C'mon, you know the answer to that question.
The Bobcats are dealing with to large issues:
- They are dealing with a poisoned well. The Hornets left a very bad taste in the mouths of many Charlotte fans, and the situation on how they got their stadium still resonates with the tenuous fan base. Plus,even a city has a tough time getting over its first love, and since that first love was here......
- ....the Panthers arrived. Charlotte for all its banks and businesses, only has a finite pool of money for pro sports entertainment dollars. The Panthers suck up a huge amount of that money with PSLs, standard ticket prices, and the generally more popular NFL.
- Charlotte is a transplant town. People still support their own teams from wherever they came from to a large extent. The Hornets were here not quite long enough to establish themselves as a team with generational love, and the Bobcats had to start over from scratch and at a disadvantage (see 1 and 2).
Because they have not been here for a generation and have not won, they have not created a fan base. Now I'll tell you, I was on the phone with one of the Season Ticket Account Execs on Friday, and they are really pushing people to come to the games, see that it is a great experience, and spread the word. I plan on getting at least the 12 game package next season. In this town, the 'Cats are going to need to win and show sustained excellence before the fans come around.
As for MLB, I still believe there is not a large enough base to sustain 81 home games in this city, at least not after the first year or two of novelty. You'll have to settle for the Knights for now :)
|
