I grew up with this team

[ItsNotGonnaBeAlright]

Something I like to reflect on, and since we take the field in our second Superbowl in two days I thought I'd bring it up. There isn't a moment of Carolina Panthers history that I have missed.

Please note, this isn't me trying to be "better" than anyone who hasn't been a fan of the team since day one, and it isn't saying that being a fan since day one is some how noteworthy. Fan bases are built, over time and with success, just how it works. If you say you pull for the Carolina Panthers today, then you're ok in my book. I might be a bit of an ass, but you're still ok.

I was 8 years old when it was announced that the league would decide where to put two new NFL franchises. I only remember it because I grew up in a family that was pretty well obsessed with the NFL (albiet, they were all Cowboys fans). I asked my mom every day if they had said anything in the news about the new teams after that. I was intensely hopeful that there would be a team in NC. And then, in October, they announce that Charlotte was getting a team. I was freaking ecstatic! My dad kept me in the loop after that. He even took me to the groundbreaking event for Ericsson Stadium. I actually got to go to the first "home" game in Death Valley. And I've been a die hard ever since, through every up and down. 

Sitting here on the eve of watching my team in to fiftieth Superbowl, it really feels good to sit and say I got to be there for all of it. A lot of people will hold the fact that the Panthers are a young franchise against it, but I wouldn't trade anything for the experience of growing up along side this team. If you are a newbie to the team, I do hope you'll stick around, but man you missed some fun times :) (and not so fun ones as well...)

Anyway, Keep Pounding :)

[davos]

I made a drunk post like this but it sucked lol.  Nice work duder

[ItsNotGonnaBeAlright]

1 minute ago, davos said:

I made a drunk post like this but it sucked lol.  Nice work duder

Drunk fandom still counts, bro :)

[2jakefansinva]

It is sweet.....isn't it!

[Cat]

Some dude at Trader Joe's tried to test my Fandom with a quiz at check out. He thought he was going to expose a bandwagon fan. He picked the wrong girl to mess with. 

[JJT]

I grew old with this team. 

 

My last hurrah. 

[outlaw4]

I was in LA when the Panthers came into being. Wasn't really a football fan until the Greatest Show on Turf won the Super Bowl and even then, it was more of a casual fling. To this day, I can't remember exactly when I started paying attention to the Panthers but it was definitely sometime in 2003 when they kept pulling off close wins. I loved how they played the game and when (ironically) they faced the Rams in the playoffs, they had me sold at X-Clown.

Haven't budged ever since although I'll admit there's a lot of things I can't recall off the top of my head about the last 13 years, good and bad. It's quite odd memory I have. For example, I still remember St Pierre hooking up with Gettis for a long TD in 2010 but forgot how many good players we lost the first game of 2006. 

[JawnyBlaze]

Mine is a similar story :) I was 13 when the Panthers were made.  I had already been an NFL fan for 5 years (first was a fan of Lawrence Taylor, then in 92 switched to the Cowboys pre-SB cuz they were fun to watch).  I was the ONLY football fan in my entire family, though.  I started by randomly flipping on the Redskins vs Bills Super Bowl at the age of 8 (or so, don't remember exactly, just did backwards math) and instantly became hooked.  I still vividly remember watching that one, I made a big yellow bowl of popcorn with some Lawry's seasoning salt and was mesmerized.  Needless to say, switched over to Panthers in 95 and never looked back :)  Love this team.

[Kakarot]

6 years old when the Panthers first started playing. 27 years old, and got a little boy on the way. He will grow up with the panthers, just like I did. He'll be joining the fan club at a great time. Future is bright for this club, and a bunch of winning in the forecast. 

I can't wait to tell him, "son, things weren't always this sweet." "We weren't always this good."