Support shrinking in the wake of poor Panthers preseason

[2plankingpanther]

It is 7 hours to columbus. Va beach is around 5 1/2

It's 8 hrs to Cincinnati(only away game so far)!

[Miaoww]

I'm as concerned as anyone about the way we've look in pre-season, but I wouldn't be bailing out on my seats because of it.

Anyhow, this guys logic is flawed - he's not showing up because he doesn't want to boo the Panthers? Show up and boo like hell... at the end of the day the Panthers are a business that relies on customer satisfaction just like any other business. They have your money already, so show up and boo - Mr. Richardson will hear it.

The logic would be that by not showing up it tells the owners the fans won't accept the product on the field. The hole in this is of course the fact he's sold the tickets on.

[FLpanfan]

moar liek John Bohner amirite??

[raleigh-panther]

A different opinion.

I would not call anyone who has put up hard earned money since 1997 for tickets, travel, food, and probably hotel rooms a 'fair weather fan'. That's 12 years, 10 games a year, plus any playoff games which cost extra.

As someone who used to watch the games on TV, and saved money for several years to be able to buy PSLs, I now understand the difference between going to the stadium vs. watching on TV.

What's the saying about breakfast? The chicken is involved and the pig is committed.

People who buy season tickets are committed.

He put his money where his mouth and heart is/was.

I have often said with John Fox, its not that his teams' lose, its how they lose.

His 'we picked a bad day to have a bad day' explanation did a helluva lot of damage after that playoff game from a perception perspective.

I would have felt a lot better about the money and time I spent if he had said, 'we sucked, we got beat on all levels and we are going to do whatever it takes to fix it.

but no....'we picked a bad day to have a bad day...'

[Upper Deck West End Zone]

John Rohne is an idiot and Fowler's column was embarrassing. It does not amaze me that a fan might not understand that 'exhibition' games are just that but an 'award-winning' sports columnist should know better. Plenty of teams that have had great seasons have had poor preseasons.

[Udogg]

Good riddance. Maybe he con convice GMan to sell his and stay away as well.

+1:D

[CRA]

John Rohne is an idiot and Fowler's column was embarrassing. It does not amaze me that a fan might not understand that 'exhibition' games are just that but an 'award-winning' sports columnist should know better. Plenty of teams that have had great seasons have had poor preseasons.

coaches and players care about the teams play in preseason (scores aren't important but a nice bonus if you get a W). Fox is worried based on his team's performance. You know why guys get cut in the preseason? B/c if they can't make plays in practice they can't' make them on Sunday. Carolina's starting defense can't get it done in practice....so there is no logical reason to expect them to get it done when it counts. That is pretty basic and sound logic. They are coming off a season where they got abused the 2nd half of the season....so the preseason performance does seem to be on par with what we saw this group do when the games count........and we have a good idea how they will perform this coming Sunday.

[Peppa Jack Supreme]

I think that Fowler wants the sky to be falling. It was the preseason!!!!!!! Jesus, how many times need to be reminded that it dosent matter! Again, look at the Lions last year, 4-0. Would you rather be 4-0 in the preseason and 0-16 in the regular? At no point during this season was our offense or defense at 100%. Hopefully next sunday we will be closer to 100% and show a good Philly team what we got.

[Cyberjag]

Every year some PSL owners sell their seats, why should this year be different? I’m sure that more than one PSL holder has been re-evaluating the worth of owning season tickets, particularly in tight times. And of all the ones who have been leaning towards selling, how many are justifying it over a poor preseason showing? I don’t know the answer, but I bet there are more than a few.

I’m sure there are also a few fans who decided to cancel cable or tighten their belts in other areas so they can continue to buy season tickets. There are also fans who decided to drive their clunkers for a few more years and purchase PSLs for the first time.

It’s really telling which sort of fan Fowler sought out for his latest opinion piece.

