If this solid season keeps up...

[BobCatsFanInTx]

and the Bobcats don't get better participation from North Carolinians can you all reasonably expect the Bobcats to remain in Charlotte much longer? I mean the TWC arena looked like a Ghost Town the last few home games I watched. That is unacceptable and really needs to change. What I am saying is Hypothetical and is not meant to cause people to become defensive. It is just an honest question.

More questions. Can North Carolinians support a team that is not a Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Magic and Cavaliers type team? If they can't should the team remain where it currently is? When will people get past being burned by George Shinn? If they can't then why the hell is Charlotte home to another NBA team?

The Bobcats started slow as I predicted they would but they are coming on strong as of late and are in the thick of the Eastern Conference Playoff Race and deserve some participation for what they are doing. They are winning at home and doing it without large raucous crowds behind them. Should it not get to the point where the state is behind their Bobcats?

Your state is supposed to be a Basketball state but looking at the crowds at Bobcats games one would never guess as much.

On a side note. Where the F**k is his Airness Michael Jordan? For somebody who seems to care about North Carolina and has a vested interest you would think the man would use his popularity to drum up support. What a joke!!!

[DCAWFAN]

just give the fans time the bobcats are starting to turn around and the fans will start coming. Their is no publicity throughout the area but we make the playoffs the fans will see that the team is decent. And MJ actually is showing up to the games.... Alot of them at least.

[ND22]

There's still a bad tastes in my fan's mouths from the Hornets depature. When the Bobcats make the playoffs I think you'll see support rise a lot. The rest of the league is starting to notice this team though, just look at ESPN, I'm pretty sure we've gotten more coverage this season than the last 5 combined. What would add much more interest to this team is if a superstar came to Charlotte. Realistically this isn't happening, and while all of us are in love with Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson, they just don't sell the same amount of tickets that Lebron or Kobe would. Still, if things continue they way they are more and more people are going to notice and eventually this state will start embracing this team.

[BobCatsFanInTx]

just give the fans time the bobcats are starting to turn around and the fans will start coming. Their is no publicity throughout the area but we make the playoffs the fans will see that the team is decent. And MJ actually is showing up to the games.... Alot of them at least.It would be nice if the media would show MJ at times.

What I can't understand is how the attendance is going drastically down in recent weeks. Now that the team is doing well you would think that word of mouth would increase fan participation. I still find it a disgrace that at this point in the season more people are not involved and that the marketing is so poor. That is indeed sad.

[DCAWFAN]

It would be nice if the media would show MJ at times.

What I can't understand is how the attendance is going drastically down in recent weeks. Now that the team is doing well you would think that word of mouth would increase fan participation. I still find it a disgrace that at this point in the season more people are not involved and that the marketing is so poor. That is indeed sad.
its not they just had a awful attedance game last night it dropped nearly 200 in average from 14.9k to 14.7k yesterdayds game had just oveer 11k but for examples saturdays game vs memphis had an attedance recorded of 15k.

[Mustachio]

The Bobcats aren't going anywhere. The state the whole NBA is in right now, the Bobcats are doing pretty good. Nobody sells out every home game outside of Boston (recently) and LA. and they have populations 8 times what Charlotte has. 12k fans showed up on a 20 degree night to see a Houston Rocket team touting such international stars as Chase Budinger and Kyle Lowery. The NBA as a whole doesnt have the draw it did when the Hornets did great w/ attendance. Its not gonna be like that anymore.

and Jordan doesnt want to be on camera. even if hes at a game, you wont see him. and because it has absolutely nothing to do with anything, i have no problem with his wish to remain off camera.

In my ever so humble opinion, If there is a pro basketball fan in the state of North Carolina, the Bobcats have their attention and attendance. Thats as good as you can ask for really.

[LiquidWayno]

If we win, they will come. We started selling tickets really well in the playoff push last year - NC has many fairweather fans, they really come out when teams do well (Hurricanes anyone?).

"If we build it, they will come" - at least thats what I think

[SWedd523]

They aren't able to go anywhere unless they buy out of their contract, which is damn near impossible in this economic climate. They won't be going anywhere for awhile.

[TheBeagle]

and the Bobcats don't get better participation from North Carolinians can you all reasonably expect the Bobcats to remain in Charlotte much longer? I mean the TWC arena looked like a Ghost Town the last few home games I watched. That is unacceptable and really needs to change. What I am saying is Hypothetical and is not meant to cause people to become defensive. It is just an honest question.

More questions. Can North Carolinians support a team that is not a Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Magic and Cavaliers type team? If they can't should the team remain where it currently is? When will people get past being burned by George Shinn? If they can't then why the hell is Charlotte home to another NBA team?

