THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 29, 1996 TAG: 9608250357
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: V1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Pro Forecast
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 102 lines
Thank goodness for NFL expansion, and Art Modell.
For years, Hampton Roads had just one football team it could not quite call its own - the Washington Redskins.
Now, with the Baltimore Ravens roosting 4 1/2 hours up the road, and the Carolina Panthers moving to their new stadium in Charlotte, the number of teams we don't quite have has tripled.
Hampton Roads is fast becoming one of the NFL's primary ``secondary'' markets.
``We have a number of metropolitan areas to pursue, and (Hampton Roads) is one of them,'' said David Cope, vice president of marketing and sales for the Baltimore Ravens. ``We know there was some interest in the Colts there, and the Redskins have had a monopoly for 13 years.
``It's definitely a secondary market. Not so much for ticket sales, but for viewing and listening.''
Hampton Roads has long been in the strategic plan of the Carolina Panthers' marketing machine. Panthers games can be heard on two radio stations in the region, WVAB in Virginia Beach and WMBG in Williamsburg.
``We've been very pleased with the interest in Virginia,'' said Scott Crites, sales manager of the Panthers radio network. ``From Roanoke, all the way across Southern Virginia.''
How it will all play out remains to be seen. But this much is clear: For Hampton Roads fans, the landscape is changing. Two more teams are just a tank of gas away. Toss in Philadelphia, and there are four teams within a 300-mile radius of Hampton Roads.
``Six years ago, our sports brochure consisted of a Redskins brochure,'' said John Martin, owner of Great Atlantic Travel in Virginia Beach. ``Now it's the Redskins, Philadelphia, Miami, the Panthers, Dallas and Baltimore.''
Martin's livelihood depends on having his finger on the pulse of fan interest. He has invested heavily in Panthers and Ravens tickets. He is, in fact, the largest single holder of Ravens season tickets, with 250.
Martin said interest in the Ravens has not been overwhelming, but then again he was late getting his advertising campaign started this year, because of the Olympics.
``The two games we are receiving tremendous interest in are the Raiders game and the Pittsburgh game,'' he said. ``(The Ravens) have to develop their fan following, and that's going to take a while. I think within the next five to seven years, that ticket will be extremely hot.''
Martin sells to consumers nationwide, and also wholesales tickets to other travel agencies and tour operators. He said interest in the Panthers was slower than he expected last year, when the team played in Clemson, S.C. He expects interest to pick up this year.
``This business,'' he said, ``is a very high-risk business.''
Neal Pinkerman, owner of Indian River Sports Travel, said he hasn't seen much consumer interest in the Ravens and Panthers yet. But Pinkerman also sells nationally, and his speciality is the Dallas Cowboys.
``We send close to 1,000 fans a year to Cowboys games, from Hampton Roads,'' Pinkerman said. ``As far as the Ravens, there hasn't been a big interest by any means. A lot of people feel sorry for the Cleveland Browns fans, and I think they're holding that against the Ravens.''
Ravens merchandise has done well at local sporting goods stores, but that's not always a true indication of fan interest.
``A lot of fans today buy things for the color,'' said Mark Schwartz, manager of Score, a sports apparel store at Chesapeake Square Mall.
Schwartz sees more interest in the Panthers.
``I think a lot of Redskins fans have converted,'' he said.
The Redskins will continue to be the team Hampton Roads TV viewers see most often - all 16 games will be televised, the majority on WTVZ. But WAVY, an NBC affiliate that carries AFC games, plans to show four Ravens games, and could add more if interest warrants it.
WAVY will show the Ravens' first two games: against Oakland Sept. 1, and at Pittsburgh Sept. 8. The Baltimore-Pittsburgh game will go head-to-head with Chicago-Washington, in what could be an early test of viewer loyalty.
``We just kind of look for the best games,'' said Joe Weller, program coordinator for WAVY. ``We thought we'd start with those two games and show some support for it.
``We've gotten a few phone calls, but it isn't like people have been beating down the door, saying `We've got to have them.' ''
If you have to have them, though, you can get them. One advantage the Ravens and Panthers have over the Redskins is that tickets are available, and can still be purchased at face value.
The Redskins, of course, have been sold out for years.
``The brokers have at least 50 percent of the seats at RFK,'' Pinkerman said.
Not so in Baltimore, or Charlotte.
Not yet, anyway. ILLUSTRATION: Color graphic by John Earle/The Virginian-Pilot
Hampton Roads' Home Teams
About the Teams
Redskins
Ravens
Panthers
Eagles
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KEYWORDS: SPECIAL SECTION PREVIEW by CNB