(12-08-2011 04:28 PM)Sactowndog Wrote:  

(12-08-2011 12:39 AM)jvllepirate Wrote:  There are 4 bcs teams but wake forest and duke are small private schools with no real following. Id say UNC is the most popular in the state(for basketball reasons) and nc state and ecu are on par if we arent close behind, with each other in terms of followings and graduates. The panthers have no effect on people cheering for ECU in this state. North Carolina is a college state similar to how georgia is with the atlanta falcons. The panthers draw well but while there are some there are not many who only follow the NFL like stats up north do.

How far away are the pathers by drive time? If it is less than a couple hours then it is reasonable competition for the entertainment dollar.

Fresno is at best with traffic a 4 hour drive from the nearest pro football team and a 3 hour drive to the Kings in the North and a 3 hour drive to UCLA in the Rosebowl to the south.

The Panthers are 4.5 hours from Greenville. It's almost closer going to see the Washington Redskins play. East Carolina just about owns the market for everything east of I-95. There are no major universities aside from maybe UNC Wilmington and no pro teams. The market runs from Myrtle Beach SC to Tidewater, VA. We also pull viewers from all over the Central/Western side of the state. Yes there are fans that like UNC or NC State, but the majority will tell you ECU or they pull for ECU too. There is a market, it's just some people can't think out of the box or the city in this case.