Panthers raise ticket prices, show no concern for fans
Even without an owner, the Carolina Panthers are raising their ticket prices for next season…
The Personal Seat License (PSL) concept was born in Charlotte and helped the city land both the Charlotte Hornets (NBA) and Carolina Panthers, as each league was looking to expand. Guaranteed rights to the purchased number of seats ensured fans the same experience yearly, at a price.
After buying the rights to your seats, fans must then purchase the season tickets every year in order to hold onto their slice of real estate within the stadium. A great concept that assisted former owner Jerry Richardson in luring the NFL into the Queen City. However, the season ticket prices reflect performance and making the playoffs in four of the past five seasons means a hike in prices was anticipated but the looming cloud of uncertainty over the Panthers makes for awful timing.
Advertised as only a $1 to $6 increase in admission, the prices are per seat and per game. For example, if you own four seats that go up $6, your actual increased cost is instead, $240 – a strikingly higher figure than the advertised single digit raise. Moving up $6 per seat is $24 total, times the 10 home games in Bank of America Stadium equals the $240 total increase.
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Amid the controversy surrounding Carolina and absent a new owner, the increase will not be met with favor from PSL holders. As stated, a performance increase on the field likely reflects the increase – which should be noted keeps the Panthers tickets on par with the remainder of the league – but faced with an uncertain future which could involve moving the team completely out of Charlotte or building a new stadium, fans are not going to be happy.
It initially appears the organization is trying to squeeze as much money out of their current fan base as possible, as they too are unaware as to what the future holds. Both previously mentioned moves would make current PSL holders investments meaningless. The license is only for Bank of America Stadium.
The new owner should consider a three to five year freeze on ticket prices, especially after this latest increase, in hopes of securing fan trust moving forward. This would also display a commitment to the city of Charlotte and a newly renovated stadium that should last for years to come.
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Unfortunately, in a league driven by the dollar both of these concepts appear to be a pipe dream.