Working on a Knights' move.

• Position: Charlotte Knights

The Charlotte Sports Commission, a nonprofit that supports the region's sporting events and organizations, released a study in February that claims the industry generated $2.2 billion in direct and indirect spending last year in Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cabarrus, Union and Anson counties and in adjacent York County, S.C. That same month, the Charlotte Knights, the minor-league baseball team based in Fort Mill, S.C., unveiled a report asserting it could increase that figure if it gets a downtown Charlotte ballpark, which it has been pursuing for years and already has the land for. Both studies were prepared by UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton, the Queen City's go-to-guy for economic-impact studies. "If Connaughton were a meteorologist, "a Charlotte Observer editorial opined March 5, "Charlotte's forecast would be sunny 340 days a year." He says the ballpark would generate $66.4 million and create 749 jobs in Mecklenburg if it's open by 2014. That's much more than the $17.3 million and 308 jobs the team generated for York last year, says Knights General Manager Dan Rajkowski. "The...