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As long as Hornets win, they can make it in N.O.

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by Susan Edwards / Eyewitness News

Posted on October 30, 2009 at 8:59 PM

Updated Friday, Oct 30 at 10:04 PM

Don't ask Jim Gosey to pick between the black and gold or the purple and teal.

"That's like chosing between crawfish and shrimp. Crawlfish season, shrimp season, or steak and chicken. I Can't make that choice," he said.

Instead, you'll find him cheering on both the Hornets and the Saints, and he hopes the Saints' stellar success doesn't hinder the Hornets fan base.

"They are going to play hard. Hopefully the fans will come which is the whole thing. Fans support the whole organization, the economy's the biggest issue. If the economy wasn't the issue maybe they wouldn't be competing for dollars," said Gosey.

With all eyes on the Saints -so far- perfect 6-0 record, that concern is undertandable.

"I think one thing you could say is if the Hornets were to be a disappointment on the court, you may start to see attendance trail off or hear people say,  'I spent all my money at the Saints earlier in the year," said Dr. Peter Ricchiuti, finance professor at Tulane University's Freeman School of Business. 

Dr. Ricchiuti said ultimately, the Hornets hold their own fate, because even in tough economic times, people tend to spend money for entertainment, ass long as it's good entertainment.

"I do think if both teams can have winning seasons there is enough money in this town to support both of them," he said. 

This time last year, the Hornets sold about 10,000 season tickets. They haven't reached that same mark this year yet, but say they expect to.
Meanwhile, fans feel confident the Saints' success, can only help Hornets step up their game.

"We have a lot of LSU fans, Saints fans, Hornets fans and I think there's room enough for all three," Nicole Stoufflet.

"The hornets fans and owner support the Saints, you get the same thing back from the Saints and their owners supporting the Hornets, so I think you'll see the same thing from fans, we want success," said Gail Gibson.
 

 

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