Rebrand Hornets

[Wanderlai]

No one wants to be a Bobcat either. That's the problem.

[ckad79]

The fact is, New Orleans needs to let go of the name first. Even then, does the Hornets brand just become a free-for-all for any owner who wants it?

If so, I hope Jordan snags it. Even if he isn't ready to dump millions in a name change tomorrow, it would be nice to know that he has access to the name.

Does anybody know how the purchase of the NBA squad in New Orleans is going?

[ckad79]

Bobcats are fine in the city of Charlotte. And will stick around a lot longer than the Hornets did. I dont know why you guys are so envious. Oh yes I do. The Bobs off top got 2 things done the Hornets never could

A) Get an uptown arena built thats 20 times more luxurious than The Hive. TWC Arena's location and style shits on The old coliseum that sucked so bad the city paid to blow it to kingdom come.

B Get Jordan involved in ownership. Hornets fans dreamed of MJ being involved in Charlotte but never pulled it off.

Well, I don't think it was the Bobcats who got Jordan involved as much as it was Bob Johnson. Remember, the two of them originally planned on buying the Hornets and reports showed that if they did, the city would have built the team a new downtown arena. George Shinn just never sold the team because the poor guy had nothing else to do and it was his life. Instead, he found a second other to invest in the team and eventually moved the club to New Orleans, when the city refused to give him a new arena.

Fact is, the city officials were against making an arena because they knew Shinn would benefit from it and therefore, they ignored his wises. They weren't against building an arena period, it was just the ownership.

[Carolina Husker]

You got it backwards Husker, the city didnt connect with the Hornets at all. Giving a local guy a franchise was a mistake that he and his fans blew. The NBA will never allow that much local control of a team because it leads to what ultimately happened, a failed franchise that relocates. There is no remnants of them at all locally, their stadium is gone, hell no one even wants to buy the franchise. Charlotte is fully behind the Bobcats and has been for 8 years. The only people who think the Hornets were great are whine and cheesers and people who casually follow the NBA. No one who actually lives in Charlotte city limits that "didnt give up on the NBA" when the Hornets got ran out of town thinks theyre the end all be all. Bob Johnson will be associated with saving Charlotteans financially for a long time. Dudes say the Bobs dont work, but they stay on this Bobcat board and stay at Bobcat games. Your dollars and attention help, so thank you.

Trading Kobe for Vlade is worse than any move the Bobs made.

Literally none of this is true.

[rippadonn]

Hugo/SuperHugo>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Rufus

[Proudiddy]

In the neverending debate about who wants rebranding and why, here is yet more evidence of why a rebrand is needed.

Everyone knows my stance on the issue, I'm a loyalist to our hometeams no matter what. They could be named the Charlotte Turdlickers or the Carolina Duckbutters and I would still be a fan. But, I want to make it clear that my stance on the rebranding isn't simply due to some idiotic obsession with happy childhood memories, although that certainly pops up within the reasoning.

My desire to rebrand is because our franchise has suffered from day one due to a shortsighted, ill-conceived brand with little appeal locally, nationally, and internationally.

People can say what they want about the Hornets brand, but the New Orleans Hornets brand isn't the same as the Charlotte Hornets brand. Charlotte's was an international commodity, both highly stylish and fashionable when it came to merchandise. New Orleans isn't.

I prefer the Hornets brand if it becomes available which seems to be a growing possibility. But, regardless, the team needs to rebrand to something more appealing or our franchise will not last here. Simple as that.

Anyway, here is even more evidence of why:

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/03/nc-legislature-popularity-tanks-state-wants-mlb-squad.html

North Carolinians love their NFL franchise, but they also want a Major League Baseball club in the state, to complete its hosting of teams in each of the four major professional American sports leagues. Of the three already here, 51% like the Carolina Panthers the best, with 14% going for the Carolina Hurricanes and only 5% with the Charlotte Bobcats, who are the worst team in the NBA by three games.

The Cats are even less popular with black voters (10%) than the Canes (11%). They also manage only 6% of fans even in the Charlotte metro area, where the Panthers, who also call the 704 area code home, have a 65% share of the region. The Canes are most popular in their home turf, holding the Panthers to only a 34-32 edge in the Triangle. The Canes are also more popular with younger voters. 18% of those under the age of 45 like them best, but only 9% of those over 65 do.

45% of Tar Heels want an MLB team, while 29% do not. Though the sport has suffered in popularity with African-Americans and youth in recent years, black voters (55-13) are much more desirous of having pro baseball in the state than white voters (43-32), and young voters (56-26) also favor a club more than their elders, with desire waning from 48% to 43% to 40% across the age spectrum.

The numbers speak for themselves.

[4Corners]

GP, Proudiddy. Quantitative evidence always presents logical, outstanding arguments.

However, it will probably fall on def ears with some posters here.

The Charlotte Turdlickers is now my name for the bobcats.

[4Corners]

It should be even more clear to Queen Taharaq that no one here likes the turdlickers when he is the only one defending them.

[Crixtala]

brand, brand, brand

that's the word that some people can't get through their skull

[Porn Shop Clerk]

fug the goddamn hornets and their sissy ass colors

[thatlookseasy]

Its still irrelevant until the NO Hornets change their name. Which I'm assuming would require them actually having an owner, so I dont really understand why half the posts in this forum are people obsessing over it. Not that I would mind it, but I just dont care about something that is not close to happening

[King Taharqa]

I tried to merge, but dont know if that option is allowed. But for future reference Diddy, keep all Hornets rebrand info in the Hornets rebrand thread. You can post this in there. This is a Bobcats forum, so we have a special thread for the Hornets nostalgists. And as stated above, until NO comes off the name and MJ and Bob show yall they care, this is pointless crying.

[King Taharqa]

Thank you Porn Shop Clerk. F the "I only care about the Hornets screw the NBA as a whole" people too.

[Proudiddy]

KT, this isn't about the Hornets rebrand or Hornets "people." It was specifically about rebranding the team and that there is statistical evidence that the team doesn't have many fans, even locally - where they should.

It isn't personal man. Maybe for some people it is, but not me. I want our team to succeed and thrive, not scrape by, both on the court and in marketing. This team has never been built for either. I mentioned Hornets in my thread because that's where all the debate keeps coming from, so I just made a point to address that specifically. The thread itself was purely about the weakness of the current brand.

I think it's unfair to merge that thread into this one because they aren't one in the same. I've said from day one, and even in that thread, that a rebrand is best, whether it is the Hornets or another name. But again, "Hornets" is the hot option right now to most people.

As much as it angers you, I just want to ask you a serious question about it without all the internet "I'm right, you're wrong" rhetoric that these threads digress into... What if a rebrand does happen? What if the Hornets give up the name and MJ takes it on? Where will you stand? What if it's another name entirely (although I don't see this happening as I think MJ will only consider the Hornets because of the success he mentioned it had in the past)? Will you support them?