Tag: Bank of America Stadium

Panthers announce no fans allowed in stadium for Week 1 vs. Raiders

When the schedule was released, the Raiders opened as 1.5-point road favorites.

So much for home-field advantage. The Carolina Panthers will not allow fans to attend the first game of the season two Sundays from now when they host the Las Vegas Raiders at Bank of America Stadium. The team just announced the news on its official website.

The statement reads, in part:

“Despite our best efforts, we are deeply disappointed to share that you will not be with us at Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 13 when we open the season against Las Vegas. . . We recognize the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and will follow guidelines outlined by government and public health officials. And, we will continue to seek alternatives regarding the return of fans for the 2020 season and will share updates as appropriate.”

While this is an unfortunate development, it is also the smartest choice to make at this point in time regarding the health and safety of the fans.

It will be interesting to see how and if this affects the odds for the interconference Week 1 matchup. When the schedule was released, the Raiders opened as 1.5-point road favorites.

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Panthers 2020 training camp: Saturday morning scrimmage canceled

Panthers 2020 training camp: Saturday morning scrimmage canceled

Today was supposed to be the third scrimmage of the Panthers’ 2020 training camp schedule. Coach Matt Rhule told reporters that it would essentially be the third preseason game for many of the players currently on the roster.

Instead, practice was delayed and then eventually called off.

While no official explanation has been given, it’s reasonable to think this could be related to protesting the police-shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha earlier this week. Teams across the major sports leagues have canceled games and practices in recent days in order to draw attention to the cause.

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Notre Dame/Wake Forest game to remain in NFL venue

With games being moved and canceled, Notre Dame has been made aware that they’ll still be playing in one NFL venue for the first time in ’20

A growing assumption around college football has been that games scheduled for neutral sites would be moved to campus venues for 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That was the case last week when the Notre Dame versus Georgia Tech contest was moved to Bobby Dodd Stadium on Tech’s campus, but one ACC opponent of Notre Dame’s is sticking with the game being played in a neutral, NFL stadium.

Notre Dame was scheduled to play Wake Forest on September 26 before the ACC schedule changes were announced last week.  Wake Forest officially announced Tuesday that the game, known as the Duke’s Mayo Classic this season, will remain on September 26 in at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

That will add to the list of venues Notre Dame has played a football game in and gives one of the ten dates of Notre Dame’s ACC games this season while Wake Forest will play their other official home games at their actual home, Truist Field in 2020.

If Notre Dame is to qualify for the ACC Championship Game in 2020 they’ll make a return to trip to Charlotte as Bank of America Stadium has hosted the conference title game s10 of the last 11 years.

The Irish are still yet to announce an opponent or date for their one non-ACC game that they’re allowed this season.

Report: Panthers looking at 25% capacity for Bank of America Stadium

According to a report by Joe Person at the Athletic, the team is looking at around 25% capacity for Bank of America Stadium.

NFL teams are starting to roll out their plans for the 2020 season. The Packers, Chiefs and Ravens are among the teams who say they will have significantly reduced capacity at their stadiums this year. At the moment, the Bills would not allow any fans.

What about the Panthers?

According to a report by Joe Person at the Athletic, the team is looking at around 25% capacity for Bank of America Stadium.

The stadium can hold around 75,000 people at full capacity, so if the team goes through with this we may only see up to around 18 or 19,000 fans in the stands on game days. Doing so would allow for better social distancing and theoretically help curb the spread of the virus.

Any event with large crowds represents a potential super-spreader event. However, for what it’s worth the research seems to suggest you’re less likely to catch the virus being outside than indoors.

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Report: NFL considering requiring COVID-19 liability waivers for fans

Report: NFL considering requiring COVID-19 liability waivers for fans this coming season.

The NFL says the 2020 season will go on as planned, despite surging coronavirus case numbers in dozens of states. If there are going to be games this fall, business as usual simply isn’t going to cut it.

One of the biggest unanswered questions regarding this year is what the league plans to do about having fans in the stadiums. Here’s one idea that’s sure to be extremely unpopular.

According to a report by Daniel Kaplan at the Athletic, the league is considering requiring fans who attend games to sign liability waivers in case they catch the virus.

“The NFL is considering requiring fans attending games this season to sign liability waivers shielding the teams from COVID-19 lawsuits, sources said.  The waiver proposal is likely to be forwarded to clubs by the middle of next week as part of a broad range of league recommended best practices for re-opening stadiums amid the coronavirus pandemic.”

