The ACC Championship Game has a home at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium through at least 2030.Courtesy of Charlotte Sports Foundation / David Jensen
No. 3: Charlotte
Score: 74.5
We promise, this isn’t home cooking. It’s a result of the country’s fourth-fastest growing city checking nearly every box on our list. The city’s oversized motorsports footprint — 15 top-tier racing teams, a premier venue, league offices and hall of fame — is a clear advantage. There are also more than 1,000 sports media professionals in the market, many working for ESPN at the SEC and ACC networks and ESPN Events. Agencies are well represented by offices for GMR Marketing, Bespoke Sports & Entertainment, Octagon, Elevate Sports Ventures and QuintEvents, among others.
Sports properties (28): The addition of Charlotte FC gave the city three big league teams in addition to its six minor league franchises and five NCAA Division I athletic programs. The ACC is moving its headquarters to Charlotte from Greensboro, N.C., where it had been since the league was founded in 1953, with the conference championship football game in the city through at least 2030. Quail Hollow has been an annual PGA Tour stop since 2003, including the 2017 PGA Championship and 2022 Presidents Cup.
Sponsor footprint (25): Several financial institutions that are also top-tier sports sponsors are headquartered “uptown” and have a strong local portfolio: Bank of America (Panthers naming rights), Truist (Knights naming rights), Ally (Charlotte FC jersey) and Lending Tree (Hornets jersey). Other active sponsors in the market include Continental Tire, Lowe’s, Old Dominion Freight and Bojangles.
Convenience: Charlotte had the second-highest sentiment score of any city in our survey of sports business executives, who consistently noted how easy it is to make several in-person calls in a day or two — NFL, MLS, NBA, NASCAR and Class AAA baseball, along with several top-tier brands and agencies, are within just a few blocks.
Cost: Charlotte scores very well here, with per diem costs a third of the priciest markets, although housing prices have soared faster than many areas in recent years. The average hotel rate is $129, second only to Minneapolis in our top 10 markets.
Did you know… : The U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte was built in 2006 as a U.S Olympic team training site. The 1,300-acre recreation area receives more than a million visitors a year.
What they’re saying: “There’s a ton of movement there, we get lots of interest from our clients when we talk about projects in that market. Charlotte is so underestimated — great city, great prices, beautiful weather, easy to navigate. I just don’t think it gets enough love.” — D.M.
