Small Market Team?

[Rhys]

It's the offseason for us yet again, amidst all the Peppers threads and Saints fans sucking themselves off I thought I'd start a thread of my very own.

The Panthers are continuously referred to as a 'small market team,' with a scattered fan-base of ex redskins, steelers, and falcons fans. We're labeled as a 'wine and cheese' crowd, as if it's derogatory because we seem calmer at games on the whole and less 'die-hard' as one might describe a Jets fan or another well-established franchise. I got to thinking about how 'small' our market actually is statistically.

According to Wikipedia, the population of the city of Charlotte is

716,874. The population of the metropolitan area of Charlotte comes out to be 1,725,759. Raleigh, the second largest city in the Carolinas population is 401,552, and metro area, 1,088,765.

Here's us and the other teams in our division-

Charlotte: c-710,000 m-1,700,000 : North Carolina 9,300,000

Atlanta: c-530,000 m-5,300,000 : Georgia 9,800,000

Tampa: c-340,000 m-4,000,000 : Florida 18,300,000

New Orleans: c-330,000 m-1,100,000 : Louisiana 4,400,000

I just thought it was interesting to see that considering Charlotte alone, we have the most people within the city limits of any city in our division and not even taking into account the 4,500,000 South Carolinians, we're not the smallest market in our division based on the entire state each team resides in. Plus, considering that Florida is broken into a few different fan bases, Dolphins, Jaguars, Bucs, we likely have the MOST "potential" fans based on the number of people who reside within the the states our team represents.

Also, here's something some of you might have heard during our Super Bowl run but probably don't remember:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1624211

[Mayor Qumiby]

think we are considered small market due to the fact were relatively new .. And like you said were in a land of people who grew up as deadskin, cowgirl, and steeler fans.. Another factor could be that Most (key word is most) of our stellar players are on the current roster it's not like we have had that many big name players to begin with butttt that's changing.But i could care less if were considered small or large market as long as we win on Sundays.

[Rhys]

Yea I don't care too much about the label small market, I just thought it was interesting.

Another factor that could have had a hand in the term is that not only are a lot of our fans ex-fans for other teams, but a lot of North Carolinians are imports from other states. A lot of people have been moving to Charlotte and the triangle in the past decade.

[Gman was right]

We are labeled as a small market fanbase because we don't have many fans since charlottte is primarily a cowboys, redskins and steelers town

[PhillyB]

teams that have die-hard fanbases (quantity AND quality) have had several generations for fans to be raised. anyone who started grew up with the team from birth (via parents) is no older than 15 right now; that's a young team.

let those 15-year-olds turn 25. they'll be old enough to go to panthers games at will, and they'll be old enough to start popping out their own little panthers fans. give it ten years (and a championship maybe?) and the carolina fanbase will look a lot more impressive.

[csx]

Charlotte is 3rd in the NFC South in media market size. Charlottes media market is 22 in the NFL in size so it's relatively small when using the definition of media market.

http://www.lostremote.com/2007/08/23/new-nielsen-dma-rankings-released/

[greensboropanther]

there is no such thing as a small market team, that is a media fodder term. It is all based on winning and nothing to do with location. It works across the board, across any leauge. Easiest example, no football player in college right now wakes up thinking man i wish i was a cleveland brown, no one does. unless you were born or raised as a browns fan you dont wanna go there because its cold, team sucks. Now turn the tables, your in college and your want to play ball at the nba level, you definitly do want to be a cavalier, and who cares if its cold, you have a winning team. Steelers/Pirates, Cowboys/Rangers, Ravens/Orioles, you go where you win, not where the city is big.

[SCP]

All things considered, Charlotte and the region have done well with the expansion Panthers. There is a solid base of fans. One super bowl win and the 'tweeners will jump on board. And like the other poster said, when these kids grow up things will be a lot better.

....as long as the team remains in the Carolinas. :eek:

[mountainpantherfan]

Charlotte's Population Market is small and that is what ESPN usually is referencing.

Economy Market is one of the best in the country. Small, low income population (comparitive) and a large, high income population (again, comparitive).

Everyone has fears that the Panthers might move. No chance of it happening any time soon. The Panthers operation as a business and the use of PSL's have made Charlotte a great NFL city.

Charlotte I do believe got a black eye back in the late 90's with the whole Hornets mess and George Shine but I think everyone now realizes that that had more to do with Shine and not Charlotte.

[Nu Guns]

takes a long time for fans to convert to Panthers. It took me 14 years living in Charlotte to convert over to the Panthers as my #1 team. Half our population if not more in and around Charlotte are not from here.

[mush]

PSL's and selling out clubs and luxury boxes make it medium in revenue. 8 million TV market (north and south carolina) make it kinda small, throw in the fact that per capita income of north and south carolina is on the lower side of the other markets makes us small as well.

[mountainpantherfan]

PSL's and selling out clubs and luxury boxes make it medium in revenue. 8 million TV market (north and south carolina) make it kinda small, throw in the fact that per capita income of north and south carolina is on the lower side of the other markets makes us small as well.

You can't just simply look at the income numbers. The DC area is constantly 1 or 2 in income earnings every year but the cost of living is probably triple that of Charlotte. Average home sells in the DC area start around $750,000 for a 3 BR, 2BA. Compared to Charlotte where the same house would go for around $250,000.

Green Bay is another city in the same situation as Charlotte. Small market but large income compared to the market. Green Bay is actually the smallest market in the NFL but you never hear about them having the problems that teams like Kansas City, Buffalo or Jacksonville has. Charlotte is the same way.

The biggest difference between Small and Large Market teams isn't the market itself but the revenue streams. I know many people that would love to see Charlotte have a baseball team and UNCC have a football team but in reality that isn't the best thing for the Panthers. The Hurricans being in Rahliegh is great because it doesn't redirect a lot of revenue streams away from the Panthers. The fact that Kansas City, Buffalo and Jacksonville only have NFL teams and still struggle says a lot about their Economy Market despite their Population Market.

[CatMan72]

The Panthers are a young organization and in many ways Charlotte is a young city. Like others have said, we don't have established generations of fans - that makes the Panthers seem like a small market team.

Given the projected growth of Charlotte and the 2nd generation of Panthers fans becoming adults, I would guess that in another 15 years we will no longer be considered "small market".

[Happy Panther]

city population really has nothing to do with market size. The metro area is the biggest indicator of fan support...those within 45 minutes drive to the game. ATL and Tampa obviously crush us in that.

I didn't realize NO was so small.