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CHARLOTTE
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A SPORTS MECCA
What events led to the development of present-day Charlotte, North Carolina? First a gold rush, a boomtown bank town, and—did you know, a sports mecca, still gathering momentum? Bank of America Stadium, home to the Superbowl veteran Carolina Panthers is literally built on top of a long-silent gold mine. Here you will find the story of Charlotte’s first bonanza—pure gold, and it’s most recent one—sports mania. Charlotte, the glistening metropolis of modern day, sprang from the dusty trails of an indian crossroads—Trade and Tryon streets. In the pioneer days, Charlottetown first blossomed with a fast, furious and short-lived gold rush of 1849.
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he region gained notice from the North and South for it’s mild climate, proximity to beaches and mountains, and beautiful treelines atop rolling pastures of green grass. A boosterish, progressive set of local leaders also became an impetus for solid, consistent growth. And as modern sports and broadcasting came along, Charlotte eagerly embraced the newfound benefits that a good team and a loyal fanbase can provide to any locale. In the early days of ACC basketball, Charlotte-based Raycom sports broadcast Tarheel, Wolfpack and Blue Devil competitions around the globe. And a fledgling, Charlotte-based bank NCNB rolled out a campaign “ We want to be the best bank in the neighborhood”. And the world listened. NCNB became Nationsbank, and eventually Bank of America. And just down the street (Tryon street to be exact) First Union and Wachovia grew and grew, and eventually formed Wachovia National Bank—the 3rd largest bank in the world. Through acquisitions and the leadership of a former Marine named Hugh McColl, Bank of America had become the world’s second largest bank. So here you can see how the “Never mix business with pleas-
ure” statement just doesn’t hold up. The banks, the politicians, the residents—most of them fans of sports or at least their potential to drive local economy—decided that the good citizens of Charlotte could mix work and play. Here’s a brief snapsot of sports and their impact on the city that works hard, and plays hard. Basketball
College basketball has long had a grip on all of us here in the South. Grown men (and women) are
driven to fits of ecstasy and despair while watching the ACC or NCAA tournaments. Charlotte’s first foray into NBA basketball reached similar heights of enthusiasm when the expansion team beat the Boston Celtics in an early playoff series amidst setting league records for attendance in it’s early years. Charlotteans are by-nature patriotic, joiners and competitors. We fell in love with Muggsy Bogues, Alonzo Mourning, Dale Curry and Larry Johnson. Alas, love is a fleeting thing. Big money,
a rogue owner and a national spotlight ultimately proved to be the undoing of this spectacular, adrenaline-triggering professional sports juggernaut. But it gave us all our first taste of blood, and set the course for the Queen City for years to come. Stock Car Racing
It’s hard to say that the biggest draw in Charlotte sports now, and well into the future is not NASCAR™. In fact, the numbers clearly demonstrate that for two separate weeks each year, there is nothing else that even comes close. In May and October of each year, upwards of 125,000 fans converge just North of Charlotte at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for events that are unparalleled in fanfare, media coverage and life-and-death moments. While the cars are faster than ever, the fanbase growing faster than ever, it has not always been so. The original Charlotte race track—located in neighboring Pineville, was constructed of wood, and burned to the ground. Years later Bruton Smith and H.A. “Humpy Wheeler” found themselves running a whole new ball game, with sponsors and heroic drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. Through numerous trials and
ABOVE LEFT Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson at Wachovia Championship 2006. ABOVE Charlotteans Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. visit NYC.
