Why the Hornets Need a Supporter Section

From the Bring Back the Buzz archive. First published May 11, 2022 on bringbackthebuzz.net, lightly edited.

Above: the Crown Club away trip to Atlanta, 2021.

2026 note: A lot has moved since we wrote this. In December 2025 the Crown Club teamed up with the Hornets on group tickets, our away trips keep growing, and a younger Hornets team led by Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller gives this building plenty to get loud about. The case for a real supporter section is stronger than ever.

The landscape of sports is changing. As players gain more power, so does the equity of the fan, with more and more ways to engage with a team. There are only so many signs in an arena and only so many spots for partners to pop up a tent. The growth is mostly digital, and in new ways to reach fans at home and outside the arena. Beyond winning, that's how teams grow revenue: selling more to partners. Which means the level at which fans choose to engage is what makes teams money. Fans have been told they aren't really needed, but if the pandemic taught us anything, it's that that simply isn't true. Keep that in mind; it comes back later.

Charlotte sports have become the frontier of innovation in supporter groups and what the fan experience truly means. From Roaring Riot to all of the Charlotte FC supporter groups (there are too many to name, and they all deserve credit), these groups have done some pretty revolutionary stuff at a grassroots level, in a town pegged as "not a sports town." The oldest team in town is barely in its 30s, and the generation that grew up with these teams has taken the reins to change the "wine and cheese" narrative. When we started Bring Back the Buzz 11 or 12 years ago, we couldn't have imagined this city doing all this, from soccer to football to basketball. So: kudos to you, Charlotte.

That said, we've still got work to do.

Up top vs. down low

Last year, for the first time in about five years, my brother and I left the lower bowl at Spectrum Center and went back up top. The biggest reason: down low, it rarely felt like we were surrounded by fans. Up top, we sit next to the same people every night who care about this team, and for some, being there takes real sacrifice. They become friends you talk family with and debate rotations with. And the chances of being asked to sit down in the fourth quarter of a tied game drop way down.

There are passionate fans down below. We know many of them by name: Jameet, Charlotte Man, Sombrero Man and more. But they're speckled around the lower bowl. We've all joked about the corporate vibe down there. We lack a real presence as fans near the floor.

What Atlanta and New Orleans taught us

On our Crown Club trip to Atlanta, we were organized and loud in the upper bowl, with plenty of Hornets fans in the building. What took us out of it (besides losing badly) was Atlanta's supporter section. It drowned us out because it had more people, was organized, and sat close to the court.

Then we went to New Orleans.

In New Orleans we sat down low, next to the basket. Not a massive group: about 30 in our section and 40-plus around the arena. We took over Smoothie King Center. New Orleans fans and media went to Twitter to talk about how loud we were. People messaged us that they could hear us on the broadcast as Dell and Eric commented on it, and Sam Farber mentioned it on the radio. Most importantly, I could see the reaction in the Hornets players' eyes. I won't say we changed the outcome, but we put a little bounce in their step. There were fewer of us, and it sure didn't feel like it.

Imagine what a similar group could do at home, leading chants and standing all game, so this small market has a real home-court advantage when the Knicks, Lakers and Celtics come to town.

Some of you remember the Cat Crazies from the Bobcats days. A seven-win season wasn't kind to those faithful warriors, but it proves the seed of this has been here a long time. Now is the season to water it.

How it could happen

The challenge for both the Hornets and Panthers is 20 to 30 years of season tickets and corporate seats you'd need to work around. Atlanta proved it's possible if the team wants it. The way fans can create that desire: make the section a partner-branded asset the team can sell. I can hear the groans. But when something is dug in this deep, we don't have the luxury Charlotte FC had of starting with a section on day one. A sponsored section is likely what moves the needle.

The key is that it has to be authentic, a real relationship between all parties. The team and partner have to understand that the value of this section IS the fans. If you're going to have a "supporters section," the supporters need to be involved.

This wasn't about the HOW, it was about the WHY. Charlotte is growing up, and we have innovative ideas about how we want to support our teams. We'd love the chance to build that culture, especially when it can be a win on and off the floor for the Hornets.

Want to be part of the next takeover? Crown Club members get discounts on our organized away trips. See this season's trips, and if you can't travel, find your people at a TEALgate before every home game.