Mecklenburg County BOC approves new MLS Stadium/CCC Fugs it up/1/30-bid still ON despite CCC

[Ja Rhule]

1 minute ago, blackcat said:

Very true, but I still can't blame Clt for not wanting to do business with him.  They'd be naive to think to think he wouldn't try the same tricks down the road in the big city.

Charlotte is not concord.  MLS is immaterial to Charlotte.  We are financial center... banks are out cash cows.

[Nails]

Just now, blackcat said:

Very true, but I still can't blame Clt for not wanting to do business with him.  They'd be naive to think to think he wouldn't try the same tricks down the road in the big city.

Then CLT won't have the most popular game in the world and other cities who also have investors willing to pay the $150 expansion fee will leave us in the dust.

[Still Brooklyn]

Just because a city has Hispanics doesn't mean MLS can be supported, lol. Miami used to have a team and it fell apart. Now they're trying again. Orlando is having decent success. Atlanta is about to try (but they can't even keep NHL). I think Charlotte would have one of the lowest attendance avg in MLS if they ever got a team.

Austin needs pro sports, San Antonio needs more than the Spurs, heck ... Indianapolis would support soccer better.

Putting MLS in the Triangle makes much more sense.

[Nails]

14 minutes ago, Still Brooklyn said:

Just because a city has Hispanics doesn't mean MLS can be supported, lol. Miami used to have a team and it fell apart. Now they're trying again. Orlando is having decent success. Atlanta is about to try (but they can't even keep NHL). I think Charlotte would have one of the lowest attendance avg in MLS if they ever got a team.

Austin needs pro sports, San Antonio needs more than the Spurs, heck ... Indianapolis would support soccer better.

Putting MLS in the Triangle makes much more sense.

Crowds would be huge.  CLT has no beach, good parks system, or MLB team for summer entertainment.  CLT used to be a city on the rise, but after choosing minor league baseball and stiff arming MLS, not anymore.  Those are small time moves.

Indianapolis and Austin weren't even in the 10 cities listed by MLS, but unfortunately right now after the CCC chopped its own d*ck off even they appear more likely to have a team than CLT.

The Triangle may get the team now.  But they shouldn't.  CLT has more people, is in the middle of the Carolinas to draw from both, had a bigger $$$ man in Smith, also has a huge soccer culture, has drawn impressive crowds at BOA for international/friendly matches, has a far more accessible international airport with many more flights, etc.

[KittyLover]

I hope those calling names and speaking down to those that don't share their opinion are tax paying meckenburg citizens. I think everyone agrees it would be great to have another national team sport in the city but someone has to foot the bill. Maybe Bruton should consider a PSL based system so people can put their money where there mouths are.   

 

[blackcat]

Btw, Trump is going to send 75% of the soccer fans packing.....

[Nails]

1 hour ago, KittyLover said:

I hope those calling names and speaking down to those that don't share their opinion are tax paying meckenburg citizens. I think everyone agrees it would be great to have another national team sport in the city but someone has to foot the bill. Maybe Bruton should consider a PSL based system so people can put their money where there mouths are.   

 

I think people need to read and see how much the Smiths are already investing.  Someone does have to fit the bill but public/private partnerships are how things work in major sports in 2017, and $43 million is a drop in the bucket.  That amount would be recouped many times over in motel taxes and visitors from outside of Mecklenburg County coming on 17 days/nights a year.  The city fitted a far bigger bill (rightfully so) for NFL and NBA, and (stupidly) for minor league baseball.  Many in the Carolinas prefer college football or basketball to the NFL and NBA and there are numerous minor league baseball options.  There is no soccer option however, guaranteeing success in a soccer crazed Carolinas, and the CCC's lack of insight (not just from a $$$ but from a prestige/pride/entertainment standpoint) is mind numbing.

[ENC Pantherfan]

Crowds would be huge.  CLT has no beach, good parks system, or MLB team for summer entertainment.  CLT used to be a city on the rise, but after choosing minor league baseball and stiff arming MLS, not anymore.  Those are small time moves.

Indianapolis and Austin weren't even in the 10 cities listed by MLS, but unfortunately right now after the CCC chopped its own d*ck off even they appear more likely to have a team than CLT.

The Triangle may get the team now.  But they shouldn't.  CLT has more people, is in the middle of the Carolinas to draw from both, had a bigger $$$ man in Smith, also has a huge soccer culture, has drawn impressive crowds at BOA for international/friendly matches, has a far more accessible international airport with many more flights, etc.

