We know the Knights need to come back from the ‘burbs. If they’re going to attract enough fans to be successful, they have to return to the heart of Charlotte. But the team, currently in Fort Mill, can’t get city officials off dead center on a new AAA baseball facility until an arena deal is struck with the NBA. That’s a shame, because the ballpark ought to be a no-brainer. It’s a sure draw because of the popularity and affordability of minor league baseball. Plus, the new stadium’s price tag is a pittance compared to the arena — an estimated $40 million vs. more than $200 million. Why isn’t the city working on a ballpark as well as the arena? The ballpark, after all, is sure to attract more fans.Given the city’s indecisive approach, the Knights have turned to Mecklenburg County to consider a new stadium, and are looking at the current Memorial Stadium/Grady Cole Center site, about 14 acres adjacent to CPCC. Talks with the city had focused on an 11-acre South End location near the intersection of Carson Boulevard and Church Street, in what is now a warehouse and industrial area.
Putting a AAA baseball stadium near CPCC doesn’t seem to make sense given that the school has long wanted that space for expansion. And it does appear to be the best use of the land. Once local and state budget woes pass, I expect CPCC to keep growing. What makes the site attractive to the Knights is that the county is showing interest in helping them (Memorial Stadium/Grady Cole are losing an estimated $200 million a year) and the land would be about $10 million less than in South End.
Beyond CPCC’s potential growth, there’s an aesthetic reason to choose South End, says Kevin Gullette, executive director of Historic South End, a promotion group for the area. To avoid blinding batters with late-afternoon sun, teams like home plate to face toward the east/northeast. In South End, that would give fans a view of the Charlotte skyline. “It would be a beautiful view,” Gullette says. From the other site, “you’ll have a wonderful view of a bridge over Independence Boulevard.”
I don’t know the best location for the stadium, but I do know a couple of things. The Knights have a legitimate need to get the ball rolling on a new facility. The team’s lease at its current site expires after next season, so there’s an urgency to putting plans in place and starting construction.
The Knights have been patient. They’ve been trying to make the transition back to Charlotte since before the arena debate heated up in 2001. To support the arena effort last year, the stadium agreed to become part of a host of projects in a referendum package designed to make the arena more palatable to voters. But when the referendum failed and the economy stagnated after September 11, the stadium and the other projects became iffy. Only the arena has come back to life, thanks to the NBA’s interest in placing an expansion franchise here.
But the arena shouldn’t eclipse the baseball stadium, temporarily or permanently. The city and county need to work together on funding and locating a stadium; it shouldn’t be one local government or the other. Plus, the city ought to find a way to work on the stadium and arena at the same time. If the city and county worked together, neither would have to bear the cost alone (the team will make a contribution of some size, regardless), and the stadium would have a better chance of being well located for the community.
The ballpark is important because it will attract more people a year than an arena and at a price tag about one fifth of the cost. Sure, minor league baseball games don’t have the high profile of the NBA, but tickets don’t break a fan’s budget, either. How expensive rank-and-file seats in the new arena will be is unknown. But you can bet they’re going to be more than the average person can afford except on an occasional basis. Not so with the Knights. Bring them on.
OVERTIME
Though the Carolina Panthers’ new coach has a name that suggests quickness and cunning, that doesn’t describe how John Fox is building the team. He focuses on old-fashioned basics. Aggressive defense, less gambling on offense and building through the draft rather than free agency all suggest a long-term approach to raising level of play. . .I was glad to see NASCAR driver Tony Stewart get zapped by his sponsor, Home Depot, to the tune of $50,000 for punching a photographer after the recent Brickyard 400. NASCAR’s $10,000 fine hardly sent a message. . .Is anybody ready to join me in putting the children of Ted Williams on ice?
This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2002.
