Ironically, the team that affectionately know as the “Knights” got its start as the “Hornets” back in 1901. Over the years, the team has changed its name, changed where is plays and changed its professional baseball affiliation, but it was not until 2011 when things got really exciting.
In 2011, the Charlotte City Council and the mecklenburg County Commission approved the construction plans that would bring the Knights into Uptown Charlotte. A $54 million stadium was built and opened its doors in the spring of 2014. At that point, the Knights (a AAA minor league team in the International League) revamped their brand to include new logos and color schemes, to go along with their Chicago White Sox affiliation and their new home.
The move into Uptown created such a buzz amongst folks in Charlotte that attendance surpassed all 160 Class A, AA, AAA baseball parks across the country.
As stated in the Charlotte Observer: Not bad for a club that had become a bottom feeder in attendance, drawing the smallest crowds in the 14-team International League in four of the past five seasons at its previous home at Knights Stadium near Fort Mill, S.C.
BB&T BallPark – its outfield opening to a stunning view of uptown’s skyline – and Bearden Park have pumped energy into their Third Ward surroundings. For decades, that area was nothing but parking lots and aging industrial buildings.
Now they’re hemmed in by gleaming mid-rise apartments, with more on the way, and new restaurants, bars and shops that cater to park users and baseball fans before and after games. An office tower is expected to start rising by year’s end.
“It’s been an amazing transformation,” said Randy Mobley, president of the International League, which includes the Knights. “We thought it was going to be a great site in uptown Charlotte, but we just weren’t sure. It has surpassed all expectations.
“We’ve got a bunch of nice ballparks in this league, but there’s something special about the one in Charlotte.”
