The Lost Generation
Kansas City Chiefs at Carolina Panthers, 2024. As you can see from the crowd, there is an array of red in the Panthers’ stadium.
The Lost Generation
Building a fanbase for the Carolina Panthers was never going to be easy. By the time 1995 rolled around, Charlotte was still an up-and-coming city brimming with potential. The Charlotte Hornets had already established themselves as a thriving franchise, thanks to stars like Alonzo Mourning, Muggsy Bogues, and, most importantly, Larry Johnson. However, the NBA is an entirely different beast compared to the NFL. Football fandom runs deep, often passed down through generations. This depth of loyalty is evident at every Panthers game, especially in the past seven years, as visiting teams’ fans routinely pack Bank of America Stadium.
When Charlotte was awarded an NFL franchise, the city lacked a native-born population large enough to naturally support the team. Instead, it had to rely heavily on transplants moving to the area. Making matters more challenging, North Carolina was already divided between two deeply entrenched fanbases: the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. For the Panthers to succeed, they needed to carve out their own identity in a region dominated by other allegiances.
Adding to the challenge, Charlotte has always been a transplant city, with fans of teams from Buffalo, New York, Philadelphia, and beyond migrating to the area. Winning would have been the key to converting those transplants—and their children—into Panthers fans. But sustained winning has never been a hallmark of this franchise. Carolina has never managed back-to-back winning seasons in its entire history, a failure that continues to haunt the organization.
Unfortunately, the moves made under David Tepper’s ownership have cost the Panthers a generation of fans. My own son, born in North Carolina, is a Ravens fan—unlike me, who grew up in Baltimore. At a young age, kids want to root for a winner, and Carolina hasn’t provided that opportunity. Tepper inherited a franchise already battling for fan loyalty, but instead of building on what was there, his decisions have further alienated the younger fanbase.
The Panthers were awarded a franchise in part because of Charlotte’s rapid growth and North Carolina’s emergence as one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. That vision works only if the team wins, and wins consistently.
Early on, the Panthers managed some success. They made an NFC Championship appearance in 1996, alongside the Jacksonville Jaguars—an expansion franchise with which they’ll forever be linked. Under Jerry Richardson, despite his reported shortcomings as an owner, the team remained relevant. That relevance has eroded under Tepper’s leadership.
It’s important to recognize that no one likely wants success for the Panthers more than David Tepper. But one could question whether he envisions that success in Charlotte. That’s a conversation for another day. What’s undeniable is that many of his decisions have been disastrous. Tepper comes from a world of hedge funds, which is vastly different from the NFL. While both share the goal of maximizing profits, their structures are nothing alike.
The bottom line is that this organization was always going to face a loyalty problem. Too many people in Charlotte grew up rooting for other teams. Sustained winning could have changed that; but now, the excitement of the magical 2015 season feels like it belongs to a different lifetime.