sports itch is being scratched by the teams USC fields, so it doesn't leave a whole lot of demand out there for the pros to fill.
Come to think of it, I can't think of a lot of similarly sized college towns that have booming pro franchises...
...South Carolina's best ballpark, Carolina Stadium.
That is your opinion, not a fact. I am sure most Gamecocks fans would say the same, but that claim would be very debatable in a serious discussion about ballparks in South Carolina.
Come to think of it, I can't think of a lot of similarly sized college towns that have booming pro franchises...
While I know they can and do co-exist in many cities with a significant college presence, I don't think Columbia will "need" pro sports until enough citizens demand a professional alternative.
That is your opinion, not a fact. I am sure most Gamecocks fans would say the same, but that claim would be very debatable in a serious discussion about ballparks in South Carolina.
Of course it is an opinion, most of what is on this board are opinions. My Clemson friends will not even acknowledge that Carolina Stadium is nice so, I am not sure how a serious discussion about SC ballparks would ever produce more than opinions. But, Carolina Stadium is a terrific ballpark that most AA and some AAA teams would love to have.
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