Some fans are asking whether a piece of local sports history was simply wasted. Renovations at Raleigh's Lenovo Center have stripped out hundreds of seats.
That debate intensified when two 'Canes fans hauled away 59 seats they believed were headed for the trash, then returned them after being told to bring them back.
Here's what to know
According to WRAL, the ongoing renovation has 'Canes and Wolfpack fans asking where the old seats ended up.
In June, avid 'Canes fans Bob Padula and Mike Wolstenholme said a construction-worker friend texted them that crews planned to throw the seats out and that they were free to take some.
Padula said, "The Lenovo Center superintendent told her and other construction workers that they could take as many of these seats as they wanted as long as they did it within 48 hours because the rest were getting thrown out."
The pair said the chairs felt like hockey memorabilia worth saving. "You're talking about the seats people probably paid $1,500 to sit in for three hours for the home games of the Stanley Cup?" Wolstenholme asked. "I'd say we should go get some of those."
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They said they took 59 seats home on a truck but were told the next day to give them back and complied. Padula also said their friend was fired a few days later, which the pair believe was tied to the seats. He said the friend is planning legal action against the construction company.
More background
Sports arenas often sell old seats or put them up for auction instead of throwing them out.
To Padula, the way the seats were handled never added up. "The whole thing doesn't seem right," he said. "Something's wrong there. I don't know what they were thinking."
The two men told WRAL they believe roughly 700 chairs were involved, and Padula argued they could have been put to better use. "Someone at the Lenovo Center could've taken those 700 chairs, put them in storage, and offered them to charity or season ticket holders," he added. "It's not that difficult."
WRAL emailed arena officials to ask what instructions crews received about the seats, why they weren't sold, and where they are now. The station hadn't heard back at the time of its report.
For now, it's unclear where the seats ended up. "When we were in the parking lot we saw a lot of cars and trucks leave with construction workers taking those seats," Padula explained. "They probably still have them — which is fine — and I'm sure a good portion of the 700 of them were destroyed."
Where can I learn more?
Other venues and brands have been trying to cut waste too, with refills, reusable packaging, and recycling.
• At Chicago's United Center, a bottle-free refill system cut single-use plastic around the arena.
• At the Champions League final, reusable trays and cups replaced much of the usual packaging.
• In Nashville, Coca-Cola's waste-cutting push reached sports venues and nearby theme parks.
• In Athens, illegal work at Panathenaic Stadium triggered backlash over changes to a historic venue.
• In the U.K., reverse vending machines offered rewards for recycling bottles at theme parks.
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