Time Warner Cable Arena

Time Warner Cable Arena
Former names	Charlotte Bobcats Arena (2005–2007)
Location	333 East Trade Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
Coordinates	35°13′30″N 80°50′21″W / 35.225°N 80.83917°W / 35.225; -80.83917Coordinates: 35°13′30″N 80°50′21″W / 35.225°N 80.83917°W / 35.225; -80.83917
Broke ground	July 29, 2003
Opened	October 21, 2005
Owner	City of Charlotte
Operator	Charlotte Bobcats
Construction cost	USD $260 million ($292 million in 2011 dollars[1])
Architect	Ellerbe Becket[2]
Project Manager	R.J. Leeper Construction[3]
General Contractor	Hunt Construction Group[4]
Capacity	Basketball: 19,077 (expandable to 20,200) Hockey: 14,100 Pro-Wrestling: 20,200 (maximum) Concerts: End stage 180 degrees: 13,376 End stage 270 degrees: 15,236 End stage 360 degrees: 18,249 Center stage: 18,504 Theatre: 4,000–7,000
Tenants
Charlotte Bobcats (NBA) (2005–present) Charlotte Checkers (AHL) (2010–present) Charlotte Sting (WNBA) (2006–2007) Charlotte 49ers (occasional) Davidson Wildcats (occasional) 2008 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament 2012 Democratic National Convention

Time Warner Cable Arena (originally Charlotte Bobcats Arena and commonly TWC Arena or The Cable Box), is an entertainment and sports venue, located in center city Charlotte, North Carolina. Its primary use is as the home court of the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA. It made its grand opening in October 2005 as the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, with a concert by The Rolling Stones and hosted its first Bobcats game on November 5, 2005. The arena's center-hung Daktronics video screens measure 16 feet by 28 feet, making them the largest of any indoor arena. The arena is owned by the city of Charlotte, and operated by the Bobcats.

On April 8, 2008, the Bobcats announced a naming rights deal with Time Warner Cable, the area's largest cable television provider, to rename the arena. As part of the deal, the Bobcats ended a somewhat restrictive deal that kept them off satellite and regional cable television.^[5] The change became effective immediately, with printed tickets for the Bobcats' April 8, 2008, game against the Minnesota Timberwolves reflecting the arena's new name and the game airing on FSN South.^[6]

The arena seats 19,077 for most NBA games, but can be expanded to seat up to 20,200 for college basketball games (and presumably NBA playoff games). The arena also serves as home to the Charlotte Checkers, a hockey team that plays in the American Hockey League. When the Checkers play there, capacity is reduced to 14,100.

On February 1, 2011, it was announced that Time Warner Cable Arena would be the venue for the 2012 Democratic National Convention, to be held in Charlotte.^[7]

Sports

Charlotte Bobcats Arena logo
(2005-2007)

The arena during a game in 2005

Though the arena was constructed with the Bobcats in mind, the arena hosts many types of sports and entertainment events. As North Carolina is a hotbed for college basketball, it is expected that the arena will host many NCAA basketball games. The venue hosted early-round NCAA Tournament games in 2008 and 2011, and the Charlotte 49ers have tentatively agreed to play several high-profile games there over the next several seasons. The 2008 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament and 2010 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament was played here as well. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the oldest historically black collegiate conference in the United States, has held its men's and women's basketball tournaments at the arena since 2006. The Southern Conference held the semifinals and finals of its 2010 men's and women's basketball championships in the arena.

In addition to the Bobcats, the arena currently has one other permanent tenant. The Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL vacated historic Bojangles Coliseum to play in the new arena in the fall of 2005. When the ECHL Checkers gave way to an AHL team with the same name, the AHL team remained at the arena. The Charlotte Sting of the WNBA moved, along with the Bobcats, from the old Charlotte Coliseum to the new venue in 2005 and played for one season and then folded due to low attendance.

