Drafts past. Playoffs for other sports going on so question. Are the Carolina Hurricanes more relevant in the Carolina's now than the Hornets?

[AggieLean]

When I’m home in Winston, i don’t hear anyone speaking of the canes. I’ve probably never seen anyone wearing Canes gear, yet I see Panthers and Hornets gear all over Hanes or 4 Seasons mall.

From my eyes in the Piedmont, I just don’t see much Canes visibility 

 

[WOW!!]

Just now, AggieLean said:

When I’m home in Winston, i don’t hear anyone speaking of the canes. I’ve probably never seen anyone wearing Canes gear, yet I see Panthers and Hornets gear all over Hanes or 4 Seasons mall.

From my eyes in the Piedmont, I just don’t see much Canes visibility 

 

I see Hornets gear everywhere way more.. Outside of this state the Hornets have a more national presences.. For some reason the Triangle thinks they are the major representatives of this state.. When easily Charlotte and surrounding areas are what ppl know and come to see..

[djp14]

11 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

Yeah, I will back that up. In Raleigh, the Hurricanes are king for whatever reason.

Why wouldn't they be?

[kungfoodude]

7 minutes ago, Still Brooklyn said:

The Hornets haven't been worth anything since LJ and Zo left. And yes, the Canes are more relevant. But that is in a state where Duke and UNC basketball trumps both teams with ease and can even make a run at the Panthers. So saying the Canes are more talk than the Hornets isn't saying much at all.

Make a run at the Panthers? The Panthers have never been as big of a draw as UNC/Duke basketball. Ever. 

Hopefully in time that will not be the case but make no mistake about it, college basketball is still king in this state.

[kungfoodude]

9 minutes ago, WOW!! said:

I see Hornets gear everywhere way more.. Outside of this state the Hornets have a more national presences.. For some reason the Triangle thinks they are the major representatives of this state.. When easily Charlotte and surrounding areas are what ppl know and come to see..

I travel the country for my job(for the past 12 years or so) and I have literally never heard anyone ever mention the Hornets nor ever seen any Hornets gear outside NC/SC. I have seen Panthers gear and very rarely Hurricanes gear. Never Hornets gear. 

In fact, I have a "Charlotte" hat(old Bobcats cap with "Bobcats"/logo on the side) ballcap that I wear frequently. I get questioned all the time on what team that it is. Oddly, people seem to think that it is a Panthers cap. That's how little the Hornets are on a national radar. That is the problem with the Hornets, they haven't been relevant nationally SINCE the LJ and Zo days.

[AggieLean]

Just now, WOW!! said:

I see Hornets gear everywhere way more.. Outside of this state the Hornets have a more national presences.. For some reason the Triangle thinks they are the major representatives of this state.. When easily Charlotte and surrounding areas are what ppl know and come to see..

I honestly couldn’t name a player on the Canes, and I’ve got TONS of buddies in the same boat. I guarantee most of the state knows of Kemba Walker, and if anything, knows the GOAT MJ owns the team. Hell, with the Hornets G League team being in Greensboro, that in itself extends the Hornets presence in this state. Not to mention, even though they are not like the old uniforms, the new Hornets jerseys are pretty popular.

Anyways, I wasn’t trying to throw shade on the Canes. I hope they win, as they’ll give the state some fame, even if its for a few weeks.

[kungfoodude]

8 minutes ago, djp14 said:

Why wouldn't they be?

Yeah, I guess they are the local team. I am consistently surprised/puzzled about how little the Panthers are followed in Eastern NC. 

[kungfoodude]

2 minutes ago, AggieLean said:

I honestly couldn’t name a player on the Canes, and I’ve got TONS of buddies in the same boat. I guarantee most of the state knows of Kemba Walker, and if anything, knows the GOAT MJ owns the team. Hell, with the Hornets G League team being in Greensboro, that in itself extends the Hornets presence in this state. Not to mention, even though they are not like the old uniforms, the new Hornets jerseys are pretty popular.

 Anyways, I wasn’t trying to throw shade on the Canes. I hope they win, as they’ll give the state some fame, even if its for a few weeks.

