CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Dallas Cowboys fanbase always travels well, but seeing it happen in real-time is a different animal. Growing up as a Charlotte native who only knew what it was like to be at a Panthers game, a stadium full of Carolina colors was always the norm. As I grew up, so did my taste in football with the Cowboys, but Sunday’s sight was still something to behold.
Panthers head coach Frank Reich put the writing on the wall when it was time to practice silent counts for a game in Bank of America Stadium. From 8 a.m. downtown, almost every person walking the streets was wearing the star in Cowboys colors.
Speaking to tailgaters before the game, the message was simple: It’s a Dallas family.
“That’s what we have here. A lot of family and we’re gonna enjoy ourselves and just enjoy the fellowship.” Steve Butler said. He’s a 45-year faithful fan from South Carolina who made the trip up to see Dallas in person.
It’s been three years since the last time America’s Team waltzed into Charlotte. For perspective, Allen Hurns was Dallas’ No. 1 wide receiver in that game. That can make even a 22-year-old feel aged. This year’s contest was very different, on and off the field.
The Cowboys throttled the Panthers 33-10, and the overwhelming majority of the 73,534 were wearing Dallas colors. It was a win-win for the team and fanbase, having an all-out party in Charlotte.
This just so happened to be my first time in the press box at an NFL game, watching my hometown team and my die-hard team. It’s a soundproofed room, but you wouldn’t know that with how loud the Cowboys cheering came through the glass.
It was a surreal experience.
A lone Carolina touchdown drive was the only time it reminded those in attendance the game wasn’t actually at AT&T Stadium. While taking the walk into mini-JerryWorld, it was impossible not to notice a decked-out golf cart with Dallas logos all over it.
That’s the crown jewel of Bobby Scriven, a Cowboys fan from Clemmons, N.C., just an hour from Charlotte. He says everything in his house has the Star, so why not a golf cart?
Scriven had a Tony Dorsett jersey for game, one of almost every notable Dallas jersey you could name being worn down Mint Street. What a sight it was, and take it from Scriven, this is just in the fanbase’s nature.
“Taking over the stadium, Dallas Cowboys things.”