Keep the Hornets Petition!

[Harleyrider105]

Louisanapride, despite it being started in Charlotte it is not their brand. They were unable to support the team while it was there and the franchise was relocated here. Just like the Jazz not being ours anymore. The Hornets brand belongs here with this franchise and for better or worse at least right now is our brand. It would be better not to see the brand being used than to either have to switch allegiance to that team or root against them as they would not be the same Hornets team that i have followed for the last 25 years.

[Harleyrider105]

Soundwav, I had not heard that Now that would have been a PR nightmare. I do indeed feel better that was ruled out if theres any truth to it.

[LouisianaPride]

i disagree about unable to support, they just chose not to given the type of management they were getting. its the same with seattle. they chose not to support a team knowing it was being stolen.

the hornets werent stolen by any means but i wouldnt say they were unable to support them.

[FlyGirl]

Louisanapride, despite it being started in Charlotte it is not their brand. They were unable to support the team while it was there and the franchise was relocated here. Just like the Jazz not being ours anymore. The Hornets brand belongs here with this franchise and for better or worse at least right now is our brand. It would be better not to see the brand being used than to either have to switch allegiance to that team or root against them as they would not be the same Hornets team that i have followed for the last 25 years.

Not true. They had consecutive seasons with sellouts. It wasn't until things started falling apart with Shinn wanting a new arena and some other woman, and the threat of relocation that caused the attendance to begin to wain. I saw a poll on ESPN yesterday that asked, what's the first city you think of when you hear the nickname Hornets. Charlotte was winning the poll by basically a landslide. Rick Fox one day a few weeks ago said the first thing he thinks about when he hears Hornets is Charlotte. It's been that way since the team came to New Orleans. During games, commentators slip up way too often calling us the Charlotte Hornets. It's been 10 years and it still happens.

[LouisianaPride]

Shinns leaving also had a lot to do with his legal trouble as well

[LouisianaPride]

as for the jazz, your right. only because we've had that team for 5 years, Charlotte had them for 14.

[LouisianaPride]

bottom line is the hornets were never Our team, and its never felt like it. and i hvae no numbers whatso ever to back it up but i'm almost sure the city/state also feels that way

[FlyGirl]

as for the jazz, your right. only because we've had that team for 5 years, Charlotte had them for 14.

And the Jazz has been gone for 30+ years.

[LouisianaPride]

exactly

[Harleyrider105]

Hunnyb And LouisianaPride, All very valid points but the bottom line is that the fans and the city of Charlotte still played a part in their relocation as well. They were a very successful team, which is one of the reason I became such a big fan, up until the last several years they were there. Once they started losing and the problems with Shinn surfaced the fans and city stopped supporting the team which speed up the relocation process.

[Harleyrider105]

Wwell Louisianapride, I am sorry you feel that way but thats not been my experience here. Most I have met are and have been very accepting and have embraced the Hornets as ours. Are you telling me you haven't supported the Hornets all these years?

[FlyGirl]

Hunnyb And LouisianaPride, All very valid points but the bottom line is that the fans and the city of Charlotte still played a part in their relocation as well. They were a very successful team, which is one of the reason I became such a big fan, up until the last several years they were there. Once they started losing and the problems with Shinn surfaced the fans and city stopped supporting the team which speed up the relocation process.

Losing? You do know they made the playoffs the last 3 seasons in Charlotte right? I haven't checked what the attendance numbers were at those playoff games but they were winning the last 3 seasons there. The fans may not have wanted to support what they knew would be a lame duck team but I wouldn't say they were a losing team.

[LouisianaPride]

Wwell Louisianapride, I am sorry you feel that way but thats not been my experience here. Most I have met are and have been very accepting and have embraced the Hornets as ours. Are you telling me you haven't supported the Hornets all these years?

from the moment we had a team i loved them from day 1 and still do....but the one thing that has always bothered me and people i've talked to was that it has always felt like Charlottes team. it never made me love them any less but thats just how i felt and i can safely say alot of others have as well. we might have to agree to disagree but i may have not of been a charlotte supporter before they came here but once we got them ive love it.

i'm just a firm believer that a fresh start is just what this team needs. i'm tired of incompetent media guys calling us Charlotte. i want our own identity. Hornets are not our identity

[Harleyrider105]

HunnyB, you are correct they did indeed make the playoffs the last 3 seasons they were there.However their attendence slipped by almost 50% to just over 11,000 per game in their final year. http://www.databasebasketball.com/te...att.htm?tm=CHA

[FlyGirl]

HunnyB, you are correct they did indeed make the playoffs the last 3 seasons they were there.However their attendence slipped by almost 50% to just over 11,000 per game in their final year. http://www.databasebasketball.com/te...att.htm?tm=CHA

Because they were p*ssed that their team was leaving and refused to support a lame duck team.

