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Tory BarronESPN Editor
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- Tory Barron is a Bristol-based writer and editor for ESPN.com. After retiring from playing lacrosse at UConn, the DC native decided to try her hand at writing about people who play sports.
On Tuesday, Eric Church released a statement through Ticketmaster, informing fans that he would be canceling his sold-out show at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on Saturday to attend the Final Four showdown of the men’s NCAA tournament between his beloved North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke attend Blue Devils.
With an album titled “Carolina” and songs packed with lyrics that evoke the wonders of his hometown of Granite Falls, the country music star has never been one to shy away from declaring his loyalty to the state of North Carolina. But Church’s devotion never seemed to bother fans coming from other places until now.
To a die-hard UNC fan, the decision to prioritize the first Final Four meeting in tournament history between the two legendary programs (and the last to involve a guy they call “Coach K”) seems like a no-brainer. Heck, for any devoted college basketball fan, the choice probably seems like a reasonable one. But to a country music fan who’s already booked a flight and hired a babysitter to hear Church Croon’s “Springsteen” and “Talladega” live? Not as much.
“This Saturday, my family and I will stand together to cheer for the Tar Heels as the team makes it to the Final Four. As a lifelong Carolina basketball fan, I’ve watched Carolina and Duke battle it out over the years and making it into the Final Four for the first time in NCAA tournament history is every sports enthusiast’s dream,” Church said in a message to his fans, too known as the “Church Choir”.
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He continued, “It’s also the most selfish thing I’ve ever asked the choir to do: give up your plans for Saturday night with us so I can have that moment with my family and my sports community. However, it’s the same type of passion of the people who fill the seats at our concerts that makes us want to be part of a crowd at a game of this importance. Woody Durham always said, “Go where you go and do what you do.” [T]Thanks for letting me go and be with the Tar Heels.”
The message sent to the ticket holders via Ticketmaster was accompanied by an automatic refund notice. Yet backlash on Twitter was swift (odd…) with fans pointing out that Church should have foreseen the possibility of UNC going on a deep tournament run, noting that he needed to honor his earlier commitment.
While it seems unlikely that Church will regret his decision, this seems like a opportune time to share some wisdom that avid sports fans know to be true: No planning for important life events during March Madness.
Just do not.