Panthers PSL owners uneasy paying for tickets until answers about NFL season are clear
The NFL schedule is out. Dates are set for every game from Aug. 13 to Jan. 3.
At least for now.
With so much still unknown about what the NFL offseason will look like, everything is on the table, putting everyone involved — including Panthers Personal Seat License (PSL) owners — in a place of waiting.
Panthers owner David Tepper’s recent comments on CNBC on the potential for fans in stadiums this fall only reinforced the level of uncertainty.
“There should be some amount of fans in the stadiums,” Tepper said. “Depending on what locale and where you are and what the local rules are. There could possibly be ... You won’t be having full stadiums, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fans in the stadium, either.”
Thanks to COVID-19, sports leagues and their fans are juggling unknowns when it comes to what this season will actually look like. Will there be games with some fans as Tepper suggested? What does a limited number of people in attendance actually look like? That’s all up in the air.
Here’s what we do know about Panthers tickets, and the questions that still need to be answered.
When the NFL schedule was released earlier this month, the Panthers shared the league’s official policy on refunding single-game tickets and Carolina’s specific policy that applies to PSL owners.
“PSL Owners will automatically receive an account credit for the full ticket amount of the impacted game or be given the option to receive a refund within 30 days of the canceled event by contacting the Panthers’ ticket office directly,” the team said in the press release. “If necessary, further details outlining the cancellation policy will be made available at the appropriate time.”
The league’s official policy is that if a game is canceled or is played without people in the stands, “automatic refunds for the full amount of the voided tickets will be provided by the NFL’s licensed primary channels and most secondary channels within 30 days of the decision.”
The Observer spoke with PSL owners about their feelings toward the upcoming season. Many expressed disappointment over not having more communication from the team, but the Panthers have limited answers.
Robin Murphy, a PSL owner since 2003 who started a Panthers fan club in South Florida, said even a simple gesture like sending Panthers-themed face masks to PSL owners would go a long way. Another said that any sort of out reach from the team would be a good gesture.
Many PSL owners have elected to not yet pay for their season tickets due to the uncertainty surrounding how the season will look.
“I have friends all over the country that are Panthers fans,” Murphy said. “They all contact me, ‘what do we do about our season tickets?’ ... Well, I’m not paying it, and that’s how they’re all feeling.”
The team is not planning to aggressively solicit payment from PSL owners who have not yet paid until more concrete details can be put into place, per a source with direct knowledge of the situation.
“Our fans have been outstanding and we will continue to work with them and be flexible,” a team spokesperson said in a statement.
As The Observer reported in March, the Panthers have been flexible with those who need to change their payment plan for a variety of reasons related to COVID-19, including financial instability. Many PSL owners are on season-ticket payment plans that run from March through August with installments due on the first of each month. Traditionally, the team does not contact PSL owners for outstanding payments unless there is no payment at all by May 1.
Earlier this month, the team sent a reminder to PSL owners who hadn’t paid any amount about a week into May, and extended the deadline to June 1. The Panthers plan to follow a similar approach in June.
For an example of one case, a PSL owner was emailed this month about their payment in a situation where the team had moved their payment deadline months prior from the previously scheduled May 1 to June 1. With that date coming up, the team reached out in advance of an upcoming phone call with the PSL owner.
Payment plans have also changed. Now if PSL owners are submitting payments on a monthly plan, the final amount is not due until September rather than August. In addition to pushing back deadlines, the Panthers have created custom agreements with PSL owners as needed, including those who believe they will be unable to pay for this season’s tickets entirely.
The team also put single-game tickets on sale shortly after the schedule was released. Some teams, like the Jets, elected to hold off on putting those tickets for sale.
Without knowing exactly what the season will look like, the Panthers and other teams across the league don’t have all the answers about tickets yet. If the NFL allows only portions of stadiums to be filled, like Tepper suggested, that would only create more challenges in determining who gets through the gates and where to seat them.
There are many questions still to be answered league-wide that will only be answered with time.
More information on the single-game ticket refund policy is available at Panthers.com/Tickets. PSL owners can email the team at PSLOwners@Panthers.NFL.com or leave a voicemail at (704) 593-4141.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 10:54 AM.