BTW, is the stadium going to sell out next Sunday? Is there a larger amount of PSLs for sale than normal? We'll never know unless we research it ourselves, because the "reporter" who wrote the story on one fan's attendance would probably have undermined the point he was trying to make had he included those answers. If he bothered looking them up, that is...

[Lakejamescat]

So when we spend money we are more "invested" in the team than if we go to our living room each Sunday and watch win or lose? I just don't get that. Personally I am sick of folks who start their statement by saying something to the effect of ..."I have been a PSL holder for ....blah, blah ...and I am not driving back to see another .....blah, blah .... I am not a PSL holder but would love to be in a financial position to purchase a couple. However, I have been just as invested in this team since day 1. Investing money and driving down from wherever doesn't make you more or less of a "fan" than someone who watches each game from their home.

Half of the fun of rooting for a team is to be able to vent and get pissed off when things are not going well. How a person handles their displeasure is also up to them. But to jump off the Band Wagon and jump back on the Band Wagon is annoying to see. For Fowler to write this article about some random guy pouting and taking is ball and going home does not impress me at all. Scott, how about interviewing people who are not Band Wagon Jumpers and are sticking by the team through the rough times.

[Cyberjag]

I think that Fowler wants the sky to be falling.

He probably subscribes to the notion that bad news sells papers. Maybe he should start thinking, "Good news about your local team and thoughtful, well-written columns sell papers" instead. His way sure hasn't been working out well lately...

[Lakejamescat]

Good riddance. Maybe he con convice GMan to sell his and stay away as well.

Preach on Brother! A fair weather fan is a fair weather fan....it doesn't matter if he drives from Cleveland to Charlotte each Sunday for ten years and then gives up....Who t f cares? Doesn't make him a better or worse fan than anyone else.

[Lakejamescat]

John Rohner is a big Panthers fan. He has had season tickets since 1997. He lives in Myrtle Beach, commuting with his wife four hours each way to most home games to sit in their upper-deck seats in Section 534. Before the Rohners moved to Myrtle Beach in 2004, they commuted from Columbus, Ohio ndash; seven hours each way ndash; to the majority of Panthers home games.p/But Rohner grew disgusted with the Panthers during their 0-4 preseason. He has sold his two tickets for the season opener against Philadelphia.

More...

So, Who Cares!!!!! ..... John, sell the rest of them and save the gas money.

[ItsNotGonnaBeAlright]

A different opinion.

I would not call anyone who has put up hard earned money since 1997 for tickets, travel, food, and probably hotel rooms a 'fair weather fan'. That's 12 years, 10 games a year, plus any playoff games which cost extra.

As someone who used to watch the games on TV, and saved money for several years to be able to buy PSLs, I now understand the difference between going to the stadium vs. watching on TV.

What's the saying about breakfast? The chicken is involved and the pig is committed.

People who buy season tickets are committed.

He put his money where his mouth and heart is/was.

I have often said with John Fox, its not that his teams' lose, its how they lose.

His 'we picked a bad day to have a bad day' explanation did a helluva lot of damage after that playoff game from a perception perspective.

I would have felt a lot better about the money and time I spent if he had said, 'we sucked, we got beat on all levels and we are going to do whatever it takes to fix it.

but no....'we picked a bad day to have a bad day...'

I understand his reasoning for not wanting to attend games that he has bad feelings about. Until I went to watch the team against the 49ers in 2007, I had never once attended a home game that the team won (bad timing I guess). Considering that I don't have enough disposable income to afford a PSL, every game I ever attended was a special choice and that always made it even more significantly dissapointing when they lost.

Sports are a massive investment, both financially and emotionally, and being afraid of that investment being for nothing makes perfect sense.

However, what makes him a fair weather fan is, after all the money and heart he has put into supporting this team, he's still backing out because he is convinced that the team will fail due to problems seen in rehersal. Regardlaess of his past history, anyone who won't even give the team the chance to perform when it counts because they are worried that things won't work out for the best is a fair weather fan. End of story.