The Bobcats started slow as I predicted they would but they are coming on strong as of late and are in the thick of the Eastern Conference Playoff Race and deserve some participation for what they are doing. They are winning at home and doing it without large raucous crowds behind them. Should it not get to the point where the state is behind their Bobcats?

Your state is supposed to be a Basketball state but looking at the crowds at Bobcats games one would never guess as much.

On a side note. Where the F**k is his Airness Michael Jordan? For somebody who seems to care about North Carolina and has a vested interest you would think the man would use his popularity to drum up support. What a joke!!! Mustachio answered your first question as good as can be answered.

I honestly don't know what it'll take to fill the arena up on a regular basis. I think the general Charlotte-area fan needs a star to come see, and I think if we were to get homestate son Chris Paul to sign here in a couple years when he is UFA, that would be huge. I mean, hell, he gets like 2K tickets for friends, family and such each time the Hornets come to town all by himself. Plus, getting Chris would take the team to another level. How high that level is depends on who else is on the roster at the time, but still, that would be a huge PR/attendance upgrade move. Without a star, I think consistent winning and playoff trips are needed to get a long-term, packed-arena fanbase, not just a single playoffs. I might be nuts in this case, but I'm really skeptical that we'd even sell out a playoff game. I just don't trust the average Charlotte-area fan...they're just too damn bandwagony. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out as the season progresses, and like you say, especially if the solid play by our Cats continues.....but no, like Mustachio says, I'm not worried about the Cats leaving anytime in the future.

As far as "large raucous crowds", yeah, when it's not time for the Lowes T-shirt tosses, the general fan does tend to sit on his hands through the first 3 quarters, but it gets pretty raucous throughout the 4th. The Rockets game was definitely "ghost town", but those of us still made a nice racket during the Jack show and everyone was standing from the 4 minute mark on. But yeah, no doubt, our Cats deserve a better showing than they got last night....that was disappointing and I'm not even a fan of packed houses for various reasons.

As for MJ, he was at the Memphis game Saturday giving GW a hug after "the tip". To be honest though, his job is to make this team a winner, not show up at each game and draw attention away from the guys on the court. I'm sure Larry would like for him to show up a little more often, but MJ's done his job just fine this year as far as I'm concerned, thanks to his acquisition of Jack.

[millst2]

Well personally I think the Front Office personel in charge of Marketing all need to be fired. They do not know wtf they are doing. I have been to a ton of games and we draw crowds when the championship contenders come to town but, We want get sellouts anytime soon until we work out some sort of deal to get people the chance anywhere in the carolinas to watch them on TV. Not having the cats in every households TV does shit for branding, most people do not even know who the hell is on the Cats. Now if they could get a better TV deal more people would be apt to watch, then get cheering for them, then they would be more likely to fork over cash for tickets.

It doesn't matter that out of the last 10 games we have the second best record in the East. It doesn't matter Crash and Jax are kicking ass. What matters is that the people who are basketball fans might feel snubbed that because they live outside the charlotte metro area they can't see them on TV, so why should they in their minds support a team in charlotte by buying tickets, concessions, jerseys etc, when they don't get to share in the wins and losses unless they drive an hour + to go watch it live.

Get the cats available on everyone's tv then more people will come. With this shitty television deal and blackouts on nba league pass and others, they aren't going to build a solid brand regardless.

[rsxnova]

I would be worried about attendence if our economy wasnt in the shitter.

[spectre]

Apologies to Tex for going slightly OT, but if we make the playoffs we lose our 1st overall and our 2nd has been farmed out as well I think. According to ESPN however we do have a 2nd:


(The Nets still own their own first-round pick, but their second-rounder -- likely No. 31 overall -- was traded away to Seattle long ago for Mikki Moore, and Charlotte now holds the rights to that pick.)31st is a damn good pick. The salary is unguaranteed so you can take a chance if you so desire.

Soooo...if our solid season holds up we still have a pick.

[teej]

Doesn't it cost like 100 million for the team to vacate the arena? As long as Johnson's the owner, I have no worries about moving. Last year during the late season surge, 4 of the last 5 home games were sold out. Not too shabby.

But I totally agree with firing the marketing team. They're horrible. I've never seen a Bobcats ad outside of downtown Charlotte. Seriously? Do any of these jackasses have a clue on how to build a fanbase? It's like they never worked in marketing before. Jeez. We all could do a better job.

And MJ's doing just fine, how many other GM/Presidents are at many games?

[ItsAmazingImTheReason]

If the economy picks up some, and the winning continues, I think you'll see a big difference in a couple of months. It takes winning to create a fanbase, especially after you've been burned one time in the not-so-distant past.

If the Bobcats are still battling for the playoffs near the end of the season, I think you'll begin seeing sellouts and if the Cats do, in fact, make the postseason...I believe the home games will create an atmosphere not seen since the earlier Hornet days.