I think you would be pretty surprised if you polled NC based "casual" sports fans how many didn't know who Kemba Walker was. The thing that most will probably know is that MJ is the owner. The Hornets are a very faded presence due to being one of the worst franchises in the NBA over the past 20 years.

[Mr. Scot]

35 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

The OG Hornets had huge fan support but that was also because we are a rabid basketball state(still are) and that was our first major professional franchise. The fact is, the Hornets/Bobcats have never even been to a conference final in 29 years of existence. The early years were great but the franchise has made just 3 playoff appearances in the last 15 seasons. That is going to sap the will out of a fanbase. Heck, in the three playoff appearances that we did make....we won a TOTAL of three games. The failure of the Hornets, and the likely continued future failure, will rest solely on it being a mismanaged franchise. It's hard to see the Hornets being relevant in the NBA in the future, although we all know that it just takes one great player to transform a franchise in the NBA.

The Hurricanes are without question the most successful professional franchise in North Carolina. Since 1997-1998 they have been to 3 conference finals and 2 Stanley cups, winning one title. And that is considering that in those 20 years(not including the lockout year or this season) they have only made the playoffs FIVE times. 15 of those 20 years we have not made the playoffs at all, including the drought of 9 straight seasons. But, even with such a drought, we are able to sell tickets for more than the New York Islanders in this second round series. The arena is arguably the loudest in the league. So, it is very clear that the Hurricanes can draw a fantastic crowd, and they received great support during our the early 2000's when we were making those deep playoff runs. Sure, we haven't been as consistent as the Panthers but at least they have won a title.

So, yes the Hurricanes are much more relevant because they have had real success. Moreso than even the Panthers. But, much like the Hurricanes, the Hornets can get a rabid following if they start winning. How many sports professional sports teams can boast that they have rabid fanbases or full stadiums/arenas with the kind of droughts that both the Hurricanes and Hornets have had? Hell....name one!

General question since I don't follow that closely...

Who would you say did more damage to the franchise between George Shinn and Bob Johnson?

[MountaineerChemist10]

The Hornets used to be the #1 team in the Carolinas but once they left for New Orleans & became the BobPussies in '02-'03, Carolina's favorite team has been a tie between the Panthers & 'Canes.

If Hornets can make a good run in the NBA, then they'll draw more fans. But right now NBA is getting owned by the Warriors, Rockets & LeBron, though LeBron kinda sucked this past season.

[ChibCU]

8 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I think you would be pretty surprised if you polled NC based "casual" sports fans how many didn't know who Kemba Walker was. The thing that most will probably know is that MJ is the owner. The Hornets are a very faded presence due to being one of the worst franchises in the NBA over the past 20 years.

Thanks to MJ. His cronyism in the early days really set the franchise back... along with head-scratching draft picks year after year. He's a significant reason why I don't follow the Hornets.

[Still Brooklyn]

18 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

Make a run at the Panthers? The Panthers have never been as big of a draw as UNC/Duke basketball. Ever. 

Hopefully in time that will not be the case but make no mistake about it, college basketball is still king in this state.

This would make for an interesting thread: What is the most popular team FROM each state? Yes, some states prefer a team across the border because they don't have a pro team ... but it'd be interesting to see what team rules each state. Here, the Yankees obviously. What about Georgia? The Braves or the Falcons? North Carolina? Is it Duke, the Heels, or the Panthers? Do the Noles or Gators rule FLA or do the Dolphins or Heat get that honor?

Perhaps I'll make the thread.

[kungfoodude]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

General question since I don't follow that closely...

Who would you say did more damage to the franchise between George Shinn and Bob Johnson?

George Shinn. Although he presided over the most successful version of the franchise, the way they left Charlotte created a lot of bad feelings towards the franchise. Bob Johnson just started the years of mismanagement that Jordan has continued. 

[kungfoodude]

2 minutes ago, ChibCU said:

Thanks to MJ. His cronyism in the early days really set the franchise back... along with head-scratching draft picks year after year. He's a significant reason why I don't follow the Hornets.

MJ isn't totally to blame. George Shinn and Robert Johnson all played their part into ruining that franchise.