Charlotte Observer: Sports or Social Engineering?

Yes. You should have been at Providence for the South vs Providence game. I don't know how many peple were there, but I'd bet a whole lot of money that it was more than could have fit into any high school softball venue that I am aware of.

By the way, congrats to your team. They have had great success and deserve to be commended. But do you really think you should come over into our baseball thread to do this softball vs. baseball thing?

 

Well there is no need to bash Cabarrus County Softball they have worked hard and earned whatever coverage is given to them.

 

Nobody is going to bash Central Cabarrus softball. What Monte Sherrill has accomplished rivals Tom Knotts and Independence. Congratulations on your exciting win with Butler. I'm sure Dawgfan is still crying

Girl's softball is the fastest rising amateur sporting event. That's why Langston Wertz picked that sport to cover. I just wish they would give both spring sports more coverage in the C/O during the season instead of waiting for the playoffs.

 

I agree

 

And that is my lament. I don't regret the coverage for the CC girls - except the negative press their coach got for "running it up" - (you can't ask your players to make outs on purpose. Period. Another thread) I am delighted for the coverage they got. Just wish the coverage was more consistent throughout the year when any team is doing well. Charlotte had several highly ranked state teams throughout the year -North Meck, South, Indy, Providence but it would take Matlock to find that out. Instead we get a 3 page sports page that is 1/2
Not ASlight Chance it Ain'tRigged

 

LOL good point

 

CCHSVikefan81,,,, avid Cabarrus County HS baseball fan here, sorry don't know much about girl's softball. But with that said, the one thing I "DO" know is that Central Cabarrus HS is the girl's softball capital in this immediate AREA (include as many schools as you wish, even over into the great state of Mecklenburg :1peekdoor ). Anyway, my point is that yes I realize Central's girl's softball team gets a lot of ink in the Charlotte Observer, but (like CCHSVikefan81 said) they've also won 53 in a row, several "RECENT" state championships, and are currently ranked 4th nationally. I think CC has definitely earned its press coverage.

And btw CCHSVikefan81,,, you mentioned that some 700-900 folks attended a recent Central softball game, well thats not surprising, because I've always heard folks from all over the county talk about going to watch Central play. As stated earlier, Central softball is just a level over everyone else around here. But to answer your question, yes high school baseball games brings those better numbers too, especially in the playoffs. There was "quite a few" in Hickory Monday night to watch Hickory/NW Cabarrus.

Congrats to Central Cabarrus softball and good luck this weekend. You deserve it...

 

i think u folks mostly missed the point. that team and those girls are great as are their accomplishments. BUT the obsoiver article was about their league championship. So what is it that makes their league championship such a dominant news item on that day overshadowing other league champioships?

It can't be justified by readership of the paper or fan turnout that night or any other quantifiable measure. If it was a less than thoughtful business decision on part of the sports editor, the only justification can be...

thats apparently what ATLWood was probing, not softball vs baseball.

 

Major Newspapers

This seems to be a trend among newspapers that consider themselves "regional/major newspapers", but they dont realize that people will buy more papers if more local sports is included from throughout their subscribers' region.

 

I sat for lunch in Concord (home of that treacherous turn left-turn left again-turn left one more time-turn left for the last time- NASCAR track!!! Wow how do those drivers negotiate such a thing??? ) today and thoroughly enjoyed the front page coverage of both the CC Girls and the NW boys quest for the State Championship in their local rag. NASCAR actually took a back seat in its own home town. Great articles about both teams. More ink than all of the high school coverage the Observer has printed in the last month COMBINED. If you really want coverage for hs ball, move north, south , east or west. I have lived in a town with a real regional newspaper, the Dallas Morning News. And they were better than the Observer in covering HS Sports.