I am convinced Charlotte is only about 20% Panther fans

[Anybodyhome]

I agree with the notion of several comments made that winning will fix everything. It will.

The 1996 season, 2003, 2005 and even 2008 were the few tough years to get tickets to games.

January 5, 1997 at home against the Dallas Cowboys.... there weren't any Cowboy fans in the stadium that day.

January 3, 2004 at home against the Dallas Cowboys... same.

December 8, 2008 at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.... no Bucs fans to speak of, same just a few days later on December 14 against the Denver Broncos when the Panthers beat their ass 30-10.

Commit to putting a winning team on the field, commit to a long-term plan to continue success, create continuity and you'll Panther fans in the seats again.

Lead the owners to another work stoppage, draw another pie chart, go low-budget roster like 2009 again and you may as well move this team because you're very close to alienating any potential fan-base for a generation.

[carolina-chuck]

Why would any Charlotte fans pay to watch the Rivera's Panthers lose every home game?

They have a better chance of watching the Bobcats win this year with a real HC "Dunlap". Go Cats!

[tailg8or]

Most stadiums get filled with Steelers, Cowboys and Giants fans when the big name, big brand teams come to town. Considering the Panthers have one of the worst records during the last 4 - 5 years, the fans have been pretty good to the team. When the Panthers were good, the fans were great.

That said, Panther fans need to get to their seats before kickoff. I have traveled to many different stadiums and we are always fashionably late. Player introductions are a joke.

[Wine&Cheese]

Most of the time when we have a thread going like this is one lonely guy getting his ass handed to him for not supporting a team that is not only losing but also not holding anyone accountable for the continued failures. He is commonly known as a "Bad Fan or not a True Fan". I call him smart! What kind of dumb-ass continues to support a franchise that is content with losing as long as the tickets are sold?

I think what has Panthers fans so pissed this time around is not that we lose some games but because our front office is directly responsible for this poo storm via controlled chaos. Marty was well aware of what he was doing when trading our picks and not filling areas of need via FA. All while JR turned a blind eye and sat back on his golf cart believing that his brand was indestructible while allowing his money, our financial and emotional investments to all be abused. This is all tied back to one overly emotional and clingly sports writer's inability to evaluate NFL caliber talent. You only have yourself the thank for this one JR, Marty should have never been your guy in the first place!

Oh, and thank the PSL holders for floating your boat the since Jakes collapse! Cant forget the little guys, right JR! (wink)

[NanuqoftheNorth]

Opposing fans can score an easy ticket to a Panther's game, start winning consistently and the problem magically goes away.

[PantherPhann89]

Until we can put together back to back winning seasons, that won't change.

[nctarheel0619]

When the fuggin Broncos almost outnumber panther fans, that is fugging sad. This funk that started with the Cardinal playoff loss has got to end now. I met more Bronco fans yesterday with no ties what so ever to Denver or Colorado. Just random assholes from Raleigh, Wilmington, etc claiming diehard fan status.

I met two complete idiots from Columbia, SC that were Broncos fans. I just didn't understand it.

[nctarheel0619]

why would you cheer for the panthers when you could be a patriots, cowboys, or steelers frontrunner and be surrounded by other fans just like you?

i mean how else do people with no ties to the area become fans? and i mean people my age (mid 20s), not people who were adults before we got the panthers. i know people who cheer for the blue devils in basketball, patriots in football, and new york yankees in baseball. how else could that happen?

See these types of fans too many times. I am a Tar Heel fan but I'm a Braves, Tarheel football, and Panthers fan and Bobcats fan. I've only met one person that's liked the same teams I've liked or like.

[Gin and Juice]

Converted the wife, got the children on the Panther path, will be in Charlotte this weekend for the game and have panther sticker on truck and a panther flag mounted to the house...............also, several vehicles in my area with Panther helmets! A slow but sure process, but winning would help

[Brooklyn Bully]

Your logic doesn't really make sense.... all you need do is turn it around now that you don't live here and the Panthers suck, yo have free rein to pull for any team you want.

I'm a believer that you support your local team, just as you support your local businesses. I was a lifelong Raider fan until I moved to NC and 18 months later announced an NFL franchise was on the way, and that was before the Raiders went into the toilet so it's not like I was dumping a crappy team.

Most of the people where I live are Redskin fans because "they were the only team around..." But Charlotte is 2.5 hours away and DC is about 4.5 hours, so why not switch? Both teams suck hugely, but one is closer than the other.

That's all fine and great, but if I started cheering for the G-Men I'd be laughed off this board.

[iamcline]

We are a new franchise and we won't have total loyalty until our kids grow up Panthers fans. It takes time.

Tell this to the Texans and Ravens fans.