spectre
04-12-2010, 12:46 PM
NBA Fanhouse (http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/04/12/bobcats-winning-games-and-fans-in-charlotte/)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's got to be the shoes.
Well, that is one reason the NBA (http://nba.fanhouse.com/) is looking better these days in Charlotte (http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/teams/charlotte-49ers/schedule).
Since Michael Jordan last month was officially approved as owner of the Bobcats (http://nba.fanhouse.com/team/bobcats), he's been on a mission to upgrade the Bobcats in many ways. And that includes game operations.
So at a recent game at Time Warner Cable Arena, two fans were selected to come onto the court to see how many free throws each could make in 30 seconds. The winner and the victor's entire row would win a pair of Air Jordans.
That's right, the entire row. At each game now the Bobcats allow for up to 20 pairs of shoes to go to a winning row, and then they're mailed out. At $170 a pair, that's $3,400 if the row is full.
"I'm sure he can afford to give a few pairs away,'' Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins quipped about Jordan.
~snip~
The fans are slowly returning to NBA games in Charlotte, but consistency is still sought. The Bobcats in late March have three home games out of four drawing less than 15,000, but they've followed that with three straight April crowds in excess of 18,000.
"I think the energy in terms of the city is starting to get that feverish pitch as everybody is looking forward to the playoffs right around the corner,'' said Higgins, who often played against the Hornets in Charlotte during a 13-year NBA career that ended in 1995. "Michael has talked about those goals for us to create that buzz they had with the Hornets here. It's been proven (Charlotte can draw fans). So that's our goal to try to put as many fans in this building as we possibly can and playing a winning brand of basketball.''
Of course, while "buzz'' is an appropriate term for the Hornets, perhaps the Bobcats are looking for a growl about town. Regardless of the terminology, Felton, who is a free agent this summer but says he wants to re-sign with Charlotte, is pretty excited about the future.
"We're trying to gain that respect around the league that we can be one of the elite teams in the league and in the East,'' said Felton, who arrived in Charlotte for the Bobcats' second season of 2005-06. "The fans have gotten better. It was a bitter taste when the Hornets left but it was a thing that happened. But the fans have gotten better each year I have been here.''
The Bobcats are doing enough to get Harris to drive to some games from Raleigh, two hours up the road. Harris used to attend Hornets games.
"North Carolina is much more excited now about having an NBA franchise,'' Harris said. "It's reminiscent of the Hornets.''
And this comes from a guy who lost the contest to win Air Jordans. Imagine how excited he would have been had he and his row won shoes.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's got to be the shoes.
Well, that is one reason the NBA (http://nba.fanhouse.com/) is looking better these days in Charlotte (http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/teams/charlotte-49ers/schedule).
Since Michael Jordan last month was officially approved as owner of the Bobcats (http://nba.fanhouse.com/team/bobcats), he's been on a mission to upgrade the Bobcats in many ways. And that includes game operations.
So at a recent game at Time Warner Cable Arena, two fans were selected to come onto the court to see how many free throws each could make in 30 seconds. The winner and the victor's entire row would win a pair of Air Jordans.
That's right, the entire row. At each game now the Bobcats allow for up to 20 pairs of shoes to go to a winning row, and then they're mailed out. At $170 a pair, that's $3,400 if the row is full.
"I'm sure he can afford to give a few pairs away,'' Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins quipped about Jordan.
~snip~
The fans are slowly returning to NBA games in Charlotte, but consistency is still sought. The Bobcats in late March have three home games out of four drawing less than 15,000, but they've followed that with three straight April crowds in excess of 18,000.
"I think the energy in terms of the city is starting to get that feverish pitch as everybody is looking forward to the playoffs right around the corner,'' said Higgins, who often played against the Hornets in Charlotte during a 13-year NBA career that ended in 1995. "Michael has talked about those goals for us to create that buzz they had with the Hornets here. It's been proven (Charlotte can draw fans). So that's our goal to try to put as many fans in this building as we possibly can and playing a winning brand of basketball.''
Of course, while "buzz'' is an appropriate term for the Hornets, perhaps the Bobcats are looking for a growl about town. Regardless of the terminology, Felton, who is a free agent this summer but says he wants to re-sign with Charlotte, is pretty excited about the future.
"We're trying to gain that respect around the league that we can be one of the elite teams in the league and in the East,'' said Felton, who arrived in Charlotte for the Bobcats' second season of 2005-06. "The fans have gotten better. It was a bitter taste when the Hornets left but it was a thing that happened. But the fans have gotten better each year I have been here.''
The Bobcats are doing enough to get Harris to drive to some games from Raleigh, two hours up the road. Harris used to attend Hornets games.
"North Carolina is much more excited now about having an NBA franchise,'' Harris said. "It's reminiscent of the Hornets.''
And this comes from a guy who lost the contest to win Air Jordans. Imagine how excited he would have been had he and his row won shoes.