ETA: I figure like this. You'll either support the team or not. I love basketball and I applaud Mr. Benson for buying the team. He could've said the h*ll with them and let the league do what they wanted to do with them. I will support them as long as they're here. No matter what their name is. I guess I'm more attached to the team than I am the brand. Have fun getting your petition signed.

[LouisianaPride]

you cant blame them and seattle for not supporting an owner that was sabbataging thier team

[Harleyrider105]

LouisianaPride, I can understand that to a certain extent and i would probably agree with you if this was a new team just coming in but it is not. This team has been established here for over a decade now and has made itself part of this city. Just because a couple of lame reporters who are bad at their job and can't keep their cities straight every now and then doesn't mean the name is no good and people don't identify the Hornets with New Orleans. But I can respect your views on it and thank you for sharing them with me.

[LouisianaPride]

always nice to have a civil debate without the namecalling like in other forums. it was a pleasure

[Harleyrider105]

Hunny B and LouisianaPride, I'm not laying the blame on the fans and city and I don't fault them for it either.It was a really bad set of circumstances for everyone involved and I hated to see it happen. But you can't say that they did not have any part of it when they weren't showing up for the games. Do you think we would still have a team if the fans didn't show up or buy tickets here the last couple of years?

[Harleyrider105]

Louisianapride..it has been a pleasure and you are right its very nice to have a civil dialog for once about this..I was prepared to get ripped to shreds over this..lol still might

[LouisianaPride]

well if Stern and the NBA didnt own the tea, i rest assure you we wouldnt. he has had multiple out of town buyers want to buy but he refused to sell.

you dont become NBA league owned if you are doing well financially. its unfortunate that stern hasent done this for other cities. i hate seeing people lose their team. which is why i respect that people have a hard time with the rebrand as well. they kind of feel like they are losing their team in a way.

i know NO is fully capable of selling out, its happened before and will again.

[FlyGirl]

Hunny B and LouisianaPride, I'm not laying the blame on the fans and city and I don't fault them for it either.It was a really bad set of circumstances for everyone involved and I hated to see it happen. But you can't say that they did not have any part of it when they weren't showing up for the games. Do you think we would still have a team if the fans didn't show up or buy tickets here the last couple of years?

But yet we were always a relocation threat up until Benson bought the team. Why is that? Everytime someone talked about relocation the last couple of years, the first place they look is New Orleans. I don't know if attendance has ever been the main reason for a team leaving a city. Has it? Has anyone ever read or heard that a team relocated because attendance was poor? People say we didn't support the Jazz but I've heard/read otherwise. Fact is, I, I don't know about you, but I, haven't heard anything about Seattle or Charlotte having attendance problems until they knew their team was heading out.

[Harleyrider105]

Well because there was a time when people thought the city didn't support the team. Attendance is always one of the major issues with team leaving though I don't know if it's ever been the main issue.Usually it more about funding for a new arena or tax incentives and the owner not getting what they want from the city/state but it plays right to their advantage when the numbers start slipping. To me if theres talk about the team moving thats all the more reason to show support to try and keep it there.

[FlyGirl]

Well because there was a time when people thought the city didn't support the team. Attendance is always one of the major issues with team leaving though I don't know if it's ever been the main issue.Usually it more about funding for a new arena or tax incentives and the owner not getting what they want from the city/state but it plays right to their advantage when the numbers start slipping. To me if theres talk about the team moving thats all the more reason to show support to try and keep it there.

They didn't look at it that way because that's not the way it was. If they thought they had a chance to keep their teams, maybe they'd think that way. But they stopped showing up when it was final and official and they knew their teams were leaving.

Besides, all of this is most likely a moot point because it's already done. As it stands right now, the New Orleans Hornets will become the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2013-14 season.

[Harleyrider105]

Perhaps but again if i don't try i'll never know right? Whats the harm if you are so sure that it is already a done deal?