Not all is well Carolina Pantherswhich has nothing to do with its terrible performance in recent years. The Charlotte City Council will hear from the public on Monday about whether taxpayers think Tepper Sports Entertainment (TSE) should give $650 million in revenue to renovate Bank of America Stadium as part of a $1.3 billion proposal to renovate the home of the Panthers.
More than 60% of residents are against the proposal.In exchange for $650 million, TSE would receive a 20-year guarantee that the team would not move from Charlotte. The “guarantee” would allow TSE to leave the team in 2039 and have 15 years to pay off “outstanding debts” in exchange for the relocation.
This is the latest in a string of disputes between North Carolina residents and David Tepper, who has seemingly done everything in his power to become the most hated man in professional sports since buying the Panthers in 2018. Several While good things happened during Tepper’s time, like adding Charlotte FC to MLS and turning the stadium into a large concert venue, he also alienated the public with unnecessary changes that discarded tradition in favor of profit.
These changes include:
- They moved training camp from Spartanburg, South Carolina, to downtown Charlotte on the Panthers’ campus so low-income fans could watch the team in person, but they’ve turned the camp into more of a money-maker, alienating fans.
- Plans to remove the natural grass from Bank of America Stadium and replace it with on-field grass have sparked widespread dissatisfaction among players and fans.
- The plan to move the Panthers’ headquarters to Rock Hill, South Carolina, was initially seen as a positive move, but Tepper backs out midway through construction and becomes embroiled in legal battle with county.
- If Charlotte doesn’t cooperate, there are rumors of preliminary discussions with neighboring Kannapolis about building a stadium.
In short, there are a million reasons why people should be wary of any Tepper-related deal that promises to be good for them — because, after all, everything that’s happened since 2018 has been good for David Tepper.
Where the current proposal falls short
There’s a lot of distrust surrounding Bank of America Stadium itself. Completed in 1996, it’s not even 30 years old yet, and there’s ongoing debate about how much of an upgrade the stadium really needs.
Fans had expected the stadium redesign to include a full or partial dome to allow for the Super Bowl and some obvious amenities for fans, but the first phase of the renovation (and the only definite change) was largely unnecessary, with the exception of the restrooms.
Some naturally ask why this first phase would cost more than $650 million to provide so little to fans. The Panthers’ defense is that the money they’re seeking is already earmarked for tourism and development, but installing new restrooms and video boards won’t make the team more appealing.
Essentially, some basic infrastructure is proposed as tourism improvements, with the implicit threat that if these aren’t delivered there’s no guarantee the Panthers will stay in Charlotte.
Most of the changes people actually want are being made in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 development plans, both of which are being made at the whim of Tepper and the Panthers. There’s a very good chance that none of the most exciting elements of the redesign will ever get made, leaving taxpayers footing the bill for renovations they don’t really want.
Meanwhile, $677 million in public funds could be spent on a variety of tourism-centric public works projects that would significantly improve the city, including museums, mass transit and a long-proposed storm drain from Charlotte Douglas Airport, all of which would likely draw far more visitors than these changes for the Panthers would.
Can the team really get through this?
Yes, that is true, but as we have seen with the recent debate over the NFL’s public funding, this is more about the threat of relocation from outside the city to nearby suburbs than any wholesale relocation to another area.
After all, finding a suitable idiot is the easy part, and local governments (especially outside of big cities) have no shortage of idiots to fund billionaires’ pet projects at taxpayer expense. In the Panthers’ case, that would likely mean relocating to a wealthy neighborhood in North Carolina or South Carolina, both of which are part of the Charlotte suburbs.
While this may not mean much to the NFL as a whole in the big picture, it will have a major impact on the perception of the hometown Panthers, who have called Uptown Charlotte home since the team’s inception.
Relocating is always a risk for the Panthers. Tepper is the NFL’s richest private owner with a net worth of $20.6 billion. Paying the relocation fees and leaving an entire region wouldn’t be a big deal if that’s what he wants, and there are likely plenty of other states willing to take a bite to get an NFL team.
The first attack will come on Monday as citizens voice their concerns. Ultimately, Charlotte City Council will decide whether to agree to fund the Panthers or reject their offer. If the funding fails, tensions will surely continue and talk of relocation will come up.
