Baseball

Minor league baseball has existed in Charlotte since 1901, but with some gaps.  An independent team until 1937, the Charlotte Hornets affiliated with the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins until 1973, when the team folded.  Crockett Promotions, the Charlotte wrestling promoter, revived the franchise as the Charlotte O's, a farm team for the Baltimore Orioles, in 1976.  Later renamed the Charlotte Knights, the team became a triple-A franchise in 1993 and have played in Fort Mill, South Carolina since Crockett Park in Dilworth burned in 1985.

Baseball has been an integral part of Charlotte's identity.  A 1957 article exclaims, "Baseball means money to Charlotte," with the Hornets reinvesting about $200,000 back into the community. 

Three Baseball Hall of Famers played minor-league baseball in Charlotte:  Harmon Killebrew, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken.  Curt Schilling, who is eligible for the 2013 ballot, would make four if inducted.