The NASCAR Nextel All-Star Pit Crew Challenge, part of the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge, is held on the Wednesday night of the race week at the arena, creating an indoor atmosphere so the pit competition will occur, rain or shine.

In January 2007, the Professional Bull Riders association hosted a Built Ford Tough Series event at this venue. The event was known as the "Dale Jr. PBR Clash", named after NASCAR driver and longtime PBR fan Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who teamed up with the PBR to put this event together. The PBR will visit Time Warner Cable Arena once again in the fall of 2011.^[8]

Entertainment

The arena is used for more than just sporting events, with musical acts, family productions and many other events, such as concerts, circuses and professional wrestling.

Concerts

• The Rolling Stones - October 21, 2005 (Arena's opening event)
• Elton John - November 12, 2005
• U2 - December 12, 2005, with Institute
• Dolly Parton - December 15, 2005
• Clay Aiken - December 21, 2005
• Aerosmith - January 12, 2006, with Lenny Kravitz
• Bon Jovi - January 18, 2006 and April 22, 2010
• Keith Urban - February 16, 2006, April 18, 2008, with Carrie Underwood and June 18, 2009, with Sugarland
• Nickelback - March 23, 2006
• Martina McBride - April 1, 2006
• Tim McGraw and Faith Hill - June 10, 2006
• American Idol Live! - August 1, 2006, August 17, 2008, August 1, 2009 and July 28, 2011
• Eric Clapton - October 17, 2006, with The Robert Cray Band
• The Blue Man Group - November 17, 2006
• High School Musical - December 23, 2006, with Jordan Pruitt
• The Red Hot Chili Peppers - May 20, 2006 and January 23, 2007
• Beyoncé - July 29, 2007
• Alison Krauss - August 17, 2007
• Josh Groban - September 2, 2007 and June 10, 2011, with Eric Lewis
• Van Halen - September 27, 2007
• The Police - November 15, 2007, with Fiction Plane
• R. Kelly - November 18, 2007, with Keyshia Cole
• Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus - November 27, 2007, with The Jonas Brothers and November 24, 2009, with Metro Station
• Keri Hilson - January 2, 2008
• Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - April 27, 2008 and November 3, 2009
• Rihanna, Kanye West, N.E.R.D and Lupe Fiasco - May 8, 2008
• The Cure - June 16, 2008, with 65daysofstatic
• The Cheetah Girls - October 29, 2008, with Clique Girlz
• New Kids on the Block - October 30, 2008, with Lady Gaga
• The Trans-Siberian Orchestra - November 20, 2008, November 28, 2009 and December 2, 2010
• Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson - November 21, 2008, with Melissa Peterman
• AC/DC - December 18, 2008, with The Answer
• Lil Wayne - January 2, 2009, with Gym Class Heroes, Keri Hilson, T-Pain and Keyshia Cole
• The Eagles - January 14, 2009
• Billy Joel - March 7, 2009, with Elton John
• Fleetwood Mac - April 25, 2009
• Earth, Wind & Fire - June 9, 2009
• The Jonas Brothers - August 21, 2009, with Honor Society, Jordin Sparks and Wonder Girls
• Metallica - October 18, 2009, with Gojira and Lamb of God
• Taylor Swift - September 5, 2009, with Kellie Pickler and Gloriana
• The Black Eyed Peas - February 20, 2010
• James Taylor and Carole King - June 2, 2010
• Michael Bublé - July 10, 2010, with Naturally 7
• Daughtry - June 11, 2010, with Cavo, Theory of a Deadman, Lifehouse and Kris Allen
• Paul McCartney - July 28, 2010
• Justin Bieber - August 8, 2010, with Vita Chambers
• Lady Gaga - September 18, 2010, with Semi Precious Weapons
• Carrie Underwood - October 30, 2010, with Sons of Sylvia and Billy Currington
• Prince & The New Power Generation - March 24, 2011, with Anthony Hamilton
• Usher - April 30, 2011
• A Perfect Circle - July 19, 2011, with Red Bacteria Vacuum
• Sade - July 31, 2011, with John Legend
• Britney Spears - August 25, 2011, with DJ Pauly D and Destinee & Paris
• Kesha - August 10, 2011 & April 19, 2011

