Well the Durham Bulls are one of the most valuable names in sports - thanks Kevin Costner.
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It’s not just the team name, but the ball park, their performing arts center, food hall… Nearly nothing substantial gets named Raleigh it seems.
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Why is Charlotte “safe” for the Hornets and FC team?
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If it’s in Cary then shouldn’t be named after Cary? Seeing that Yankees (Contained Area of Relocated Yankees) can’t be used maybe call them the Cary Carpetbaggers. Seriously though I would be okay letting Raleigh have the win.
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I’m with you on this. If downtown Wilson can make a stadium happen, Raleigh can too even if it is downtown south. I’d like to take a train from Raleigh to Durham, spend way too much on ballpark hotdogs at Dbulls and then take a train back to Raleigh to then spend way too much on ballpark beers to see the Raleigh Rowdies (I live in a fantasy world where public transit in the triangle is plentiful and vibrant).
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Raleigh has instead cashed in on the chance to sell naming rights to corporate sponsors. It’s interesting that Durham has never taken that route for either DBAP or DPAC, although funnily enough, as of Jan. 29, 2025, the DPAC is now “presented by First Horizon.” They’re the first “presenting sponsor” in DPAC history, but that’s a much softer former of corporate branding than most cities opt for. Durham is definitely unusual in its approach to naming rights. There are costs and benefits with each choice, I suppose.
The original Charlotte Hornets played in the Charlotte Coliseum, which was owned and operated by the city of Charlotte. Conversely, the Lenovo Center was originally paid for by the state of North Carolina. He who pays the piper calls the tune. And Charlotte’s MLS team couldn’t very well have taken the name Carolina FC even if it wanted to, for obvious reasons.
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My thoughts/opinion:
- Downtown South → Mixed-use development with a MLB Stadium placeholder
- Cary Town Center → Mixed-use development with a MLS Stadium placeholder
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I Like this. They can easily put reversible lanes along Cary Town Blvd to 40 exactly the same way they did with Edwards Mill Road for Lenovo Center to/from the expressway portion of Wade Ave.
Could both MLS MLB AND a CHoNC fit at Downtown South all together?
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My dream scenario would be to relocate both central prison(someplace like Butner) & the Gov Morehead school. It’d create enough space for a residential/entertainment/MLB stadium district…the timeline would be an issue, but our kids would love it
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I completely agree that Central doesn’t need to sit on valuable land in Raleigh. It could go anywhere. I’ve always fantasized about the city having a long linear park from Pullen Rd., all the way down through the Central prison property. This would essentially connect NC State to downtown’s western side through a park. The Morehead School could stay in Raleigh and move across Western in a trade of parkland for parkland. I am not sure that I’d put a MLB stadium in that location though.
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The 'new" Central went up in the 80s? I am remembering that right? I hesistate to guess what the useful life of a prison is, since the “old” central was about 100 yrs in when they tore it down. It is doubtful we could convince the state to move the prison just cause, but when it needs major renovation or rebuilding, I suspect that will be the time to push.
A long liner park from Pullen to Dix would be pretty awesome, and would certainty change a whole stretch of downtown. That in limbo apt complex replacing Charlie Goodnights would certainly get an improved view!! It would also add to the old Raleigh motto of a park with a city in it.
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I actually think moving Central is a pipe dream. I’m not expecting it to happen in my lifetime. Heck, I don’t know if it can be expected in the next 50 years.
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But oh would it not be glorious to use that land for something besides a prison? Prime property too bad.
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If it makes you feel better, Marin County, with some of the most expensive real estate on planet earth, has the exact same problem at San Quentin. Once you put a prison somewhere convenient for all the lawyers, it gets very hard to move.
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As @svp said it would be glorious, but I have no expectations. In Miami Beach, there’s a big hospital system that’s waterfront on the bay, and you can’t even see the water from your hospital bed. All places have their head scratching decisions.
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there was an old saying…my folks went to gov morehead btw…“if its broke, its in Butner” lineberry hall on the campus i think is a national historical place building…the rest isnt though i think.
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Got to admit to loving the sound of Epic Stadium, but man does that set a high bar for bells and whistles, etc.
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As Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon pushes for a Major League Baseball franchise in Raleigh, the work to convince stakeholders that a mid-size city lacking in Fortune 500 companies can support a team becomes a critical task.
Doug Warf, the newly-installed president of the Carolina Hurricanes, said that should the region win an MLB team, it will be because of the support of corporate partners — both a challenge and an asset for an emerging franchise.
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This is a good lay of the land. Ohnesorge links to a story I’d missed when it came out in December:
It’s nice to hear Manfred say that on the record, but it’s been talked about in this discussion literally for years. (That first quote is from 2019.)
Manfred’s quote seems to leave out the Central Time Zone, and Ohnesorge notes that Nashville is in the Central, but I’m quite sure that a team in the Pacific/Mountain and one in the Central would be fine, too.
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