Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 29, 1993 TAG: 9403180027
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Squeezed between the relentless, negative campaign commercials came the happy report this week from the cheerleaders among us that, suddenly, our little pocket of Virginia is just a little over three hours' drive away from watching National Football League games, live.
Not only that: The news comes right after Roanoke's own Express hockey team takes to the ice and starts its season with wins - on the ice and off.
OK, the naysayers among us will grumble that the hoopla over Charlotte's good fortune is another sign, like the sign-changing at the local bank, of North Carolina's growing influence - empire building, some will say - over these parts.
But Roanoke, as far as we know, wasn't seriously in contention for a National Football League franchise, and we still love the place. We suspect many fans will remain true to the Redskins, anyway.
We'll grant the naysayers that the Charlotte Panthers won't be all that much closer than the Redskins in D.C., really. But how many people can get tickets to a 'Skins game?
Panthers season tickets are likely to be swallowed up quickly, too, of course. But having a second NFL franchise so close gives folks a fresh shot at some, anyway. And it provides the vast majority of fans, who won't get any closer to a game than the distance between their TV screen and the couch, something Americans appreciate dearly - a choice.
For those who love to hate the 'Skins, there's an alternative team to root for right at Western Virginia's back door. And the many diehard Redskin fans who enrich every social gathering will surely find room in their hearts for a second team. Regional loyalties aside, there apparently can never be, for the fanatically impaired, too much football.
Meantime, the sports news of more immediate impact on these parts was the turnout for the recent season-opener of the Express. Just as team owners and the city were hoping, the East Coast Hockey League expansion team drew a good-sized crowd - more than 5,000 people - to watch the game at the Roanoke Civic Center.
If you renovate it, they will come was the message - and the hope - of team investors. The civic center spent some money and took a chance that a more comfortable, more centrally located arena would draw more spectators than the dwindling numbers that went to the LancerLot, the Vinton home of the now-departed Rampage.
Hockey fans who turned out were not disappointed. They saw their team win, and they enjoyed the game in a family atmosphere.
If the team can continue to play well enough to pull in the fans, despite a less-than-ideal game calendar, this one last chance that the sport has been given might be the only one the valley needs. Success would bring some added excitement to the leisure scene.
On top of all of this optimism, Tech and UVa have more than passable football teams this year. Twice blessed? Indeed, sports fans in Western Virginia face a multitude of blessings this fall.
Still, as they say, it ain't over till it's over. Surely some hint of doom and gloom will manage to peek through the blue sky. Check back at the end of the hockey and football seasons.
At least the campaign season will be over then as well. Then again, a new one will probably have begun.
by CNB