The hostility probably derives from the fact that Raleigh had its chance to make this happen and blew it by not taking action. Now, this “blew it” can be defined in many ways and fingers can be pointed at various people/entities, but the fact remains that Raleigh started the MLS conversation in NC and had the strongest start with the most enthusiastic soccer community in the state. To see Charlotte throw a billionaire at it and suck the energy from Raleigh in an instant is maddening.
I can also make an argument that Charlotte only wanted the MLS because Raleigh wanted it first, and that’s where a lot of hate toward Charlotte probably comes from.
Charlotte has a vision for its future. They want to be Atlanta, and will do EVERYTHING in their power to make that happen. That strategy can be called shallow and a whole host of pejoratives, but it’s largely effective when you have billionaires behind that vision. They create a list, throw money at it, and tick the box. “We’re a big city now!”
I thought it was funny… Kind of like Raleigh’s logo, I sometimes wonder how many hundreds of thousands were spent on the slogan “Charlotte’s Got A Lot”
The best summation of Charlotte I ever saw was set during the Cold War and the chagrin that would set over the city if they survived the first wave of nuclear strikes. The piece concluded, “That’s Charlotte, a place that would rather be incinerated than be small time.”
Point 1 - Who really cares if some posters don’t like Charlotte? And it looks like some posters want Raleigh to get an MLS franchise over Charlotte. So what!
Point 2 - The MLB guy is salivating at the prospect of Raleigh not getting an MLS franchise.
Let’s focus on MLB, and try to get some of the big guns on board. Tim Sweeney, originally from MD, could do it and incorporate a Fortnight entertainment center adjacent to Epic Stadium. He is a great environmentalist and has used his wealth to purchase 1000s of acres of mountain & piedmont land for conservation. But maybe he likes baseball…
Raleigh is a hockey town. But seriously, I think MLS is a good fit for Raleigh because it can work in smaller cities. I think we’re many decades away from being able to support an NFL, MLB, or NBA team, but MLS is still at a lower tier. I kind of feel like the cost and demands of the big 3 leagues is growing just as fast as our ability to support them, which would always keep them out of reach. If we could snag MLS before the league gets too far ahead of us then maybe we could grow into it.
I hate how Charlotte seems to get everything, specifically every big corporations’ hq’s and sports teams that come to NC. To be honest, it would’ve been better if the hornets, formerly named bobcats stayed in Greensboro.
@OakCityDylan Yeah, as you can see, people have thoughts about Charlotte.
@John One of the many, many weird things about this is that Charlotte as a city really didn’t do anything to help bring an MLS team to town. Until recently, the Panthers were owned by Jerry Richardson, who was forced to sell the team after it came to light that he had been sexually harassing female employees. By happenstance, the team was purchased by a guy with an $11 billion net worth and an interest in soccer who wants to put an MLS team in the stadium that already exists. History is full of flukes like this, but there was absolutely no plan or action by the city or its government that caused it to land an MLS team. Stuff happens. Also, I don’t understand how the city “blew it” by not taking action when Kane and Malik only submitted this plan like a month ago.
@JeepCSC I remember that game very well. I was working at the Target in Huntersville, and when the game went to OT, pretty much every employee was in the break room watching the game. It was about an even mix of UNC fans and UNCC students, and it was absolutely bananas in the break room. Customers were waiting forever to check out. Fun times.
I agree mostly with this except for 1 key point. Tepper (Panthers new owner) doesn’t exactly want to put the team in a stadium that already exists. He wants a team to help justify a major stadium redevelopment (and potentially new stadium all together) for NFL, MLS, and major events up to and including final four and super bowls.
He very much has his hand out for public money also.
In this instance the city is the one being proactive. They are teaming with developers to secure stadium location and tax incentives to try to lure away the Dbacks. While I’m sure there are potential investors chomping at the bit to get in, the city is the one leading the push here.
Point I’m making is that cities do have the ability to get influence and pitch to leagues during expansion or teams looking to relocate. Raleigh could have been way ahead of the curve with MLS but ended up kinda of being late to the game and scurrying for that tax money.
A little off topic but still relevant for the future, does anyone remember when Raleigh was bidding to host the 2007 Pan Am games? I can imagine if we ever go after something like that again, the new stadium would be vital! Someone start a campaign lol
If that were to happen, the next games without a finalized location is in 2027.
AKA, the year when the US Olympic Committee (which would doing the heavy lifting of organizing an American PanAm games) will have their hands full with getting ready for the 2028 games in LA.
I’m a fan of the idea of the Triangle hosting an international event like this. But a quick Google search for press coverage of Raleigh’s bid back in 1999 highlighted several problems we still need to address in 2019:
Geography (or: our cities aren't any easier to access for visitors today than it was in the 90s)
Since Centennial Campus is now built and we have more housing/hotel spaces in downtown Raleigh, you could argue we’ve addressed this now -and this case would be even stronger with a Penmarc stadium combined with NC State’s ongoing athletic facility renovations.
But do you really think a bid by Raleigh alone would work without getting help from Durham and Chapel Hill? (I’d think 23, Roy/Dean, Coach K, and the UNC women’s soccer team would happily disagree.) And if they are going to be in the mix, is our sorta-kinda-barely-ambitious-ish transit plan enough to handle the influx of athletes and visitors we’ll get?
Cultural differences (or: there's more Latinx countries out there than places like us)
Post-game game plans (or: what'll you do with all that cool stuff after the Games?)
But as for the Pan Am games specifically, Winnipeg, Canada apparently faced similar debates about whether their time and investment in the '99 Pan Am games was worth it. The Toronto Star’s thinkpiece treated the Toronto and Winnipeg games as two different animals (are you tryna get new stadiums, or build hype over the whole region?).
Like, read this:
If you think Raleigh is more like Winnipeg: I feel like this article paints a weaker case as to why the games are worth it. Like, aren’t there better ways to spend our time and put the Triangle on the global map?
If you think Raleigh is more like Toronto: so you think we have everything we need, but we just want things that are cooler? Then… I mean… sure… though I don’t agree with your priorities about what matters in city governance.
Even if we’re gonna be optimistic about pulling that off, I don’t think the timeline would match between the MLB/MLS proposals and the Pan Am games. But what if MLB happens first, and we use that opportunity in 2023ish to apply for the 2031 games?
It would be nice if Shaw could play their home soccer games at Downtown South rather than way out at Brier Creek. I imagine it would really boost their recruiting.
I wonder if St Aug’s would field a team if there was a nearby facility they had access to?
A commitment by Raleigh for a ‘soccer only’ stadium could still move the needle back in Raleigh’s favor over charlotte usa. All Tepper is trying to do is get a team to play ‘2nd fiddle’ to his football toy and help pay the bills. He’s also going to turn around and ask for money to build him a taj ma tepper stadium as well. The State of NC better not provide a dime for that IMO but I digress.
Raleigh’s demonstrated commitment to a soccer dedicated facility can go a long way for teams 30-34 that MLS intends to expand to ultimately.
