Don’t waste your time being a Panthers fan. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

[Wolfcop]

I will always pull for the Panthers, but losses don't crush me as SB50 did. I cannot invest that much into it again. 

[Paa Langfart]

1 hour ago, Wolfcop said:

I will always pull for the Panthers, but losses don't crush me as SB50 did. I cannot invest that much into it again. 

you think that was tough as a die hard fan,  you should have been around in 2003.  just another reason to not get mentally wrapped up in this poo.

[pantherdad]

3 hours ago, hepcat said:

We can only cry and grieve and look at old pictures so much until we have to try to do something that brings us joy. Today I turned to my favorite football team to deliver a distraction from pain and all it brought was more of it which made me realize there’s nothing left for me in supporting this team. And that might be true for many others who haven’t realized it yet, hence why I wrote my post. 

I lost my dad 2 years ago 2 weeks before thanksgiving. I never watched another game that season….granted we sucked anyway. I get what you’re saying, for some people it’s their security or happy place, and for you, the Panthers pretty much ruined that today. Hopefully better days for you going forward.

[mc52beast]

I stopped taking football seriously years ago. I went into today expecting us to lose and that’s what I got. I didn’t get all pumped up and then pissed when we blew yet another double digit lead.

Life is short, you don’t know how long you have with people who are special to you. 

[Cdparr7]

I learned a long time ago that organizations don’t care about fans. They care about the community as a whole (sometimes) and what puts asses into seats and gets merch off shelves. 

[glenwo2]

7 minutes ago, Cdparr7 said:

I learned a long time ago that organizations don’t care about fans. They care about the community as a whole (sometimes) and what puts asses into seats and gets merch off shelves. 

THIS.  

And this is true not just for the NFL but for ALL sports.

[hepcat]

1 hour ago, mc52beast said:

I stopped taking football seriously years ago. I went into today expecting us to lose and that’s what I got. I didn’t get all pumped up and then pissed when we blew yet another double digit lead.

Life is short, you don’t know how long you have with people who are special to you. 

It’s true. Anyone you know and love could really be gone tomorrow. I’ve had it happen too many times in my life. Too often we take our loved ones for granted. We waste our time, say we are too “busy” doing other things, until one day that loved one you haven’t seen in a few years isn’t around anymore, and you wish you found the time to take those trips to visit them.

I thought maybe the Panthers would pull one out for me on a day when I needed it most but, they’re the same old losers they’ve always been. 

[ladypanther]

Hepcat....I am very sorry for your loss.  I can imagine that this is a very emotional and hard  time for you and your family.

I believe it is possible to be a fan without making it your life.  I know, a win would have been a very nice distraction, but it is just that.

A few years ago, my brother in law, Danny, was dying of pancreatic cancer.  Danny was such a great guy.  He and my sister lived about 2 hours from me.  As things began to look grim, I would go over to their house early on Sunday, spend the day with them and we would watch football games together.  Those are some of my fondest memories...just hanging out...watching the ups and downs of the games, enjoying each other's company.  We were fans of different teams but always hoped the other's teams did well.  The outcome does not matter now...it was the fun that we had there together.

An aside, Danny was an accountant and his company had an office in Orlando which he visited from time to time.  He and his colleagues sometimes went to Jaqs games.  A couple of his colleagues went to USL, where Blake Bortles went.  The last season of Danny's life, Bortles was leading the jags to the playoffs.  A couple of days before the Jags played NE for the conference championship, Danny received a package from the Jacksonville Jaguars.... an  autographed pic of Bortles with a note of good wishes from Bortles. (turns out one of his Orlando colleagues had put that in motion)  Props to Bortles...while preparing for the most important game of his career, he was willing to do that.  That act was very meaningful to Danny.  That weekend was the last good weekend that Danny had. The last time he smiled. The Jags lost...that did not matter.

Football is not life or death. It is a sport, entertainment...which at times can bring pleasure (but not always).  If you cannot emotionally handle the highs and lows, better to get some distance.  It is not necessarily a bad thing for everyone.  But if it, or anything else makes you miserable...cut it out of your life.

I will continue to be a Panther fan and hope for the best. That's my thing.  It is not everything...I do have hobbies, I do exercise, etc.

Again, I am very sorry for your loss.  Take care of yourself and your family.

[ladypanther]

5 hours ago, Wolfpredator said:

Sorry about your lose, I lost my brother due to an accidental overdose ( underlying heart defect that was unknown ) of my 22 year old brother.

So sorry to hear that.

[ladypanther]

5 hours ago, CLTPanther said:

My first wife died in Sept 2013 at 29 and I was left with a 3 year old. I haven't been emotionally attached to sports since before that. Life is to short to get wrapped up in something like sports. Even in 2015, while fun, it still was only a footnote in the larger scheme of things. Sorry to hear about your loss, it helps put all the other noise in the world in perspective.

