94 replies to this topic

[panthersphan]

I just "liked" the Carolina Panthers yesterday ... I must have not been a fan until yesterday...
Oh and I live in Colorado so it wouldn't even matter

Dumb statistics are dumb

[rayzor]

It really is that simple (and realistically, that difficult).

Call people 'bandwagon' if you want to, but that's the nature of things.

Should also improve as the next generation - those who grew up with the Panthers from the start - gets older and has kids of their own.

yep. we were starting out with a rather small fanbase to begin with. it's going to have to take time for the generational fanbase to grow and in time it will, just like it has for all those other teams that were around for decades prior to the carolina's getting a team.

while the generational fans are growing, we are going to be either small or trying to essentially steal fans from other teams and the only way to do that is to be a local winning team rather than just a local team.

i became a panther fan because i wasn't really loyal to any other teams when they showed up. i had a few teams i liked but there wasn't any that i felt a connection with. had the rams stayed in LA i probably would have liked them since i was born there, but beyond that i just liked the game and certain players.

that's probably the same with a lot of early panther fans.

the newness of the team and the excitement of a NFL team in the carolinas probably brought in a lot of fans as well, but that is only going to last so long.

people that aren't panther fans right now aren't going to be panther fans without seeing something more special going on than is with the team they currently support. panther fans that aren't that rabid or "loyal" at the moment are probably waiting for this team to give them something to be excited about and i'm talking about more than just potential. it's been nothing but potential since '95. it's time to see some results and some winning seasons.

if we see more winning seasons we'll see more loyal fans.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Tend to agree there, and I do agree that winning will get you fans or get your fans back, but it's always nice to have a full stadium even when the team is struggling.

[rayzor]

I can understand that, but that sort of loyalty really does have to be earned.

It can be earned quickly by winning, or over time by succeeding generations, but either way you have to earn it.

yep.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

I just "liked" the Carolina Panthers yesterday ... I must have not been a fan until yesterday...
Oh and I live in Colorado so it wouldn't even matter

Dumb statistics are dumb

Charlotte Checkers fan in Colo?!?!

Well done!!!

Go Canes, Go Checkers!!!

[rayzor]

Tend to agree there, and I do agree that winning will get you fans or get your fans back, but it's always nice to have a full stadium even when the team is struggling.

have more high points than low points and you'll have more supporting you through the low points.

have more low points than high points and the growing consensus will always be "here we go again" and people just get tired of that.

is it being fickle? maybe. that's the way it is, though. you have to be convincing that there's something special and the most convincing thing you can do as a team is win.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

I can agree with that point, gonna have to sign off, phone about to die.

[SparkyDevil]

I did an internship for an advertising agency that did a lot of web design and marketing after college, so we used to study poo like this often. Most times, you have to take it with a grain of salt because there are too many factors the authors did not consider. Since I grew up in Western NY, I follow the Bills, Giants and Jets on Facebook, and the Panthers consistently have more comments and shares and likes on their posts. Just food for thought there.

One other thing, you have the Panthers, who have had a pretty rough stretch of seasons, not many primetime games and are a oung team in a market that did not have an NFL team until 20 years ago. It takes years to establish a fan base like the Steelers and Cowgirls have, it will take more time before the Panthers really dominate this region, but putting a better team on the field will go a long way.

If the Panthers had winning seasons for the past 2-3 years and got knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, I guarantee that this chart would look wayyyyy different. Facebook is for front runners. If you don't believe me, watch the Ravens/49ers likes this week.

[Daddy Uncle]

I have been loyal since day 1 never missing a game. Through good times and bad. But it makes sense because of how young the organization is and that it has been on a roller coaster ride it's entire existence. When we going on a consistent decade or so of winning then we will have a winning culture and loyal fans.

[Roger Dorn]

I get it why we have lots of Redskins (former TV market) and Steelers (transplants) fans here... but wtf are there so many dumbass Cowboys fans here???

Poor people and individuals with a low standard of living pull for successful and winning teams because it raises their self esteem. It allows them a feeling of accomplishment. Duke basketball fans can also be put in this category. It's easy to pull for winning teams.

[Happy Panther]

wow the "woe is me" in this thread is hysterical.

our fans just suck. nothing we can do. boo hoo.

win games, win fans. it's that easy.

disagree all you want, but that's the way it is.

My kids are panthers fans for life. In 15-20 years when they are old enough to have tickets and all their friends have tickets, we will have a healthier fanbase.

A few superbowls in the meantime can't hurt.

[panthersphan]

Charlotte Checkers fan in Colo?!?!

Well done!!!

Go Canes, Go Checkers!!!

Well I grew up in Charlotte

Born in Toronto

So it's Leafs, Jays, Panthers, Bobcats for me
(Oh, and the Checkers of course!!)

[SCP]

Nope. Won't happen, you aren't going to get STEELERS fans to change alliances for the fuging Carolina Panthers. There have been winning seasons where the stadium is still filled with other teams' fans.

Yep, it's a losing battle in Charlotte because so many outsiders are moving here from Yankee land. It won't get better.

[Proudiddy]

What is the criteria? IDK about this...

Look, I know we have some issues with other fans coming into our stadium and such, but this is a bit unbelievable. I'd like to see what this survey would look like after we have a winning season 3 years in a row.

[SCP]

Most fans start with fans actually pulling for the team where they are from, not latching on to a team that their great, great grandfather came from.

So cool the Browns USED to be a good team. The Lions have never had a Super Bowl team and still have a more passionate fan base then us, hell, there are three teams in Florida and Jacksonville still has a more loyal fan base because the people in Jacksonville at least realize that they live in the city of Jacksonville therefore the Jags are their football team.

The only fan base that has truly migrated to the Carolina's is the Steelers. A lot of the Redskins fans converted to Panther fans when the Panthers first got here or when the Redskins started going on their rapid decline. I was born in Charlotte and now the city as well as anyone. If you want to see a real fanbase. Come up to Raleigh a few times and go to a Hurricanes game (Hurricanes fans could easily be a fan of the Florida teams or Washington, but no they recognize their roots and pull for the team from where they originate, that's all I ask from Panther fans).

You can go to regular season Hurricanes games and they outdo any enthusiasm that and Panther game has ever had (including playoff games).
Sorry for any grammatical errors, I'm on my phone.

There sure were a poo ton of Bruins fans there on Tuesday night.