Wrestling

• WWE Raw - January 23, 2006, November 26, 2007, June 15, 2009 and June 14, 2010
• WWE Vengeance - June 25, 2006
• WWE SmackDown! and ECW on Sci Fi - June 19, 2007 (This event featured the last match of Chris Benoit, who died several days later), July 15 and December 26, 2008 and April 5, 2011

Other events

• Larry the Cable Guy - January 14, 2006
• Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus - February 22 and 26, 2006
• One Tree Hill location for shoot for May 18, 2009 episode "Remember Me as a Time of Day"

Controversy

The arena was originally intended to host the Charlotte Hornets, the city's original NBA team. In 2001, a non-binding public referendum for an arts package, which included money to build the new uptown arena, was placed on the ballot for voters. This was done in order to demonstrate what was believed to be wide public support for construction of a new uptown venue. The arts package would have been funded with the issuance of bonds by the city.

There was opposition to the referendum, with many feeling that the city shouldn't fund a new arena at all (the Charlotte Coliseum, since demolished, was just 13 years old at the time). Mayor Pat McCrory vetoed a living wage ordinance just days before the referendum. As a result, Helping Empower Local People, a grass-roots organization supporting a living wage, launched a campaign to oppose the arena. It argued that it was immoral for the city to build a new arena when city workers didn't earn enough to make a living.^[9] Many of the city's black ministers switched sides in the arena deal and urged their parishioners to oppose it. The referendum failed with 43 percent for building the arena and 57 percent opposed.

City leaders then devised a way to build a new arena in a way that didn't require voter support, but let it be known that they would not even consider building it unless the Hornets' owner George Shinn sold the team. While even the NBA acknowledged that Shinn had alienated fans, NBA officials felt such a statement would anger owners.^[10] As it turned out, the NBA approved the Hornets' application to move to New Orleans. However, the league promised that the city would get a new team—what became the Bobcats—as part of the deal.

As of 2005^[update], the total cost of the arena to Charlotte and Mecklenburg County was not known, but estimated at around $260 million. The construction was approved by the city council, which did not opt to present another referendum to the public. In early 2006, the arena was again the center of controversy as the Bobcats charged a $15,000 fee to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for graduations. The fee was eventually waived following a story in the Charlotte Observer concerning the fees.

Some schools in the area have moved graduations to Bojangles' Coliseum because of the costs.

References

1. ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
2. ^ . http://www.ellerbebecket.com/expertise/project/2_217/Time_Warner_Cable_Arena.html. 
3. ^ http://www.emporis.com/application/?lng=3&nav=building&id=207842
4. ^ http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2005/11/20051114/Facilities/Carolina-Character.aspx
5. ^ Cranston, Mike (2008-04-07). "Time Warner gets naming rights for Bobcats Arena". WCNC-TV. Associated Press. http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-040708-mw-bobcatsname.40c2805b.html. 
6. ^ "Deals widen Bobcats' TV reach". Charlotte.com. 2008-04-09. http://www.charlotte.com/business/story/572628.html. Retrieved 2008-04-16. 
7. ^ Spanberg, Erik (February 1, 2011) "Charlotte to follow Denver as host city of Democratic National Convention", Denver Business Journal. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
8. ^ http://www.pbrnow.com/release/?id=6771
9. ^ "World Class City, Third World Paycheck". Creative Loafing Charlotte. http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A535&comments=yes. 
10. ^ "Council willing to amend 'new owner' statement". Associated Press. ESPN.com. February 16, 2002. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1334984&type=news. 

External links

• Time Warner Cable Arena