Ghosts in the stadium: How the past conflicts with our fandom

A WRAL documentary examines the complicated history of some of North Carolina's most cherished football stadiums.
Posted 10/23/2023, 10:46:00 PM Updated 10/25/2023, 10:21:32 PM

THAT IT IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH

ITS MANUFACTURING PARTNERS TO

ACCELERATE ADDITIONAL SUPPLY.

A BRAND-NEW WRAL DOCUMENTARY

GHOSTS IN THE STADIUM EXAMINES

THE COMPLICATED HISTORY AT 4

ICONIC FOOTBALL STADIUMS IN

THE CAROLINAS.

>> WRAL, INVESTIGATIVE

DOCUMENTARY REPORTER KRISTEN

SEVERANCE PRODUCED THE DOCK.

IT'S HOSTED BY CHRIS LEE.

KRISTEN INTERVIEWED CHRIS ABOUT

THE PROJECT.

>> I'M JOINED NOW WITH WRAL

ANCHOR CHRIS LEE, HOST OF OUR

BRAND NEW DOCUMENTARY GOES IN

THE STADIUM. CHRIS, THIS IS

FINALLY, YOU KNOW, GOING TO BE

RELEASED, YOU KNOW, TO THE

WORLD AFTER WE'VE WORKED ON

THIS FOR MONTHS NOW, WANT TO

START BY EXPLAINING, YOU KNOW

WHY YOU STARTED EVEN LOOKING

INTO, YOU KNOW, THE HISTORY OF

THE STADIUM'S. I THINK THE ONE

THAT REALLY STARTED OFFICE LAST

YEAR, OCTOBER 1ST, WHAT WAS

GOING ON THE CLEMSON WITH PAT

WELTER TO COVER THIS BIG NORTH

CAROLINA STATE AT CLEMSON GAME.

AND AS I WAS GOING INTO THE

STADIUM IN THE MEDIA ENTRANCE,

LOOK TO MY RIGHT AND SEE THIS

PLACARD THAT SAID THAT.

>> THIS IS THE BURIAL GROUND, A

FORMER ENSLAVED PEOPLE AND

THERE WERE NO MARKINGS. AND SO

WHEN I GOT INSIDE AND WANTED TO

LOOK INTO IT A LITTLE BIT MORE

AND SAW THE SCHOOL JUST

PUBLICLY KNOWLEDGE. IT WAS

THERE JUST A YEAR BEFORE THAT.

SO I WANT TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT

MORE. I FELT LIKE THIS NEEDED

MORE THAN JUST A MINUTE AND

30 PACKAGE, RIGHT? YEAH, IT'S

STUCK WITH YOU. AND THEN YOU

STARTED LOOKING INTO THESE

OTHER STADIUMS, RIGHT? YEAH.

ALREADY KNEW ABOUT BANK OF

AMERICA STADIUM BEEN COVERING

THE PANTHERS FOR A WHILE HERE

AND AT MY PREVIOUS JOB. SO I

KNEW ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING

THERE AND THEN I READ

WILMINGTON'S LIE BY DAVID

TURKEY. KNOW AND I KNEW A

LITTLE BIT MORE FROM THAT BOOK

ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE AND KEENAN

WHO KENAN MEMORIAL STADIUM WAS

NAMED AFTER ORIGINALLY. AND I

DIDN'T KNOW THAT BEFORE.

AND SO ONCE I KNEW ABOUT THOSE

3 STADIUMS. I HAD TO TALK TO

HEATHER HERE, WHO'S YOU KNOW,

RESIDENT HISTORIAN WITH THE

DOZEN WRO HIDDEN HISTORY.

AND THEN SHE TOLD ME ABOUT

CARTER FINLEY STADIUM AND

THAT'S A LITTLE FIGHT FOR ME

THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE

ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING. THERE'S

A DISCUSSION THAT NEEDS TO

HAPPEN. DEFINITELY. I'M SO GLAD

YOU PITCHED AS A DOCUMENTARY

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, CONNECTING

ALL OF THEM.

>> AND RESEARCHING ALL OF THE

SITE. I LEARNED SO MUCH YOUR

FROM NORTH CAROLINA. YOU

LEARNED SO MUCH. WHAT DO YOU

HOPE THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE

WALK AWAY WITH AFTER WATCHING

>> AT THE END OF THE DAY, I

WANT MORE DISCUSSIONS TO

HAPPEN. WE'RE IN AN INTERESTING

TIME RIGHT NOW IN OUR SOCIETY

WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE RUNNING

AWAY FROM HISTORY BECAUSE THERE

ARE FREE TO FEEL BETTER TO MAKE

OTHERS FEEL BAD. AND I THINK

THAT'S NOT THE WAY TO KIND OF

GO ABOUT THINGS RIGHT. LIKE

WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT WE

WEREN'T AROUND FOR WHAT

HAPPENED BACK IN THE DAY.

BUT WHAT HAPPENED HUNDREDS OF

YEARS AGO DOES IMPACT OUR

COMMUNITIES. LOOK TODAY.

AND SO WE COULD TALK ABOUT

THESE THINGS WE CAN UNDERSTAND

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THAT,

HOW IT IMPACTS DAY. MAYBE WE

CAN MAKE A BETTER FUTURE FOR

OUR KIDS. RIGHT? AND EVERY

HISTORIAN, EVERY PROFESSOR WE

INTERVIEWED SAID THE SAME

THING. LET'S TALK ABOUT IT

BECAUSE IT'S TRUE. IT HAPPENED.

HOPE YOU ALL CAN WATCH GOES IN.