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tribulations, the track garned races such as the Winston (now Nextel Cup) race, and became the home track of many of America’s most successful and famous race teams, including Hendrick Motorsports, and (). Now, hundreds of events are held each year at LMS, including the Food Lion AutoFair, one of the largest car shows on the planet. The Nextel Cup in May and the CocaCola 600 in October are fan and driver favorites. Recent renovations of the track have added excitement and there’s much, much more to come with the unveiling of the NASCAR™ Hall of Fame in uptown Charlotte in 2008. If you want all the NASCAR™ you can handle, point yourself North on I77 and visit Mooresville, Race City USA™ where you’ll find speed
shops, museums, and with any luck run into your favorite NASCAR™ driver. B a s e b a l l
One of the oldest pro sports initiatives in Charlotte is now the only pro sports piece of the puzzle missing. The quaint yet high-priced neighborhood of Dilworth was once home to Crockett Park, home of the Charlotte Orioles, farm team for the then A-list Baltimore Orioles. Years later, after destruction of the park and auctioning of lots for new home development in it’s stead, a new, upbeat and enthusiastic baseball operation sprang up in nearby Rock Hill. The Charlotte Knights have enjoyed consistent operations, fan support and occasional bursts of dominance in the
triple-A division. At this moment, various groups are strategizing to bring the Knights, and ultimately Major League Baseball to uptown Charlotte. Although uptown land is rapidly disappearing, if the past is any indication of future pro sports adoption by the city’s developers, leaders and fans, you can count on eating a hot-dog mid-day and pretending to cheer on the stylishlygarbed Charlotte team in a state-ofthe-art stadium against the Braves. Football
One Super Bowl appearance and multiple play-off appearances by the current Carolina Panthers outfit, and early underdog wins against the Aikman-Smith-Irvin Cowboys have shocked the world and endeared the citizens of Charlotte. Football, a
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more expensive proposition for both Universities and pro ownership alike, took awhile to get a foothold in the Carolinas. But that’s not for a lack of effort, or team success. The original Charlotte Hornets was a rag-tag, hard-hitting gang of collegiate castaways and injured pros who wound up selling their uniforms in lieu of salaries promised. But interest was high, and lessons were learned. Another decade, another team, same venue—The Charlotte Barons donned pads and in spite of winning seasons, a spotty attendance, poor and under-financed management and inconsistent competition fell prey to the same fate that the XFL would experience a decade later. Football it seems, requires more than a fan-base and money. It requires a fan-base, lots and then
lots more—money, professional management, quick and often painful decision-making, luck and chemistry. The latter is perhaps the element which creates the drama, the heroism, and the very feverpitch experience that drives the game of football and the NFL to it’s now unparalleled heights of interest and profitability. The Carolina Panthers organization promises a lifetime of On the horizon: a college team for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Golf
Wealth, a booming real estate market and a culture of sports fanatics points directly to the landscape of golf course communities you now find encompassing Charlotte and the surrounding areas. After success as a conduit to bring the Final Four to Charlotte, Luquire, George, Andrews—a local advertising and PR agency paired with Johnny Harris and friends (owners of Quail Hollow Country Club and Golf Course) to land a stop on the PGA Tour. In keeping with tradition at the club, they presented a world-class event the first year, and have ever-since been heralded as the model for all PGA events. Once again, Charlotte movers and shakers spared no expense, rallied regional enthusiasm, and applied genuine southern hospitality—resulting in another win with professional sports, done right. Hockey
The Carolina Hurricanes
have literally taken the NHL, and the world, by storm. The Stanley Cup—held firmly in the grasp of the South—seemed outlandish merely a decade ago. Yet the enthusiasm and longevity of the Charlotte Checkers franchise and the transient population of the East Coast produced an environment that caught the attention of investors in Raleigh, NC
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and Charlotte. And in short order, you have the World Champion Carolina Hurricanes. Wrestling,
Crockett (remember Crockett Park above?) was responsible for the broadcasting of one of the first televised sensations of the sports world—World Championship Wrestling. You may not remember Tony Atlas (also Mr. Universe several times), Tiger Conway, Two-Ton, The Sheik, Jimmy Snuka, and dozens of others who blazed the trail for Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Stone Cold and The Undertaker, but native Charlotteans watched them develop the format currently dubbed sports entertainment each weekend at local studios. They borrowed from Muhammed Ali and others, but to be sure, they were the true pioneers of modern professional wrestling. Gene Anderson, one half of the Minnesota wrecking crew, moved to Charlotte, and along with a handful of others, catapulted Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Arn Anderson, The Four Horsemen, The Warlords, Magnum T.A., Lex Luger, and dozens of others to
national fame. As a native Charlottean with proximity to this anomaly behind-the-scenes, onstage, and in the aftermath, I can confirm that while this sport is frequently script-
tered garb that is part-and-parcel of this unique spectacle of the sports world.
ed, it’s participants are exceptional athletes and risk life-and-limb each time they don the tight, often-glit-
So you’re in Charlotte, it’s Summer, how can you be a part of the sports pandemonium?
Boxing
Did you know that Lowe’s Motor Speedway President H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler is a former golden-gloves champion? That may explain why you’ll see his face at Fight Night in Charlotte each and every time. Over the years, Charlotte has produced many events, drawing well-known names of the boxing world. But recently Calvin Brocke, a native Charlottean, topped all previous representations with his sixround challenge of Vladmir Klitschko at Madison Square Garden. A nervous start begat a slugfest and despite a sixth round TKO by Klitschko ultimately yielded an after-fight statement by Klitcshko to HBO’s Larry Merchant as follows: “Calvin is a champion. He hits hard. He is the best fighter in the heavyweight division (besides myself)”. Hopes are high that Calvin will return to challenge for a belt, and enthusiasm for boxing in Charlotte remains on the rise. Smart money says that a championship bout will be held in the infield of Lowe’s Motor Speedway. SPORTS IN JUNE