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Proposal now in high gear for a downtown Innovation District. Is this being put in high gear in response to the ACC probably moving its headquarters?
Looks like some leaders are starting to wake up. This has been discussed lightly by one developer a year ago but the city of Greensboro and all of the cities colleges and universities want to get involved. The timing of the news about what will probably lead to The ACC moving its headquarters and the reasons its moving can't be a coincidence although I personally don't think they are valid reasons for moving the headquarters. But that's really not the point.
The ACC needs to learn from other conferences mistakes. The Big East tried exactly what the ACC is trying to do. The Big East shifted away from tradition. It became less about the college athletics and more about money and projecting the image of the Big East like a mini NCAA or the NBA. Early in the conference years they hosted the men's basketball tournament in smaller cities like Greensboro. Syracuse was one of them. Then they permanently moved the tournament to New York City. Interestingly enough Syracuse coach don't like Greensboro. Hmm. The tournament even had an NBA game feel instead of the festive college tournament atmosphere you see at the Greensboro Coliseum. Big TV money market and a big time image for the Big East. It was very lucrative for the Big East. It didn't work and look what happened to the Big East. Message to the ACC. Its about the college sports and tradition stupid. Nothing more. Duke, Carolina and other school made the ACC what it is today not the conference headquarters location. It is the most prestigious and arguably the largest conference in the United States and that all happened with the headquarters in Greensboro and Greensboro hosting the tournament more than any other city by far. There was no need to move the headquarters out of Greensboro to make that happen. Moving the headquarters to Charlotte, Atlanta or any other city isn't going to do a thing for the conference. In fact it may even cost the conference more money operating in a much more expensive market. Its just a bunch of smoke and mirrors. There is simply no reason to leave Greensboro. This MIGHT make sense for a smaller or mid tier conference that is getting less attention and getting over shadowed by power conferences but not for a conference already at the top.
The Big East had the big money, big TV markets etc. and they still got cannibalized because they forgot where they came from. They forgot why they were a conference in the first place.. The Big East had also moved its headquarters from a small city (Providence, Rhoad Island) to New York City. Money or conference headquarters locations don't buy NCAA championship wins or bring prestige to a conference. Its as simple as that. Its about the college sports programs.
You make some excellent points, though one critically important thing that also played a starring factor in the demise of the Big East and is playing a role in the current trajectory of the ACC are both conference’s additions of multiple football-oriented schools in an attempt to bolster their reputations, public images and their financial bottom lines to better compete with the SEC and the Big Ten.
Like many loyal ACC fans in the conference’s birthplace and home state of North Carolina, you seem to be viewing these situations almost exclusively through the lens of a basketball fan.
But it has been the often blinding pursuit of increased prestige and revenue in the biggest money sport of football that drove the both ACC and the erstwhile Big East to add numerous football-oriented schools... A move which has played a major factor in motivating the ACC to its headquarters from Greensboro to Charlotte as an attempt to placate member schools unhappy with the conference not pulling in as much revenue as the SEC and the Big Ten, and a move that eventually led to the demise of the Big East when the conference’s basketball schools and football schools parted ways from each other during the last round of major conference realignment in the early 2010’s.
Needless to say, the addition of numerous football-oriented schools in pursuit of increased income and visibility in the biggest revenue-generating sport of football ultimately ended in disaster for the Big East and obviously has not worked as intended for the ACC.
If judged as a stand-alone league, the ACC seems to be doing pretty good as an athletic conference, reporting a record $497.2 million in gross revenue during the 2019-2020 financial year.
But a Power 5 conference like the ACC is not judged on its own merits as a stand-alone league.
A Power 5 conference like the ACC is judged against the increased financial success of peer Power 5 conferences like the SEC and the Big Ten, two conferences which both had gross revenues of well over $700 million each during the same 2019-20 financial year.
It is that the ACC is often wrongfully and unfairly perceived to be a financial failure when compared to the significantly increased financial successes of the SEC and the Big Ten.
... Which is why the ACC seems to be motivated to move its headquarters to Charlotte as a means of attempting to pull closer in revenue to the SEC and the Big Ten conferences that the ACC is often judged so harshly against.
... Which is why the ACC seems to be motivated to move its headquarters to Charlotte as a means of attempting to pull closer in revenue to the SEC and the Big Ten conferences that the ACC is often judged so harshly against.
Therein lies the rub since a headquarters move will do nothing to close the revenue gap. The Big Ten has some of the largest alumni networks in the country. The SEC has a stranglehold on talent and fanbase engagement on by far the most profitable college sport. Until the Power conferences breakaway from the NCAA and start their own basketball tournament, the ACC is locked-in as being outside the Big/SEC duo.
