Basketball City

Today marks the beginning of three major basketball events over the next month here in Charlotte. This week, it is the CIAA Conference Tournaments. Two weeks later, it's the ACC Tournament, followed by the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament. All of the events will be held at Bobcats Arena uptown (much to the chagrin of the NBA's Bobcats, who will be on an extended road trip for much of this time).

Now, I know how many of you feel about the arena. Frankly, I don't blame you. The way the whole thing came about, with a big deal campaign, voter rejection, and an outrageous decision by the City Council to build it anyway is not a good way to do civic business. We elect our leaders to lead, and if they were hellbent to build an uptown arena, they should have at least spared us the charade of a meaningless vote.

For some, the arena debacle still makes them mad. I hear some people swaer they'll never set foot in the place, and others cannot have a discussion about local crime, taxes or traffic without bringing up 'that damn arena.' In fact, I honestly think last year's Transit Tax debate was more about leftover arena anger than it was about transit.

But anyone who takes an objective look at the place now would have to admit that the arena is a benefit for Charlotte as a whole, and Uptown in particular. Anyone who's been to a Bobcats or Checkers game, or a concert or other event there, has to admit it's a nice place. And having it uptown, with easy access to restaurants, bars, and the new light rail line can make attending an event there a night out on the town, rather than just an event.

I remember my first visit to Charlotte in 1995, to watch the end of one leg of the Tour DuPont bike race. After 5pm, Uptown was a dead zone. I could swear I saw a tumbleweed roll down Tryon Street. No more. Our guests to the three basketball events will have plenty to see and do, and easy ways to get there without renting a car. As a resident now, I'll probably be avoiding Uptown during these events (unless someone would like to send me tickets to a game), but I'm glad that people might actually go home now and tell their friends that Charlotte is actually a pretty cool place to visit.

So let's all get over the Uptown Arena. It's here, it's open, and, frankly, it's pretty nice. And the better it does financially, the less the city (and its taxpayers) will have to support it.