10 most ridiculous Charlotte sports moments of 2022

Here’s a look at Charlotte’s 10 most ridiculous (and shocking and delightful) sports moments from 2022, both on and off the field.

Of note: This list is through Dec. 19, and with more than a week left, something crazy could still happen.

1. Tepper vs. Rock Hill

Work stopped on the Carolina Panthers headquarters in March, and legal volleys began flying back and forth, but things seem to be winding down after a tense legal battle.

• A federal judge signed a bankruptcy settlement on the morning of Dec. 16, which would give the title to the site to the city of Rock Hill. GT Real Estate (Panthers owner David Tepper’s real estate arm) will pay York County $21 million and contractors receive $60 million.

2. You’re fired

All three of Charlotte’s major league head coaches were fired within six months: Charlotte Hornets’ James Borrego in April, Charlotte FC’s Miguel Ángel Ramírez in May and Panthers’ Matt Rhule in October.

• Borrego took the Hornets to their first winning season since 2015-16, but couldn’t get the team to the playoffs during his four-year stint in Charlotte. The Hornets brought Steve Clifford back over the summer.
• Ramírez couldn’t connect with his players and was sacked less than a year on the job. Interim head coach Christian Lattanzio replaced him and ultimately was named permanent head coach.
• Rhule was Tepper’s first head coaching hire, but neither of them have seen a winning season here. Charlotte native Steve Wilks is currently serving as interim head coach.

The Charlotte 49ers Will Healy was fired after going 1-7 to start the season. He’s been replaced by Michigan’s associate head coach, Biff Poggi. 

Yes, but: Turnover wasn’t limited to coaches; a number of executives departed the front office too, many from TSE, including former TSE president Tom Glick, TSE CEO Nick Kelly, TSE COO Mark Hart and Charlotte FC technical director Marc Nicholls, to name a few.

3. Charlotte is a soccer city

Our sports scene can be ridiculous in a good way, like Charlotte FC’s inaugural season (minus a few hiccups). Charlotte has long had a soccer presence, but it took a major league team to unite all of the separate pockets under one banner.

• Charlotte FC fans singing the national anthem together became an unexpected tradition. To hear nearly 75,000 people pick up where Michelle Brooks-Thompson’s mic cut out was something special.

4. We told you this was golf country

Charlotte became the first place in the Southeast to host the Presidents Cup, and the event put Charlotte in the global spotlight.

5. QB carousel

Cam Newton was the last true face of the franchise for the Carolina Panthers, and no, I’m not talking about his brief stint here in 2021. Think Superman in his original form, before he forgot how to fly.

• Baker Mayfield came and went in less than six months and struggled with injuries during his brief time here.
• It’s up to Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker to deliver a Christmas miracle for Carolina, because they’re somehow still in the playoff hunt.

6. Another broken promise

Eastland finally broke ground, but it did so without its intended sports anchor, Tepper Sports and Entertainment. Instead, Charlotte FC’s headquarters will be at a different site in east Charlotte, and Eastland Yards, as it’s now called, is juggling proposals for a tennis complex and possible aquatics complex.

7. Goodbye, CMC

In October, Charlotte said goodbye to running back and fan favorite Christian McCaffrey, whom the Panthers traded to the San Francisco 49ers.

• McCaffrey, rumored to be in trade talks since the team fired Rhule, is one of the NFL’s bona fide superstars. He was arguably the face of the franchise until this fall.

8. CLT vs. CHA

Spare us your CLT jokes. Hornets fans are just happy to see what many deem the appropriate designation for Charlotte across the front of their City Edition uniform. It may not be forever, but at least this season, they’ll see CLT instead of CHA.

9. That’s not a frisbee

Charlotte is becoming a disc golf mecca, but there are plenty of people who are new to the sport and don’t realize you play with discs, not frisbees. Correct terminology is the mark of a true aficionado.

10. Pickleball is having a moment

You’ve at least heard of the sport at this point, even if you haven’t played it. Pickleball’s rapidly rising popularity isn’t just reflected at country clubs, neighborhoods and parks adding courts, but businesses want to capitalize on it in a food-meets-sports way, with places like Rally heading to LoSo in 2023.

Zoom out: Here are a couple notable moments in Charlotte sports this year:

• HBCU’s held the spotlight over Labor Day weekend in Charlotte between the Aggie-Eagle Classic and the Charlie Sifford Centennial.
• The inaugural Jumpman Invitational will take over Spectrum Center this week, featuring women’s and men’s basketball teams from Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Florida.
• Hornets’ Miles Bridges, Montrezl Harrell and James Bouknight were all arrested before the start of the NBA regular season.