
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, September 4, 1993                   TAG: 9309040170
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ROANOKE VALLEY POOR SPORTS AREA

I was reading an article the other day in your paper where you were quoting Mayor Bowers. He said that Virginia Tech needed to be in the ACC in order for more interest to be created in the Tech-UVa series. That is one of the craziest things that I have every heard of in my entire life.

I think that a question should be answered in this situation. What does Tech have to offer the ACC? There has been some talk of Tech trying to get into the ACC over the years. The ACC does not want Tech, pure and simple. I do not care if UVa does get off their duffs and pushes for Tech to be a member. That will never happen.

Let us face some cruel hard facts. The Roanoke Valley has never been and never will be a good sports area. You can not compare the Valley with North Carolina. The people there are real fans. The Greensboro Coliseum has been filled for high school basketball. Has this ever happened in Roanoke? Look at the other major events that take place in North Carolina. You may ask, why? We all know that a major event in North Carolina sells out in no time at all. Here in Roanoke you have to beg the public to buy a ticket.

South Carolina is not as large as Virginia in size nor population. Clemson and South Carolina draw 70,000 plus fans for every home game. Has this ever happened in Virginia?

If I were the athletic directors at Tech and UVa, I would have moved the basketball game to Landover, Md. Why sell 8,000 tickets when you could sell 18,000? By moving the game the schools will have an additional gross of $150,000. In this day of tight budgets, etc., $150,000 will go a long way into funding more programs.

ROGER D. SINK\ SALEM

by CNB