Carolina Panthers in Charlotte tickets

The Carolina Panthers were born from one of the most persistent expansion bids in NFL history. Founder Jerry Richardson, a North Carolina native who played wide receiver for the Baltimore Colts before building a career as a businessman, announced his push for a Carolinas franchise in 1987 and spent years proving the region's appetite for pro football by staging preseason exhibition games everywhere from Raleigh and Chapel Hill to Columbia, South Carolina. The NFL awarded the Carolinas its 29th franchise in October 1993, and the Panthers debuted in 1995, playing their first season at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina, while a purpose-built stadium rose in uptown Charlotte. Success came fast: a 7-9 inaugural season, the best debut ever by a first-year expansion team, followed by a 12-4 second season, an NFC West title, and a trip to the NFC Championship Game in year two.

Twice, the Panthers have reached the sport's biggest stage. After the 2003 season, an 11-5 team behind quarterback Jake Delhomme and wide receiver Steve Smith surged through the playoffs and pushed the New England Patriots to a 32-29 finish in Super Bowl XXXVIII, a game still ranked among the best Super Bowls ever played. After the 2015 season, Carolina started 14-0, finished 15-1 with the league's top-scoring offense, and reached Super Bowl 50 behind quarterback Cam Newton, who won the NFL MVP award that year. The franchise's roll call of greats runs deep: Smith led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns in 2005; Newton claimed Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011 after a record-setting debut; and linebacker Luke Kuechly and defensive end Julius Peppers anchored some of the best defenses in team history on their way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Game days in Charlotte run on traditions the franchise has been building since 1995. Bank of America Stadium sits in the heart of Uptown Charlotte, purpose-built for football when it opened in 1996, with bronze panther statues flanking its entrances and the team's headquarters on site. Tailgating spreads through the lots around the stadium, each with its own style, from Carolina-style barbecue to live bands and pickup football games. Inside, the six-foot Keep Pounding drum is struck four times by an honorary drummer before kickoff, once for each quarter, and the call-and-response chant that follows, one side of the crowd shouting keep and the other answering pounding, has been a fixture since 2012. Mascot Sir Purr, the TopCats cheerleading squad, and the PurrCussion drumline keep the energy moving all game, and Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline plays after every home victory. Because the franchise represents both North Carolina and South Carolina, the crowd pulls from both states, a bond the region cemented with the OneCarolina rallying cry during the 2015 championship run. Off the field, Carolina Panthers Charities backs education, athletics, and human services programs across both Carolinas. Demand for Panthers tickets tends to peak when the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New Orleans Saints come to town, and those NFC South matchups carry the charged atmosphere that division football is built on.