CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) On the court, the Bobcats are getting beat again and again. But on the street…well, more specifically, in their store…small victories seem to be adding up.
That's where we found 16-year-old Worth Williams today, shopping for Bobcat merchandise. Sure, he can get frustrated by the team's terrible record.
"Yeah, of course," Williams said. "But I know it's all for the best because we're going to be better down the road."
Bobcats fans are acting awfully optimistic, and that attitude is actually starting to lift the team's luck in business.
"I go in the team store about once a month and try to buy something," said Charlotte resident Brett Alge. He has been going to more games, too."Yeah, just trying to support them."
It's working. The Bobcats say attendance is up 12% at home games. Ticket revenue is up 13%. And at the team store, merchandise sales have spiked 31%, in part because it now sells owner Michael Jordan's infamous shoes and Nike-brand gear.
WFNZ radio host Taylor Zarzour says, overall, this truly is a case of locals wanting to help out.
"Well, I think that people just really want this team to win," he says. "They're tired of this team losing, so they're trying their best to support this team."
And Zarzour is certainly doing his part. He is pledging to run to work every day until the Bobcats break their 16-game losing streak. The trek is 10 miles long.
"If they don't win for a while, I'm in real trouble," Zarzour said. "Like…I'm going to look like Tom Hanks in Castaway or Forrest Gump."
Copyright 2012 WBTV. All rights reserved.
