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Stadium #5 Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC |
Green Bay Packers
vs. Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers Stadium September 18, 2011 30 - 23 Loss |
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Stadium Vitals Built: 1996 Capacity: 73,367 seats Playing Surface: Natural Grass Draft Beer: $7.00 Hot Dog: $4.00 Stadium Parking: $30.00 |
 Bank of AmericaStadium Address 800 South Mint Street Charlotte, NC 28202 (704) 358-7800 Get Directions
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Stadium Review
- Lauren's 1st NFL Game Here's
the thing, and feel free to ask any stadium traveler to verify this
if you don't believe me, but attending a football game down south is
simply a different experience from the fan perspective as it relates
to fan behavior. You don't have the belligerent drunks calling out
visitor fans with their false sense of liquid courage. You don't
have the type of fan on fan violence that erupted over the summer in
San Francisco during the Raiders-Niners preseason matchup. What you
do have is a safe gameday atmosphere that's actually conducive to
bringing your family to an NFL game (what a concept!). This is the
type of gameday environment that the NFL seeks to create throughout
the league in its constant pursuit to improve its product. This is
the model they should look to emulate. Call
it the values of the Southern Gentleman that are built into their
youngsters or the sense of community that's even ingrained into
transplants from other areas, but believe me when I tell you that
once you cross that Mason-Dixon line, the NFL culture changes. It's
not that southerners consume less alcohol during the pregame
tailgating ritual or that they are any less fanatic than their
northern counterparts, it's that southerners have decided to take
ownership of the fan experience in the stands on gameday. These fans
police their own and the security staff that's employed in southern
stadiums are more qualified than the over-glorified rent-a-cops you
find in other stadiums. I've been to many a game down south and seen
my share of belligerent fans in southern stadiums, but it's been my
experience that they're typically from the north. Misbehaving
snowbirds looking to catch a game in another stadium quickly realize
that they're not in Kansas anymore. Southerners don't put up with
disruptive behavior. Security is called over
immediately and the problem is dealt with with a warning at first,
followed by a dedicated usher to monitor the situation, and finally
removal of the offending fan as necessary. Security works together
with their season ticket holder base to ensure that the fan on fan
violence rarely escalates. The solution to curbing this problem in other areas is simple. We, as fans, need to take ownership of our own gameday experience. Each stadium has fan text hotlines that allow ticket holders to report disruptive fans. That's a start. The second step is that stadium owners need to employ a true security force comprised of off duty police officers and qualified professionals. College students and retirees looking to make some extra cash on the weekends does not a security force make. Furthermore, there needs to be consequences for disruptive fan behavior. Season ticket holders should lose their tickets and offending fans should be tossed out immediately. Changing the culture at these stadiums, not limiting pregame tailgating, strikes at the root of the problem, but I digress ...  I
was in town for my annual visit to Charlotte, North Carolina with my
wife Crystal and our 4 1/2 month old daughter, Lauren. The defending
World Champion Green Bay Packers were set to take on surprise rookie
sensation Cam Newton in a 1:00pm game on Sunday, so it was an
excellent opportunity to take my little one to her first NFL game.
Being a southern NFL venue, I had little reservation about bringing
Lauren to Bank of America Stadium for her first exposure to NFL in a
live setting. If we were in any other region of the country, I would
never have attempted it, but as I said above, the stadium experience
down south is unlike any other region in the league. Armed with a
custom embroidered Carolina Panthers bib that read, "Lauren's 1st
NFL Game," we made our way to the parking lot to find
PantherFanz.net and Dan Ortel, the
ring leader of this three-ring circus that's headquartered a stone's
throw from the main gates.  So
at nine o'clock in the morning with the tailgate party already in
full swing, we checked out DJ Dano and Joe the Cedar Street Seer
along with the full compliment of characters from PantherFanz.net.