So sorry to hear of that...so tragic for you and your child.

[djp14]

4 hours ago, Paa Langfart said:

you think that was tough as a die hard fan,  you should have been around in 2003.  

2015 was much worse than 2003.

In 2003, we didn't realize how hard it would be to make it back.

These days I just watch Red Zone on Sundays. Much better for my mental health. Besides, the older I get, the less important this all seems.

[YourLastThought]

7 hours ago, hepcat said:

I’m really emotional today after losing my brother in law yesterday. He officiated my wedding and was always such a great guy to be around. He was robbed of his life at only 37 because of a freak accident. It is just another reminder that none of us are guaranteed we will be here tomorrow. Life can be taken from you at any moment. 

I could have really used a big Panthers win today to lift my spirits, but instead I’m treated to the same old miserable bunch of pathetic losers that always show up when the games start to matter. So my New Years Resolution is to stop caring about football. I no longer get any joy out of watching the Panthers and my time is better spent elsewhere. I might still keep an eye on the final scores from time to time, but this isn’t a hobby that is worth my time anymore.

I implore all of you to consider spending your precious little time elsewhere as well. Family is something worth investing your time into. Maybe a creative hobby. Or exercise. If watching the Panthers lose brings you joy, more power to you. It’s your life, spend it how you want. This is merely a reminder that we have no control over when our time comes. And I don’t want to waste any more time on something that makes me miserable. 

I hope you all have a great 2023 and I’ll see y’all around.  

I am really sorry to hear of your family's loss. I know this isn't an easy time and I hope things improve for all of you soon. Keep your head up.

[hepcat]

43 minutes ago, ladypanther said:

Hepcat....I am very sorry for your loss.  I can imagine that this is a very emotional and hard  time for you and your family.

I believe it is possible to be a fan without making it your life.  I know, a win would have been a very nice distraction, but it is just that.

A few years ago, my brother in law, Danny, was dying of pancreatic cancer.  Danny was such a great guy.  He and my sister lived about 2 hours from me.  As things began to look grim, I would go over to their house early on Sunday, spend the day with them and we would watch football games together.  Those are some of my fondest memories...just hanging out...watching the ups and downs of the games, enjoying each other's company.  We were fans of different teams but always hoped the other's teams did well.  The outcome does not matter now...it was the fun that we had there together.

An aside, Danny was an accountant and his company had an office in Orlando which he visited from time to time.  He and his colleagues sometimes went to Jaqs games.  A couple of his colleagues went to USL, where Blake Bortles went.  The last season of Danny's life, Bortles was leading the jags to the playoffs.  A couple of days before the Jags played NE for the conference championship, Danny received a package from the Jacksonville Jaguars.... an  autographed pic of Bortles with a note of good wishes from Bortles. (turns out one of his Orlando colleagues had put that in motion)  Props to Bortles...while preparing for the most important game of his career, he was willing to do that.  That act was very meaningful to Danny.  That weekend was the last good weekend that Danny had. The last time he smiled. The Jags lost...that did not matter.

Football is not life or death. It is a sport, entertainment...which at times can bring pleasure (but not always).  If you cannot emotionally handle the highs and lows, better to get some distance.  It is not necessarily a bad thing for everyone.  But if it, or anything else makes you miserable...cut it out of your life.

I will continue to be a Panther fan and hope for the best. That's my thing.  It is not everything...I do have hobbies, I do exercise, etc.

Again, I am very sorry for your loss.  Take care of yourself and your family.

Thank you for sharing your story. What a considerate thing for Blake to do for your friend. 

My brother in law died in a horrible freak accident that could happen to any of us. His family got to say goodbye from a bed in the ICU in his last moments. Makes no sense how life can be so cruel, to someone who loved life and seemingly had so much time left to live. And that’s not the only tragedy his family has had in the past few years. This one was really hard. I was hopeful the Panthers could pull one out for me today. But you’re right, it would just be a distraction. Oh well. 

One of the best things the Panthers have done for me over the years is the friendships. There are friends I only talk to during football season. Well, I used to, as many of them are doing their own thing now and not following the team anymore. I think this team has lost a lot of fans over the last few years. I’m sure they’ll be back if Tepper ever figures out what he’s doing. But, so is life. We don’t have a lot of time on this earth and priorities change. 

[Mr. Scot]

6 hours ago, beckersteen said:

Sorry for your loss, but this is just weird.

If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's to never tell other people how to grieve.

6 hours ago, Fright said:

Yada yada… I’ll be waiting for your 3 daily posts tomorrow. 

Come on, man!