I don’t care about watching Carolina Panthers games. Here’s what I’d rather do instead
You probably can’t tell from the 2005 Toussaint family holiday photo above, but I don’t watch Carolina Panthers games.
I’m not sure why I don’t belong in this sporty, celebratory subculture in this city. My parents have had season tickets for as long as I can remember, but I grew up preferring to sit in my blue plastic chair reading a book and sipping Sprite (probably why I’m no longer invited to games).
My whole family went to the Super Bowl the one time the Panthers made the cut — and I preferred to stay home for a teenager-infested party at a neighbor’s house. I even grew up with Brenton Bersin and our mutual 120-ish-person group of students at Charlotte Latin. He’s super nice and talented enough to get signed to the team, but somehow I’m still not drawn in.
On game day, I’d rather intermittently scroll through social media to catch up on the score. I’d rather go to my 11:30 a.m. class at Yoga One, then brunch at Zada Jane’s with my yogi friends. I’d rather grab some goods at Trader Joe’s while the lines are short and I’d rather stock my fridge, vacuum and catch up on laundry and freelance writing. I’d rather save my cheers for my friend running a half marathon.
I’d rather pull my odds and ends together before Sunday dinner with my parents, after my dad has taken off his Panthers hat and my mom has pulled off her Panthers cat-ear headband.
I never watch Panthers games — I just have other preferences. But it’s beautiful how people connect through enthusiasm for the team, how the sidewalks around uptown start to undulate with black and blue on game days, how the noise turns up. Maybe one day I’ll change, join the noise.
In the meantime, observing Panthers fans is like a spectator sport on its own. Why?
– Fans go nuts on game day with social media.
Sure, there are the official Panthers feeds I follow on Instagram and Twitter, plus Jonathan Jones’ angle, but game day also floods my friends’ and colleagues’ accounts for four hours. I don’t even have to watch the game — I get all the drama right there on my phone.
did anyone else find this series of shots … Breathtaking? #LUUUUKE pic.twitter.com/20yyyg3KMF
— Katie Peralta (@katieperalta) November 15, 2015
Cam definitely gave them a little somethin' somethin' #Panthers pic.twitter.com/dXYahBeHY2
— Sergio Tovar (@sergiotovar) November 15, 2015
https://twitter.com/BrigidaMack/status/665999192050040832
https://twitter.com/CarPanthersNews/status/665998175870844929
– Fans need to color-coordinate, and they crave their merchandise.
Panthers scarf? Got it. Panthers customized pickup truck? Obviously. Panthers stuffed animal for little Jimmy? Of course. Thank God for Toys & Co. at Cotswold, not to mention the “shop” tab on the team website.
https://instagram.com/p/-B2sOmL-DI/
https://instagram.com/p/-ByuNSlIBG/
– Fans get artsy to express their team spirit.
There’s this entire fine arts website devoted to Panthers pieces. There’s a Pinterest page, too, for party snacks and whatnot. Fans get inspired to make Panthers-themed cakes. They make memes to express their jubilation over the team’s current record, too.
A post shared by IvyKiteTheAussie (@availablepaintingsbyivy) on Nov 13, 2015 at 5:43am PST
https://instagram.com/p/-DYeHOMn5N/
#CarolinaPanthers #KeepPounding #PantherNation
A post shared by Eugene Weglarz TL (@for_real_i_really) on Nov 13, 2015 at 10:07pm PST
– Fans go nuts about convening for a game.
They flock to their favorite uptown tailgate spot (I am a fantastic sister so I frequently drop my brother off by Cedar Street five hours before a home game kickoff — one must start early). Fans bombard the bars together to ogle the big screens (I always hear screaming from Tyber Creek and Bonz on game days). The die-hards even pay a membership fee to join the Roaring Riot (and it may not be unusual for 600 of them to hop into a stadium’s pools to cheer properly. #DoYouRiot?).
Images: Katie Toussaint, Jenna Gribble
This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "I don’t care about watching Carolina Panthers games. Here’s what I’d rather do instead."