Some call it Sunday Funday, but I call it Game Day. There's something captivating about the city of Charlotte's atmosphere that you feel when the Carolina Panthers are playing. It begins when you start cooking out by the truck on a chilly fall morning, and it stays with you all the way to the sound of our "Sweet Caroline" victory song. After growing up in Charlotte, I find that the Carolina Panthers are a way of life. But these are some reasons why being a Carolina Panthers fan is never an easy task.
It's no surprise that the city of Charlotte is a huge melting pot of people from all over the United States, with it being one of the largest banking cities in the country and all of the other opportunities the beautiful city has to offer. Honestly, if I had to guess, more than 60 percent of us that are living in Charlotte were not born here. Have you ever been to a Pittsburgh Steelers versus Carolina Panthers home game? There tends to be a lot more black and yellow than black and blue. It definitely makes it hard to support your home team when there are more jerseys from the visiting team.
Then we have the everlasting bandwagon fans: that is what the New England Patriots are for, not the Panthers. Now I am all for recruiting new Panthers fans -- I work at it all the time. What I don't want is for you to wear a Kuechly jersey week one, and then wear a Brees jersey week two. That is not okay, and not something we've seen much this year, because the Panthers are 5-0. Keep it up boys! And fans, do your part. No fair-weather fans.
No matter what, the Panthers are never picked to do well. According to sportscasters, the Panthers haven't played any good teams this year, and we got lucky when we played the Seattle Seahawks. Apparently, we have a quarterback who isn't actually talented -- he's just fortunate to have such good luck when it comes to passing the ball, and is too young to have a personal foul called for him. Not to mention the only reason our receivers ever catch the ball is because the opposing team's defense messed up. Its okay, guys, us true fans believe in you! We know you're actually talented.
We didn't actually win the NFC South Division (twice), "we just don't have any other teams that can perform on a football field." That is the biggest piece of bologna I've ever heard. For the first time in a long time, we have some very talented players. Our coaches and players are meshing together really well, and people need to stop underestimating this team.
Have you ever been to a Panther's home game? If not, you should check it out, and if we're down, look around the stadium in the fourth quarter and count how many people you see. Hello! Does the game clock say "fourth quarter, 0:00 seconds?" No? Then sit your butt back in that seat and cheer on your home team! Do you know how bad it looks when the stadium is already empty one third of the way through the fourth quarter? Think of how it makes your team feel. I don't care if we are up by 20 or down by 50 -- you need to stay the whole time. Did you not see what happened at the end of the Seahawks game? Would you really want to miss that?
There's this really frustrating phenomenon that I witness weekly at the good ol' Bank of America Stadium. It's the craziest thing: one week I see a fan in a Panther jersey and the next I see him in a Patriots jersey. Seriously, of all jerseys, you pick that one? Moral of the story: don't switch jerseys depending on who we play and stop selling your tickets to opposing fans! Unless it's your great-uncle Joe and he's never been to an NFL game, try to find a nice, loyal and slightly rowdy Panthers fan to take your place. Also, season ticket holders who come from a different state: no wish-washing on the jersey colors. Black and blue forever!
Last but not least, the most frustrating time to be a Panthers fan is when we are accused of not being as good as we look. How does that even make sense? There is constant talk in the media that the Carolina Panthers are overrated. No, we aren't "overrated," we're talented. Those are two different things. We are "the worst 4-0," excuse me, 5-0 team in the NFL, but that's fine with me, because W's get you to the playoffs. Not luck, not opinions, just raw talent.
Listen, people. We're down south now. Football is serious business. You don't like the Panthers? That's fine, but stop making excuses when the Panthers beat your team. We are talented, we are strong, and we are 5-0. Keep pounding, Panther Nation! And in the words of Taylor Swift, "Shake it off, because the haters are gonna hate, hate, hate." Go black and blue!