Joe handed me a new concoction for 2011, I believe he called it
"Panther Potion". A clear, neon blue liquid featuring a secret blend
of several top shelf liquors (did I taste a hint of turpentine in
there Joe?), that's intermixed to form an excellent pregame potion
that's guaranteed to kickstart your tailgate celebration. Joe
Cautioned us that this is a sipping elixir, not a shooter, so being
the lightweight that I am, I savored every sip.  After
shooting a couple of videos and several photos, we settled in to
some excellent pregame NFL conversation centered around the young
Cam Newton. The consensus down there is that the Carolina Panthers
have finally identified their franchise quarterback and after taking
some lumps early on, the recipe for NFL success is becoming clearer
in the Carolinas. As game time drew nearer, we headed to Bank of America Stadium to watch the hometown Carolina Panthers lock horns with the Packers from Green Bay. It was an excellent day for Football and Lauren was visibly enthused about the prospect of her first NFL game. Incidentally, you'd be surprised how many doors open up to a dad carrying a cute little baby with a customized Panthers onesy. We took the elevator, found our way into the 100 level seating area, even free beer from the Tailgaters we passed. Mental note ... Lauren needs to be more involved in the Quest for 31.  Straight
out of the gate, the Carolina Panthers were impressive, racing out
to a 13-0 lead over the defending World Champs in Cam Newton's home
debut. Newton orchestrated solid, methodical drives that showcased
his grasp of the offense and more importantly his potential as a
capable signal caller in the National Football League. The No.1
overall draft pick finished the day with 432 yards passing to set a
new record for most passing yards for the first two games of a
season by any quarterback with 854, but his mark was eclipsed a few
hours later by New England's Tom Brady. Newton's impressive
performance was unfortunately overshadowed by Super Bowl MVP Aaron
Rodgers, who brought the Panthers faithful back to earth with a 308
yard, two touchdown passing performance of his own to notch the win
for Green Bay. The Panthers lost 23 - 30 to a more talented Packer
team, but the development of their young franchise quarterback
indicates that future success is within their grasp. Go Panthers!For more information on the city of Charlotte, North Carolina check out my other reviews by clicking on the links below: NFL: October 25, 2009 - Buffalo Bills vs. Carolina Panthers NFL: November16, 2008 - Detroit Lions vs. Carolina Panthers NFL: October 29, 2006 - Dallas Cowboys vs. Carolina Panthers NFL: Carolina Panthers, Bank of America Stadium - 2010 Stadium Tour NFL: Carolina Panthers, Bank of America Stadium - 2009 Stadium Tour NBA: Charlotte Bobcats, Time Warner Cable Arena - Arena Tour NBA: Charlotte Bobcats, Time Warner Cable Arena - General Information NHL: Carolina Hurricanes, RBC Center - General Information |
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| City of Charlotte Local Information | |
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Top Tourist Attractions: NASCAR Hall of Fame Richard Petty Driving Experience Mint Museum Local Foods: Carolina BBQ, Fried Chicken, Brunswick Stew What They're Drinkin': Carolina Blonde, Highland Brewing Company, Red Oak Tailgating Hotspots: Pecan Parking Lot B-3 Local Sports Media: The Charlotte Observer WBT 1110AM Getting to the Stadium: Bank of America Stadium is located in uptown Charlotte. There's no city metro rail in Charlotte, so if you're a visitor your best bet is to drive to the stadium and park in one of the many lots scattered throughout the city on gameday. |
Popular
Bar Districts: Uptown Charlotte (Buckhead Saloon, Bar Charlotte, Coyote Joe's, Tempo, The Attic Bar, Breakfast Club) The Epicentre (Suite, Kazba, Whisky River, Howl at the Moon) Best Restaurants: Uptown Charlotte (Mert's Heart and Soul, Lavecchia's Seafood Grille, Alexander Michael's, Chima Brazilian Steakhouse, French Quarter, Capital Grille) The Epicentre (Blackfinn American Saloon, Flemings’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Enso Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar) Brixx Wood-Fired Pizza Fan Resources: Pocket Map of Charlotte Stadium Policy Stadium Parking Map Fan Forum: CarolinaHuddle.com Where to Stay: Find a hotel in the downtown area as Bank of America Stadium is right downtown. I would suggest the Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard Charlotte, or the Residence Inn by Marriott. |
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Compare Prices for Carolina Panthers Football Tickets Here: Click on the following links for Carolina Panthers ticket availability at each of the top online ticket brokers on the web. Try each link to find the cheapest NFL ticket prices: |
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RazorGator.com | |
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Take a Stadium Tour of Bank of America Stadium: |
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Bank of America Stadium Tours - click here for info Ticket Prices: $5 Adults,$4 Seniors,$3 Children Phone Number: 704-358-7538 E-mail: Ed.Elowson@panthers.nfl.com |
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| Some Panther Potion to kick-start the day |
Always good to see P-Dad |
Lauren is Ready for Some Football! | ||
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| PantherFanz Party Prowler | Tailgating with Catman | Sir Purr checks in with "BabyQuest" | ||
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| Gametime! Great Seats. | Let's Go Panthers! | My First NFL Experience! | ||
| COMMENT FORM: Please feel free to post any suggestions or comments you might have for my journey to Bank of America Stadium, including the following: - Local Hotspots (Bar Districts, Restaurants, Clubs) - Local Foods (Traditional Cuisine, Micro Brews) - Tailgating Traditions - Your Experiences or Helpful Hints - If you saw me let me know! All commentary will be moderated. Your e-mail address will not be published. |
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