There will be other moves intended to blunt the impact of the virus and slow the spread. Teams have been instructed to tarp off the first 6-8 rows of every stadium, which will offer both new advertising space and some insulation for those on the sidelines from the crowd.

Mandated social distancing and face masks will also no doubt play some role in the league’s live events, depending on what local authorities allow.

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Watch: Jerry Richardson statue gets lifted off Panthers’ property

The Panthers have removed the statue of former team owner Jerry Richardson from their property.

The Panthers have removed the statue of former team owner Jerry Richardson from their property.

Watch as a crane lifts the statue from its long-time perch in front of Bank of America Stadium onto a truck bed.

Richardson owned the team from its inception in 1995 to 2017, when he was pressured to sell to current owner David Tepper following a workplace misconduct scandal. The two panthers that flanked his statue are also being removed.

In a statement, the Panthers said that the statue is being moved to an undisclosed location in the interest of public safety.

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Panthers taking down statue of former owner Jerry Richardson

According to a report by the Charlotte Post, the team is taking down the statue of former franchise owner Jerry Richardson which stands out front Bank of America Stadium.

It’s truly a new era for the Carolina Panthers.

According to a report by the Charlotte Post, the team is taking down the statue of former franchise owner Jerry Richardson which stands out front Bank of America Stadium.

Richardson brought the NFL to the Carolinas in the mid-90s when he founded the franchise. However, he was forced to sell the team two years ago after allegations of workplace misconduct surfaced, including sexual harrassment and racist remarks.

The statue was to remain in place even after the sale as part of the agreement between Richardson and David Tepper, but clearly things on the ground have changed over the last few weeks.

To their credit, the Panthers have encouraged players to engage in peaceful protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by the Minneapolis police. This is another significant step towards making it clear this is not just a PR campaign.

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Report: No fans in stadiums for 2020 could cost Panthers $143 million

Just how much depends on the team and the stadium.

The 2020 NFL schedule is out and the plan is to proceed with the regular season as usual, beginning in early September. That said, there are a thousand questions that need to be answered between now and then. Near the top of the list is if teams will be allowed to have fans in their stadiums or if the pandemic will make that impossible.

Panthers owner David Tepper recently suggested we could possibly see some fans in stadiums this year, but they will not be at full capacity.

If the league has to go forward without fans in the stands, it would obviously cost a great deal of revenue.

Just how much depends on the team and the stadium. According to an estimate by Forbes, Carolina could lose $143 million if there are no fans at Bank of America Stadium this year, which is based on 2018 revenue. The Cowboys would be hit hardest by a fanless-season. Forbes says Dallas could lose $621 million this year.

There’s nothing wrong with hoping that fans get to show up for games like usual, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Recent reporting in the Wall Street Journal suggests that having stadiums full of people could have a superspreader effect, which is worth avoiding no matter how much money it costs.

The league is preparing for these potential losses by changing the rules for how much debts teams are allowed to hold. Owners voted to increase that limit from $350 million to $500 million, per Sports Business Daily.

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Report: Panthers don’t plan to open team facilities tomorrow

The Panthers are in no rush to get back in the building, though.

The NFL has given the green light for teams to reopen their facilities on Tuesday May 19, depending on what state and local authorities are allowing in response to the pandemic and with certain strings attached.

The Panthers are in no rush to get back in the building, though.

According to a report by Joe Person at the Athletic, the team does not plan to reopen their facilities tomorrow. He speculates that they may return to work at Bank of America Stadium next month.

Coaches and players – with the exception of those undergoing medical treatment – aren’t allowed back in the facilities yet in any case.

Doing so would offer a competitive advantage for teams operating in states that are opening up as opposed to those still on lockdown. According to Judy Battista, right now only 22 of the league’s 32 teams will be able to open back up under current rules in place.

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Panthers eliminating 900 seats to make room for bunker suites

The Panthers are eliminating some 900 seats from the west end zone of Bank of America Stadium to make room for 14 new bunker suites.

The Panthers are eliminating some 900 seats from the west end zone of Bank of America Stadium to make room for 14 new bunker suites, according to WSOC. Roughly 400 PSL owners will be impacted. The team began informing those seat holders of the news yesterday with phone calls.

Here’s a look at the area that will be affected, via the Charlotte Observer.

Some fans will no doubt be upset by this development. While we’re sympathetic to those who will lose long-held seats, it’s tough to feel too bad for them considering most fans can’t afford PSLs in the first place and can only watch on TV every week.

Expect more moves like this from David Tepper, who after all got here because he’s adept at maximizing profits.

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