283 replies to this topic

[Panthro]

This thread is hilarious. Everyone knew the risks when they brought a team here.

If Charlotte wants to give up on the team, I'm sure somebody else will take it off their hands.

He bought the teams for $200M, $250M in stadium cost, and raised $150M in PSLs from fans.

The team is now worth over $1B.

How many blackouts have the Panthers had since 1995?

How many winning seasons?



I ask you now....who has given up on who?

[h0llywood]

How long do you think the fan support in LA would last if their team only had 4 winning seasons out of 18

It took Houston a decade to make the playoffs, I'm sure that team is doing fine.

Carolina is more playoff efficient (wins in playoffs/years in league) than all NFC South division teams yet those teams seem to be doing fine.

125 million is cupcakes compared to the billions of dollars other teams are willing to spend/spent on new stadiums.

[Panthro]

A private business that brings jobs and revenue to the city and businesses around the city. I pay a private business owner $350 a season for my parking pass. Multiply that times 5,000 cars every Sunday parking around the city. But hate the big bad billionaire. That's what's wrong with this country. Progressives want to punish the job and revenue creators.

How is it punishing someone to make them reinvest their own money into their profitable and successful business.


You have a warped sense of punishment.

Just some good ole boys....never meaning no harm

[Panthro]

It's a fuging 1% tax increase on food and bev. Big deal. A $125 million investment in this franchise is better for the city than a $300 million dollar street car to Presby hospital from Tryon St

us two should be the most worried about that increase

[SCP]

I just have to laugh my ass off at times. People cry about jobs but when a city or state gives Siemens huge tax incentives to build a manufacturing plant in State, then they cry about corporate greed and corruption. Stadium renovations will create jobs, keep jobs, and allow businesses in and around the stadium to continue making money on Sundays.

[h0llywood]

The Green Bay Packer fans will have no problem raising $125 million for their team regardless of their record

[SCP]

us two should be the most worried about that increase

I would gladly pay $8.59 for a burrito instead of $8.50.

[Montsta]

When JR built the stadium and founded the team using like 90% private funds, everyone applauded him. When the lockout occurred and JR used it as an opportunity to purge some ludicrous contracts off the books, everyone here applauded him. Then when he had money to spend, he spent every penny of it and then some to retain all of our talented, fan-favorite, free-agents-to-be, and everyone applauded him. Then he hired Ron Rivera instead of a retread coach, and everyone applauded him. Now some of those contracts are crippling the team, and Rivera is a horrible coach in the eyes of some, and it turns into 'JR is a crotchety old man trying to take billions to his grave.'

If Cam Newton hits a wide open tight end seven yards away in Seattle, and doesn't fumble in Atlanta, and the refs don't completely fug us against Dallas, we are in the playoffs and nobody here is flinching at giving up $125M in tax. JR has tried to build a winner. He's tried to retain his best players and spend the money. Just because we've had shitty talent and coaching on this team in hindsight doesn't make it JR's fault.

[Johnny Rockets]

I can't wait to see Charlotte fug this up like Concord did with Bruton Smith. They might as well approve the $125M before they wind up giving him $250M, are forced to change the name of Mint St.to Jerry Richardson Blvd, put a front page ad in the Charlotte Observer apologizing to him and making every 3rd Monday of the each month Jerry Richardson day where the city picks up the tab for a free Bo-Biscuits at all area Bojangles. .

[SCP]

Free Bo biscuits? Make it happen.

[Panthro]

Can we tie some stipulations to this money?

[SCP]

Buffalo. fuging BUFFALO, just ponies up for upgrades to that stadium. Buffalo is a waste land with decaying homes, diabeetus running rampant, closing businesses, and shuttered manufacturing plants. Half of the population of buffalo has moved to Charlotte in the last 3 years. And yet those pathetic assholes ponied up to fixing their shithole stadium.

Who in the fug wants to be outdone by Buffalo.

[fieryprophet]

Everyone bitching about JR saying he can afford $125 million because he is a "billionaire" need to do some simple math:

Assume JR is a billionaire, which I actually do not believe is the case since he owns 48% of the Panthers, and therefore if the franchise is valued at $1 billion he would have a stake valued at $480 million, but let's assume he's a billionaire.

$125 million would require him to liquidate 12.5% of his net worth, which would require him selling off a significant share of the Panthers, and make it even more likely that an outside group could take control of the team. People assume he must be sitting on a giant pile of cash just for owning an NFL team, not realizing that the salary disbursements for NFL teams makes up a massive portion of their overall revenue, and much of the rest is allocated to the significant front office resources needed to make the team as competitive as possible. If it wasn't for the TV money allocated to all 32 NFL teams the financial shape of many, many teams would be in dire straits. So, $125 million would be a full year's worth of salary cap coming directly out of the team's coffers and make them much more vulnerable to lowered ticket sales, salary cap constraints and revenue shortfalls.

This isn't a case of the team taking free money and hoarding it, it's a case of reaching competitive balance with other stadiums without putting themselves in a financially compromised position, particularly if an outside group is hoping to buy enough shares to oust JR and take the team elsewhere.

So stop your bitching.

[CarolinaCoolin]

125m will get paid off in 5 years or less with all the money that will roll threw in the upcoming seasons. Just take the hit.