When sports teams win championships, one of the benefits received is usually the placement of signs along major highways that honors said achievement. This is what the North Carolina Department of Transportation did in honor of North Carolina winning the national title. But according to the News & Observer some rival fans are none too pleased with the placement of two of these signs.
The two signs in question were placed on Interstate 40 in Raleigh, with one (which is visible to those driving east) being just three miles away from NC State’s home arena. For those driving westbound on I-40, there’s a visible sign at the Wake-Durham county line.
According to the News & Observer, the signs were placed at those spots in order to grab the attention of passengers deplaning at nearby Raleigh-Durham International Airport. But even with that being the case, someone had to know that the placement of the signs would not go over well with the fan base that calls Raleigh home.
@NCDOT Jen Thompson-If the decision to place the UNC-ch ‘17 MBB Champ sign close to @unccharlotte on 85 was an error with “no ill-will intended”, the decision to place it on I-40 just before Wade Ave and the Carter Finley sign must be a bad joke, right?. @NCStateAlumni @NCState pic.twitter.com/DoTeqlS6O6
— Murph (@MurphyMR80) February 19, 2018
In November, North Carolina’s request for eight signs to be erected across the state in acknowledgement of the men’s basketball team’s achievement was approved by the North Carolina Board of Transportation. A sign placed along I-85 also drew criticism, as some believed it to be too close to the UNC Charlotte (its sports teams are referred to simply as Charlotte) campus. That sign would ultimately be moved to a spot close to the South Carolina state line.
And given the reactions to the signs along I-40, one has to wonder if the locations of those two signs will change as well.