If you look at the CSA of both the Triangle and Charlotte then you will know that both areas have about the same amount of people and the Triangle is growing at a higher rate. I agree that Raleigh would be better suited with a MLS team. I know Cary already has a big soccer Plex so that will help.

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[TheMostInterestingMan]

9 hours ago, Lemory said:

Does Charlotte really need a MLS team? Would it even be supported? 

I would be a season ticket holder...

[Ja Rhule]

2 hours ago, TheMostInterestingMan said:

I would be a season ticket holder...

So will I 

[NewFootballFan]

Same here. Fan of the league since '96 and was a long-time season ticket holder for Metro/RBNY.

A couple folks in this thread are assuming that MLS is heavily dependent on Hispanic support. It certainly is more than any big four league, but Hispanic fans are about 30℅ of the fanbase (and outside of Texas and California, closer to 20℅). I base that on both statistics and years of personal observation. (Most Hispanic soccer fans turn their noses up at MLS, honestly, though it's getting more respect these days. Liga MX, the Mexican league, is rightly seen as better.)

For anyone wondering about the attendance prospects, I would note that Atlanta United, who begin play next year, have already sold 22,000 season tickets. They've got another 9,000 deposits to work through as well, and MLS deposits tend to convert at a rate over 100℅ (i.e. people buy a larger # of seats per account than originally planned)...though that may be affected by stadium delays.

Just a note on Miami: the team was actually reasonably well supported by the standard of the time. 2001 was the year the league nearly collapsed, and Miami had a severely undercapitalized owner - a borderline fraud - which is why they ended up getting the axe.

All that said, MLS will want no part of Bruton Smith. The league will look far more favorably on the NCFC bid, no doubt.


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[NewFootballFan]

To elaborate on the Hispanic support thing, there's always been a bit of a divide. Back in the older days, Mexicans specifically wanted nothing to do with the league, which they saw as a joke. They preferred, and still prefer, LigaMX - in fairness, both then and now a superior league.

Hispanic support came mostly from Salvadorans and Guatemalans. Their domestic leagues are inferior, and they tend to see Mexicans as a bunch of snotty assholes anyway. The presence of great players from those countries, like Mauricio Cienfuegos and Carlos Ruiz, didn't hurt either. In NYC/NJ, there was also a decent contingent of Colombian fans.

Things have changed a lot since those days.

I remember playing in an adult rec league back in the early 2000s. League was mostly Hispanic, and Mexican at that - I was the only white guy on my team. I got SO, SO, SO much stick for being an MLS fan. Every time I screwed something up, they would yell "EMMAY ELLAY ESSAY!" ("MLS") and laugh. They gave each other a lot of sh*t too, but it sure did piss me off.

On the other hand, last year I played in a workplace rec league that also had a lot of Mexican guys. And you know what? They talked about MLS with respect, like it was just another league. They were excited about Atlanta United. Made me happy...

Sorry for the irrelevant wall of text... had to reminisce there.


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[NewFootballFan]

And I was using old numbers for Atlanta. They're already at 27,000.

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[Nails]

1 hour ago, NewFootballFan said:

Same here. Fan of the league since '96 and was a long-time season ticket holder for Metro/RBNY.

A couple folks in this thread are assuming that MLS is heavily dependent on Hispanic support. It certainly is more than any big four league, but Hispanic fans are about 30℅ of the fanbase (and outside of Texas and California, closer to 20℅). I base that on both statistics and years of personal observation. (Most Hispanic soccer fans turn their noses up at MLS, honestly, though it's getting more respect these days. Liga MX, the Mexican league, is rightly seen as better.)

For anyone wondering about the attendance prospects, I would note that Atlanta United, who begin play next year, have already sold 22,000 season tickets. They've got another 9,000 deposits to work through as well, and MLS deposits tend to convert at a rate over 100℅ (i.e. people buy a larger # of seats per account than originally planned)...though that may be affected by stadium delays.

Just a note on Miami: the team was actually reasonably well supported by the standard of the time. 2001 was the year the league nearly collapsed, and Miami had a severely undercapitalized owner - a borderline fraud - which is why they ended up getting the axe.

All that said, MLS will want no part of Bruton Smith. The league will look far more favorably on the NCFC bid, no doubt.


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Money talks, bull$hit walks.  The league looking far more favorable on the NCFC bid?  Maybe NOW because the CCC are fools, but even those in the Triangle knew that was an incorrect statement before.  ANY website or outlet listing the candidate cities had NCFC trailing the CLT bid.  Even Triangle ones (ex. NCFC gets a "boost").

People also acting as if the Smith's are the only family with money AND enemies/haters in the MLS bidding process or life in general are laughably wrong.