[Scottley Crue]

If the economy picks up some, and the winning continues, I think you'll see a big difference in a couple of months. It takes winning to create a fanbase, especially after you've been burned one time in the not-so-distant past.

If the Bobcats are still battling for the playoffs near the end of the season, I think you'll begin seeing sellouts and if the Cats do, in fact, make the postseason...I believe the home games will create an atmosphere not seen since the earlier Hornet days.
I agree. Think of Atlanta recently. In the regular season they had attendance issues, but once playoff time came, that place was full and loud. I don't doubt that the same will happen here.

[kickazzz2000]

Atlanta is a good example. ATL and CLT are very similar in their bandwagonnyness.

[Felton for Prez]

You really need to break the attendance into two camps; weekday games and weekend games. I don't have numbers to back this up, just my own observations from being there. Weekday games (particularly M-W) are just not do-able for a lot of people around here and getting here from Greensboro or other areas by 7 would require people to leave work early. I really think they need to start games at 730 and the attendance would be a little better. I believe this to be true for most NBA teams.

Weekend games are generally well attended. Sell outs? No...but a good crowd, albeit late arriving. As just about everyone else has said, if you win, they will come. This weekend will be an interesting case study. It should be crowded, if not packed both nights given the weekend, the winning streak and the opposition.

[teej]

^and that G2 deal, 2 games for $20.

[Felton for Prez]

On a related note, a buddy of mine can't find lower bowl tix anywhere for tomorrow's game.

[teej]

On a related note, a buddy of mine can't find lower bowl tix anywhere for tomorrow's game.

Good news for the 'Cats. Tell him to find the scalpers though, they'll probably have plenty

[onajourney]

Well personally I think the Front Office personel in charge of Marketing all need to be fired. They do not know wtf they are doing. I have been to a ton of games and we draw crowds when the championship contenders come to town but, We want get sellouts anytime soon until we work out some sort of deal to get people the chance anywhere in the carolinas to watch them on TV. Not having the cats in every households TV does shit for branding, most people do not even know who the hell is on the Cats. Now if they could get a better TV deal more people would be apt to watch, then get cheering for them, then they would be more likely to fork over cash for tickets.

It doesn't matter that out of the last 10 games we have the second best record in the East. It doesn't matter Crash and Jax are kicking ass. What matters is that the people who are basketball fans might feel snubbed that because they live outside the charlotte metro area they can't see them on TV, so why should they in their minds support a team in charlotte by buying tickets, concessions, jerseys etc, when they don't get to share in the wins and losses unless they drive an hour + to go watch it live.

Get the cats available on everyone's tv then more people will come. With this shitty television deal and blackouts on nba league pass and others, they aren't going to build a solid brand regardless.

I think you're on the money with the complaints about a lack of TV coverage. The fact that cities like Greenville, Columbia and Charleston in SC (the three largest metros) cannot get Bobcats home games keeps them from gaining a foothold like the Panthers have. In fact, Charleston is still designated as a Hawks city.

You need the local TV coverage on FSN and SportSouth for a genuine buzz to develop. How can we expect basketball fans, kids, etc. to jump on the bandwagon when it's impossible for them to follow the team on TV?

[kickazzz2000]

In fact, Charleston is still designated as a Hawks city.

You need the local TV coverage on FSN and SportSouth for a genuine buzz to develop. How can we expect basketball fans, kids, etc. to jump on the bandwagon when it's impossible for them to follow the team on TV?

Which is sad, because when I was a kid, I remember being at my cousins house in KNOXVILLE, TN and watching Steve Martin and Gil MacGregor on Hornets telecasts on the local fox affiliate.

Fast foward to the Hornets final year, and I remember bangin my gf in a hotel room in Charleston while a Hornets game was on local tv.

What sort of future do we as a society have if one cannot bang his gf in Charleston, SC while a Bobcats game is on?

[TheBeagle]

Which is sad, because when I was a kid, I remember being at my cousins house in KNOXVILLE, TN and watching Steve Martin and Gil MacGregor on Hornets telecasts on the local fox affiliate.

Fast foward to the Hornets final year, and I remember bangin my gf in a hotel room while a Hornets game was on local tv.

What sort of future do we as a society have if one cannot bang his gf in Charleston, SC while a Bobcats game is on? Solid fucking gold, my man! +1

[spectre]

Solid fucking gold, my man! +1

2 times that! Dedication right there! :p

[Felton for Prez]

This game tonight is going to be a really telling sign for me. There is actually love being thrown towards this team (even Sorenson got in the action) and I've had at least 6 people ask me about tickets (that's 6 more than has EVER asked me about tickets). I really hope they show up tonight and don't let this one get out of hand early.

I hope I'm wrong to be as nervous as I am.

[kickazzz2000]

2 times that! Dedication right there! :p

Man, that chick was a freak. :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: