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done w/ the nfl. peace out huddle, also ban me mods (THREAD FOR EVERYONE TURNING IN FAN CARDS)

Sean Payton's Vicodin

By Sean Payton's Vicodin,
in Carolina Panthers

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blackcatgrowl Newbie

blackcatgrowl

Posted
Posted

I've avoided posting here for years... but this... this has to be said.... My family and I have been Panthers fans since the team was formed.  I have pictures of my brothers and I all wearing Panthers hats sitting in section 550 of Ericsson Stadium in 1996… my first NFL game.  I’ve wore Panther gear proudly since Collins was the QB, and Mills was playing.  I cheered for them when Beuerlein was taking snaps.  I remember jumping up and almost hitting my head on the ceiling of my apartment when Smith (before he was called “Sr.”) caught that pass in double OT against the Rams.  I remember freezing my arse off on January 3, 2010, the coldest game in BoA Stadium history as we won a meaningless game against a playoff bound Saints team that rested their starters, but it was a win and a fun game.

I have less fond memories too.  I remember watching Collins drink himself out of a job.  I remember watching Biakabutuka fail over and over.    I remember watching them play the Redskins and lose while at a sports bar off Independence Blvd in 1998, almost getting into a bar brawl with a guy chanting “Here we go Redskins, Here we go!”.  I remember screaming at the screen while John Fox has his OC call the exact same 4 plays for 3 or 4 series in a row of stalled drives.  I remember the out of bounds kick in SB 38.  I remember Jimmy Clausen trying to give footballs to kids in the stands from the Carolina 30 yard line.  I remember the months long debates about drafting Cam.  And I recently remember Shula do his best John Fox impersonation with the most uniquely talented player in the NFL, and us still managing to score somehow.  I remember sitting out in the cold for over an hour to hear the President of Bank of America try to talk to us like he belonged on a stage for the Panthers.

Yet, through it all, I’ve stuck with this team.  I’ve gone to every game I could manage or afford to.  I’ve spent thousands of dollars on gear, tickets and paraphernalia.

But this game has done it for me.  I can’t continue anymore.  I’m retiring my gear, and stepping away from the NFL for who-knows-how long.  Maybe forever.

The Panthers never had a chance in Super Bowl 50.  Not because Denver’s D was “So good”.  No… they weren’t.  They barely beat Cleveland in OT in the regular season.  They almost got taken to OT by a depleted New England.  They lost 4 regular season games against several shoddy  teams.  It wasn’t because of the pressure of the game on Cam or anyone else. It wasn’t because of one specific thing.

No… they never had a chance before it even began, because of how advertising, popular opinion, TV ratings, money and the capitalist-consumerism of America and the NFL all play together.

 

Last week, my job took me out of town.  While on the job-site, I wound up working with a complete stranger waiting on very delayed delivery of equipment.  So we had a casual conversation to pass the time.  After short while he revealed that he was a Cleveland OH native, and lifelong – swaddled in an Orange and Brown blanket – Browns fan.

I’d never met one before, but I knew they existed.  One of the worst, if not possibly the worst franchise in the past two decades had to have fans, as they did seem to have people in the stands.

We had long talk about football.  When I tried to claim I had some rough times as a Panther’s fan, the man balked and threw it into perspective.  He described his lifelong agony of coaching carousels, and good players gone to waste.  He talked about bad decisions by ownership and management with salary cap and talent acquisitions.  He remarked on how the Browns just didn’t feel like a team he really wanted to root for anymore.  His spirit was crushed.  He genuinely looked sad and even went on to tell me how he apologized to his own son for indoctrinating him into being a Browns fan too.

I felt a sense of irony… he was almost perfectly describing the dark side of my journey as a Panther’s fan.

And then it hit me.  The Browns aren’t known as having a rich fan base, nor have a high franchise value.  They have never seen any great amount of sustained success.  Nor have we.  As I started thinking about it… this Super Bowl was setting up to become a disaster for the Panthers.  I began to fear the value of our team, the money it represents, and a “narrative” for TV ratings could become tangibly insurmountable.

Forced to wear our Black jerseys, the Panthers were the “bad guys”.  Cam Newton – made into a figurehead for youthful arrogance - became the powerful antagonist.  He was fast and good, and everyone should fear him.  He’s been compared to “gunslingers” of football.  He was coming to steal the horses and rob the bank.

But he was going against “The Sherriff” who wore a white horse logo with a White uniform.  He even had a golden badge on his shirt.  Can you get more of a setup?  The perception by national media is that everyone loves Peyton Manning.  I can even hear the Nationwide jingle now.. ♫Epic sunset ride starts here ♫.  That interview with Peyton in the pre-game show… his emotional choking up about how he wants to just be known as a good teammate.  fuging give the man an Emmy now.

In the past 13 years, more than half the time, the team that has the higher valued franchise (in terms of money) has won the Super Bowl… UNLESS there was strong narrative for the financial underdog.  In fact, they even re-used the same narrative for Eli’s second win over NE.  A few times, the narrative was placed on the more wealthy team.

The game became exactly what I feared it would be.  The Panthers were one of the least penalized teams in the league.  They were the best for turnover differential.  Cam protected the HELL out of the football all year… enough to earn an MVP award.  They were laser focused.

Yet somehow, they got twice as penalized as the Broncos, and committed more turnovers in 60 minutes than they did in the past 5 games.  The team stumbled over their own feet (literally at times) and I actually stopped watching the game after the goal post deflected FG.  I knew it then… the fix was in.  I didn’t check the final score until 10:30PM, as I knew what the outcome was going to be.

FFS… they are even hiding it in plain sight.  Article on NFL.com headline reads “Peyton earns second ring in Hollywood ending”.  They got that poo right.  It’s a perfect script.  Advertisers are happy too… just trying to look up stats on the Panthers on NFL.com, I’m berated with ♫Don’t open that cellar door♫  and ♫Epic comeback starts right here♫.  Bravo Goodell.  Salesman of the century is a title you should hold.  I’m sure you were watching those instant-ratings on your smartphone the whole game.

So… I’m done.  I’m not throwing money at a live action stage play.  I’m not sitting through any more Nationwide commercials.  I’m not buying Budweiser, or Hyundai, or Doritos, and I’m not going spend 1.5 hours of three hours of every Sunday or Monday or Thursday watching their commercials.  I won’t be duped anymore into thinking this is about an honest contest.  I won’t be lied to anymore that everything plays out legit on the field.  I won’ t be sold to anymore.

This isn’t about being a “fan”.  It’s about being real about real life.  The better team did not win today.  The sponsors did.

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Zaximus Veteran

Zaximus

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Posted
1 minute ago, RickyManningJr said:

On the flip side the NFL could have had an interest in having Cam win the game, possibly creating a dynasty with a marketable qb in his prime.

I think Cam is too unpredictable for the NFL to get behind him, unfortunately.  

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Zaximus Veteran

Zaximus

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2 minutes ago, blackcatgrowl said:

I feel ya SPV.  Feel the same way.  At least you are given the right to express your emotions about it.

Your thread should have at least been merged into something like this thread, it was well thought out.  Sorry bro.

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