Who says Carolina has no loyal fans?

http://newsobserver.com/features/story/3532021p-3134714c.html

No one ever said Carolina doesn't have loyal fans. It's just that they don't have enough of them. The core group of loyal fans in Carolina is very small (when compared to Canada or parts of the northern U.S.).

I live here too, and hockey in this part of the country (except when the Hurricanes make it to the Cup Finals) ranks somewhere behind tractor pulls and monster trucks as a spectator sporting event.

OK ... then why did the last monster truck show at the RBC draw less people than the Canes averaged in 2002-03 when they were in the middle of finishing last in the entire NHL?

Not an attack ... just a question.

Okay.......so maybe tractor pulls or monster trucks was a bad example. However, hockey is way down the totem pole behind the Panthers, soon-to-be Bobcats, Atlanta Braves (seeing that the Braves seem to be the lead story on all the sportscasts lately), ACC Football, ACC Basketball, etc.

My main point is that while, yes, there are loyal Canes fans here (all teams have their loyal fans), they are not/will not be as large a group as the followings of the above listed teams/conferences.

Okay.......so maybe tractor pulls or monster trucks was a bad example. However, hockey is way down the totem pole behind the Panthers, soon-to-be Bobcats, Atlanta Braves (seeing that the Braves seem to be the lead story on all the sportscasts lately), ACC Football, ACC Basketball, etc.




Oh, so Hockey is behind Football, Basketball, Baseball, College Football, College Basketball, on and on. That describes every US market. I am not going to argue that there are more fans in Raleigh than in most of the other markets just for the fact that it is a very small market. But it has shown that it will/can/does support this team (even before the Stanley Cup run) and fans of this team are frustrated with that being ignored.

This is about as queer as the Army Reservist who changed his name to Optimus Prime. I'll find the link if someone wants it.

EDIT: Dug through Consolevision and found it:

http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_fullstory.asp?id=3828

P.S. I just read the rest of the article. Speaking of queer, I thought Penn & Teller were both homosexuals. Someone in Vegas lied to me...

This is about as queer as the Army Reservist who changed his name to Optimus Prime. I'll find the link if someone wants it.

EDIT: Dug through Consolevision and found it:

http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_fullstory.asp?id=3828

P.S. I just read the rest of the article. Speaking of queer, I thought Penn & Teller were both homosexuals. Someone in Vegas lied to me...

That was more of where I was going with this. Two goofy people who apparently really like the Hurricanes.

Sitting down and looking at the matter seriously, I'd rank the level of interest in the Raleigh sports market as follows:

1. College Basketball
Hey ... roundball is King down here on Tobacco Road and that's because of the high number of local colleges who have played at a National level for such a long time.

2. Pro Football
The real surprise should be that it doesn't rank number 1 the way it does in almost every other US market. The NFLs rating don't lie ... people love their pro football whether it's the Panthers, the Redskins or their favorite team from home.

3. College Football
Again, the high numbers of teams in the area contribute to the interest level. Somebody is generally good out of the 4 teams playing at the highest level.

4. NASCAR
Not my thing, but again the numbers don't lie. Raleigh is not nearly the NASCAR hotbed that Charlotte is in the NC area, but it's still a big deal.

5. Baseball/Golf
Baseball is still popular here, but not as much as it used to be on the Pro level for a variety of reasons. NC is a real haven for golf nuts, and interest in the Tours is very high as a result.

6. Hurricanes Hockey
The numbers have been up, down and all over the place ... but there is a fairly healthy core group of about 7,500 and good support if the Canes show even the slightest signs of life early on in a season. This support will grow as the kids who grew up with hockey in Raleigh grow into paying customers.

HAHA about clay aiken. I thought the EXACT same things.


Oh and about hockey....


Ya the canes have some fans. I see them on the highlites they definitely know what they are doing. They just dont have enough of them. It would be tough to go to a game when theres a whole row of empty seats beside you.

I've lived in the South my entire life, but I just don't see these mammoth number of NASCAR fans people speak of. Sure, I see the occassional "Earnhardt rocks!" fans but I think the numbers are lying some where. I dunno...I just think having the entire region being labeled as crazed NASCAR fans is an insult I'm getting tired of. Funny thing is this is the Canadian argument, even though I see that they get the occassional NASCAR telecast on TSN at times. Stereotypical whiners...

F golf, it's not a sport....and the numbers are lying their too.

I've lived in the South my entire life, but I just don't see these mammoth number of NASCAR fans people speak of. Sure, I see the occassional "Earnhardt rocks!" fans but I think the numbers are lying some where. I dunno...I just think having the entire region being labeled as crazed NASCAR fans is an insult I'm getting tired of. Funny thing is this is the Canadian argument, even though I see that they get the occassional NASCAR telecast on TSN at times. Stereotypical whiners...

F golf, it's not a sport....and the numbers are lying their too.

TSN is a joke. They show poker and darts. We dont watch nascar. I wouldnt know if you guys do down there either. I sure hope not.

Elvis Lives, you're welcome to post here but that was inappropriate. Try to stay within the guidelines.

TSN is a joke. They show poker and darts. We dont watch nascar. I wouldnt know if you guys do down there either. I sure hope not.

But I'd watch poker & darts :D

dude... poker rules... especially after you've downed a 12 pack of Yuengling.

F golf, it's not a sport....and the numbers are lying their too.

:handclap: :handclap: Finally, someone who agrees with me on this!!! Well, I don't know about the numbers, but golf is definately NOT a sport. A game, but not a sport. The players don't work hard enough for it to be a sport. :teach: