Retractable Roof

[joemac]

3 minutes ago, PanthersBigD said:

I sat on the 'shaded' side of the stadium as well, and the sun never moved below the back of the upper deck, so the entire stadium got full sun for the entire game. Very few people around us were drinking beer. The stands were sometimes empty, partially because so many fans were hiding from the sun in the tunnels. They'd come back to their seats after a while, but it was brutal for fans with children or elderly parents, and you can't just send them out by themselves. 

I'd love a retractable dome on our stadium, if that's something that can be retrofitted onto our current stadium. 

Not necessarily a retractable dome, but check out what Miami did with their stadium.  They installed a massive canopy seems to work great for them.

[Seltzer]

6 minutes ago, joemac said:

Yeah, im glad I decided to save my 400 dollars or so and not drag my family out to sit in that all day yesterday.

You made the right call, even if they had won. Save your money for a game later in the year. I can't imagine kids sitting through a game like that.

[MVPccaffrey]

5 hours ago, Seltzer said:

2 Things:

1) You obviously weren't at the game.  Sunscreen may protect you from a potential sunburn, but it's not going to do anything against heat stroke, which was a major concern yesterday.  As for the dumb quip about beer, most people I saw weren't drinking yesterday, especially after early on- I assure you that's not ideal for Tepper and the business side of the business.

2) I don't care about your politics, but elected officials have nothing to do with the heat yesterday.  That was just pathetic trolling.

Yes I was at the game.  Want me to send you a snapshot of my program?  I was up in the 500s too, visitors side.

Most Americas don't drink enough water.  At those temps you should be drinking a liter per hour.  Not rocket science.

[Sam Mills Fan]

6 hours ago, Seltzer said:

A lot of fans have dumped on this, including me, but after yesterday I get the rationale for doing it for football reason, beyond just the commercial viability for Tepper.  To state the obvious, the stands did look empty, especially towards the end of both halves. However, if you weren't there, it's hard to explain just how brutal it was.

This was the hottest game I've ever been to in 13 years of being a PSL holder. The only game that came close was the season opener with Buffalo a couple of years ago. Fans for the most part stayed at the game, they just moved to the concourse for self-preservation. A lot of fans came back out for the 2nd half, but again by the end had moved inside. 

There is no doubt IMO the heat directly affected our home-field advantage.  I know people talk about it affecting the opposing team more than the Panthers who practice in the heat, but here's the thing... both team have shade and water spray on the sidelines- they're not cooking when they're not on the field.

The fans have zero protection in the stands.  I sit on the "shady side" of the stadium and it still was a furnace.  

I can't imagine what it was like on the visitor's side of the stadium, the "sunny side."  The club level especially was practically empty, but those fans could either risk heat-stroke (and I heard there was several cases), or go sit in the air-conditioning.  Most of them chose not to tempt death, and that's really not over-exaggerating the conditions.

I got there early to be part of the flag holding ceremony which was incredibly cool.  I was standing right next to Andrew Whitworth and the offensive line- those are some big guys BTW, but it meant being in the sun for 5+ hours. After the game, I was even questioning my commitment to doing this again (going to a game in this kind of heat).

I am now 100% in favor of having a retractable roof for a game like this.  I have no idea if it would have made a difference in the game, but it is too hard to try to be loud and create a home-field advantage when you are trying to prevent heat stroke. 

It would be worth it to Tepper (who wants to give the team the best shot at success) to make the investment for even 1 game a year to prevent yesterday from a viewing experience.  He built the practice bubble to give the players a respite when the temperatures are just too damn hot.  Yesterday was just too damn hot to be an effective fan in the stands.

 

I absolutely agree and it's only going to get worse and hotter as climate change continues to intensify. I wasn't there yesterday, but I was there for the Buffalo game, and holy poo was that heat lodged into my mind. I heard there were multiple people that had to go to the hospital yesterday because of heat stroke.

[SmokinwithWilly]

21 minutes ago, MVPccaffrey said:

Yes I was at the game.  Want me to send you a snapshot of my program?  I was up in the 500s too, visitors side.

Most Americas don't drink enough water.  At those temps you should be drinking a liter per hour.  Not rocket science.

Even drinking a liter of water per hour, the body may not be able to cool itself effectively. I work in the sun and I have to mix water with electrolyte replenishing drinks just to try and keep up. Sometimes, you just can't. I've been into the emergency room several times by noon with heat exhaustion and severe dehydration even though I had already drank well over a gallon of water. And the older you get the harder it is to keep up. 

That said, I was at the home opener of Erikson stadium vs Atlanta and I thought I was going to fry. It felt well over 100 and I got severely sunburned even wearing sunscreen. That was a long time ago, but that's the hottest game I can remember. If yesterday was hotter, good lawd. 

Edit: I just went back and looked at the weather on wiki and it says 72 and partially cloudy  but I remember sunny and hot as fug. 

[Seltzer]

37 minutes ago, MVPccaffrey said:

Yes I was at the game.  Want me to send you a snapshot of my program?  I was up in the 500s too, visitors side.

Most Americas don't drink enough water.  At those temps you should be drinking a liter per hour.  Not rocket science.

I don't get on this board to argue with people.  I believe you if you say you were there, and if you were on the visitor's side and stayed out there the whole time, you're obviously a hardcore and dedicated fan.  I'm not questioning that.

I drank tons of water before & during the game, and I still was exhausted by the end and I stayed out there the whole time.  I was also there 2 hours early for to hold the flag, so I was there for over 5 hours.  I'm sure I didn't get enough water b/c it's practically impossible to drink that kind of liquid without going up and down the whole time and I wasn't going to spend $50 on water.

Regardless, I'm not going to blame anyone who left.  I'm 37, and I was at my limit at my age even with some preparations regarding hydration.  It still was miserable for anyone, and it was dangerous for kids, elderly people, and anyone with health conditions.  

If you think even after that after sitting in that brutal heat, a canopy or retractable roof isn't necessary, that's your opinion.  I respectfully disagree, and I think the team and fans would be better suited going forward to make some sort of preparation for weather like that yesterday.  

I want BOA to be the best environment and have the best home-field advantage possible.  I love outside football 95+% of the time.  We don't live up North where we would ever find ourselves in a situation like the Vikings where there could be a game in dangerously low temperatures, but we have found ourselves in a situation in 2 out the last 3 home openers where the heat made it dangerous for fans and impossible to have a home-field advantage.

I'm certainly not a climate-change denier, but that is besides the point.  It's in no-one's best interest not to have a better solution come next September if we're in a similar situation.

I have been at BOA when it has been electric and absolutely rocking, even in inclement weather.  The 2011 monsoon game, the 2013 Saints game in the cold rain, and 2015 Colts game in the rain were awesome.  I also enjoy the occasional cold game at BOA.  

That is football- played in the elements, but not dangerous to people's health.  Yesterday was not good for the business side of the team (it was simply too hot to consume alcohol safely or eat IMO, it's awful for fan enjoyment, and it doesn't provide the players the home-field advantage they deserve.

[Happy Panther]

Do other teams close the roof when it is 90+?

[Seltzer]

6 minutes ago, Happy Panther said:

Do other teams close the roof when it is 90+?

This is a guess, but I'm guessing almost every single one that can does when it's that hot.  It makes too much sense from a business standpoint.  I'm certain the concessions were way down yesterday.  I can't speak for all the people that went inside to the concourse, but the fans in the stands were not consuming alcohol and/or food like they normally would.

At this point, a lot of teams in the South (Dallas, Arizona, New Orleans, Houston, & Atlanta have either domes or retractable roofs.  

The Florida teams are an exception (Tampa, Miami, & Jacksonville), but Miami does have a canopy now.  I'm 100% sure any new stadium built in Florida would be a dome or retractable roof.  It's also a necessity (unless you're NY) to have one to get a Super Bowl.

As much as I hate the idea of closing the roof every time there could potentially be bad weather (and I hope the team wouldn't unless the weather was extreme as yesterday), there are only 8 home games a year.  

Losing the home-field advantage for even one of them b/c fans are trying to prevent heat stroke sucks.  

And again, that's not exaggerating. Yesterday wasn't fans being fairweather.  Going to a NFL game is expensive.  Home openers are exciting and people have had 8 months to get amped for them.  People don't leave the stands in a competitive game like that in droves if there's not a good reason.  

[Obeg]

We were there - sunny side - nose bleeds.  I sat there from Noon and did not go down at all.  I was fine - but I can tolerate heat.  However - a Rams fan did pass out on the steps at the end of my row and it literally took 15 minutes for an EMT to get there.  Fans were trying their best to help revive him and Panthers staff did get there soon enough and there was another fan on the phone with 911 taking instructions - but I thought the actual medical response was very inadequate.  They finally got him revived and they were able to walk him down.  But he was in bad shape.

Where I was fine - my wife was not.  She was miserable and not feeling well near the end.  We left at Cam's interception. Yes we were "one of those fans" that left and yes I heard the comments as I walked down (I think from Rams fans only though- I hope). And then the Panthers came back and we missed it.  But you know what - my wife's health and comfort was more important on this day. She had to hold on to me to get down the ramp as she felt she was going to pass out.  We've had our tickets since 2011 (thanks Jimmy!), have only missed 1 regular season game, sat through the entire monsoon game, and seldom leave while the game is in question.  

With that said - we may very well leave early on Thursday.  Getting home at 1 AM on a work night sucks.  I hate night games.

 

[Moo Daeng]

I'm sure it was hot. However college football fans in the south have endured just fine. 

 

[Daddy_Uncle]

7 hours ago, Daddy_Uncle said:

I bet Tepper was thinking about the entire game. I'm sure he was pissed seeing all the empty seats. He is all about home field advantage and I know this didn't make him happy

 

7 hours ago, Seltzer said:

You're right about him probably not being happy but to call out the fans is unfair.

And people can say the team wasnt playing well, blah blah blah, I've been at most games for 13 years. Fans dont just abandon the stands after paying NFL prices for nothing. 

Fans have set through much worse performances. The game was competitive all the way through.

There was just no escape from that oppressive heat except to go inside.

And to a lot of fans credit, a lot of them came back even on the sunny side after the Panthers got to within 3 points to try to tough it out. 

I think you misinterpreted my post. I'm saying he was probably pissed to see all of the empty seats but knew it was because of the weather. Hence why he would be thinking about wanting a retractable roof the entire game. Nobody blames the fans for not being in their seats in that weather. I get it. 

I go to baseball games in the summer that are in the 100s and they are longer than football games. I understand but I also don't whine about the weather. You know what its gonna be before you go and have the ability to prepare for it

[MHS831]

6 hours ago, joemac said:

LMFAO.  Yes, it being 90 degrees in the summertime, in Charlotte is TOTALLY climate change, and not just the way it has always been.  Good stuff, guy.

Through Sept 13, the temperature in Charlotte will have averaged 93 degrees; we will have had 2 days below 90 (barely).  The average temperature for the month of September over the past 30 years is 81 degrees.  The average temperature for the month of September from 1901-2010 was 78 degrees.  For the temperature to average (just the way it has always been")  the rest of the month would have to average about 69 to 70 degrees.  I realize that denial of the obvious weather patterns is politics now and not science for some, but for those who get our scientific information from scientists and not politicians, that is a significant difference.  Now, a better argument for you would have been, "We are having an unusual heat wave this year," but you chose to tell us how it has always been.  You are wrong.

[!stUp]

7 hours ago, MVPccaffrey said:

It wasn't that bad, put on some damn sunscreen and keep hydrated - that means maybe put down the Bud Light for three hours. 

If NC and SC panther fans are so concerned with the heat maybe they should stop voting in presidential elections for candidates who are climate change deniers.  

 

Good old Huddle, never miss a chance to bring politics in to a football discussion. 

[murph1031]

I usually do 4 games a year. Used to do more, but I just cant handle the heat in Sept and early October. I stood entire games in the rain and freezing cold, I can handle that, but to sit in that heat is just not worth the money to me. I'll all for a roof.