I will say probably the main differences with the Big East and the other leagues is it was founded specifically as a basketball-centric league. It didn’t even sponsor football until a decade into existence. At that point it had some football-only schools, some basketball-only schools, and some that sponsored both. Football-wise, it saw a couple of national champions plus a couple teams play in the title game. But it was a house divided with the Villanova/Georgetown/Providence with one agenda and everyone else with their own agenda. The ACC was able to poach teams largely on the strength of stable tradition.
Proposal now in high gear for a downtown Innovation District. Is this being put in high gear in response to the ACC probably moving its headquarters?
Looks like some leaders are starting to wake up. This has been discussed lightly by one developer a year ago but the city of Greensboro and all of the cities colleges and universities want to get involved. The timing of the news about what will probably lead to The ACC moving its headquarters and the reasons its moving can't be a coincidence although I personally don't think they are valid reasons for moving the headquarters. But that's really not the point.
Looking at the date of that session, the escalation of this plan is in direct response to the ACC move. Definitely the silver lining of this impending loss.
Last edited by robertjgso; 11-01-2021 at 09:40 AM..
Looking at the date of that session, the escalation of this plan is in direct response to the ACC move. Definitely the silver lining of this impending loss.
At the very least some folks in city hall are saying we have to do something. Something should have been done 20 years ago but this is the right step to attract high paying jobs. Regardless of the reason the ACC is moving, the excuse has been made that Greensboro is not big enough and has limited flights at PTI
Reading the article doesn't make me any more optimistic - sounds like the local officials are just guessing about what is important to the league, and hoping that the past counts for something. I also don't see anything that indicates that the office location would change if the ACC does stay in Greensboro. That said, the current office at Grandover is a pretty terrible location. Perhaps a new location downtown could be combined with a relocation of the Hall of Champions (which is wasted at the Coliseum). Doesn't matter because it won't happen, but it is a fun thought.
At the very least some folks in city hall are saying we have to do something. Something should have been done 20 years ago but this is the right step to attract high paying jobs. Regardless of the reason the ACC is moving, the excuse has been made that Greensboro is not big enough and has limited flights at PTI
Every time that the ACC tournament is held in Greensboro, The place has been packed. The hotels has been packed. So the fans have been coming, even with "limited flights" at PTI. It's funny that twice a year, Furniture Market id held in High Point. No airport and limited hotels, but somehow people from all over the US and the world show up for it.
Every time that the ACC tournament is held in Greensboro, The place has been packed. The hotels has been packed. So the fans have been coming, even with "limited flights" at PTI. It's funny that twice a year, Furniture Market id held in High Point. No airport and limited hotels, but somehow people from all over the US and the world show up for it.
EXACTLY! Not to mention the furniture market is full of rich and influential people. You don't hear people crying about hosting such a prestigious event in a town with a small town image. The home furnishings market is world class. Events like that sets the bar.
Proposal now in high gear for a downtown Innovation District. Is this being put in high gear in response to the ACC probably moving its headquarters?
Looks like some leaders are starting to wake up. This has been discussed lightly by one developer a year ago but the city of Greensboro and all of the cities colleges and universities want to get involved. The timing of the news about what will probably lead to The ACC moving its headquarters and the reasons its moving can't be a coincidence although I personally don't think they are valid reasons for moving the headquarters. But that's really not the point.
Was driving thinking about this. I mean what is Greensboro and the Triad identity??? I mean if the counties can work together with an end goal tweak it for their cities seems the best route.
I mean Winston-Salem is doing the same thing with the "Innovation District". Also, establishing neighborhoods.
There's a lot of colleges here. Lot of college students. Close to other colleges in the area. You have ama location where 2 to 3 hours can be in the mountains. 3-4 to the ocean. 2 hours Charlotte or the Triangle or Fayetteville. 2 hours can be in Roanoke. 3-4 in Richmond. Can take a train in 8 hours to DC. If we added more nonstop connections across the East coast and branch out to Western Southern area non-stop flights.
We lost Fortune 500 companies. If we can get more tech jobs. Build upon research and lab jobs. Focus on expanding and growing healthcare. We have rehab hospitals. We have some great places for elderly. Lot of construction lot of development. We have hospitals. Have 6 different hospital companies in the area. We have LabCorp.
I mean we need to make it for singles but also maintain keeping families here. Go to school here and end up staying.
Greensboro and the Triad has so much potential.
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