According to the Charlotte Observer, the stadium authority is now pressing for a new 3 year lease agreement with the team, which would potentially delay any consideration of a downtown move until the middle of the next decade.

the holdup at this point has been a single lawyer, Jerry Reese, who has filed motion after injunction against the city of Charlotte over the placement of the new stadium on the site of some land acquired in a convoluted land-swap agreement a few years ago. While his arguments have some merit in regards to the original intent for land use in the swap, the ulterior motive has clearly been an effort to put the stadium on land owned and controlled by Mr. Reese a few miles north of the proposed site as the anchor to a larger development project.

Mr. Reese has been a proponent of a major league park, but by most accounts, the city and surrounding region remain 10-20 years premature to being a viable MLB location.

The Park
Easy to spot with it’s iconic baseball water tower, Knights Stadium is just off of interstate 77, and across the state line in Fort Mill, SC. Plenty of parking, which they’ve only started charging for in the last few years.  Inside, seating extends down both baselines and ends with grassy berms for overflow seating in the OF corners.  There are no outfield grandstands. There are 2nd deck bleachers, that rarely see many customers, as sellouts are rare.

Concession stands are generally located on the outside wall of the concourse, so the entire walkway has unobstructed views of ther action on the field. This also gives the walkways a very open light feeling. There’s a picnic area in th e left field corner for group outings, and a kids play area in right with inflatables, a merry go round and a miniature golf course.

The ball flies out of Knights Stadium with regularity, as it is known as a hitters park. The dimensions down the lines are short, so pull hitters tend to feast.  There have been nice improvements to the scoreboard in center, and the general sightlines around the park are clear and bright.

One odd quirk of the stadium is the wild pattern of the seats.  The colors are supposed to be reminiscent of an Alexander Julian sweater. An NC native, Julian is also responsible for the explosion of teal in pro sports that began with the NBA’s Charlotte (now New Orleans) Hornets.

Concessions
Charlotte lacks a signature item in their concession stands, foodservice is generally pedestrian.  they’ve got an open flame grill where you can get a better cut of burger or sausage, but nothing really screams unique here. The barbecue they serve, which considering you’re in NC could be a defining moment, is pre-processed and inedible when there are so many great ‘cue options elsewhere.

The Verdict
It’s a great place to watch a game.. really accessible and fan friendly. It’s just bland. There also doesn’t seem to be an effort to make the park stand out in any way. They rely on being clean cut, family friendly entertainment at a good value, and they succeed at that. But as minor league parks go, they just haven’t found the “hook” that makes them a destination. With so many other baseball options within a 90 minute drive, they need to step up their game.

70/100