Carolina Panthers' latest decision is a slap in the face to the fan base

It is and has often been hard to be a fan of the Carolina Panthers over the years. They are not making it any easier. With ticket prices rising and a serious streak of losing seasons, the Panthers might be lucky they still have a devoted fan base at all right now. It's been rough since 2017, and it's not going to change in the immediate future thanks to a new decision that's been made.

According to team reporters Mike Kaye and David Newton, the Panthers are not going to allow any fans at training camp for the next two years. "Due to ongoing construction at the practice fields, the team is unable to host fans on-site throughout the 2025 and 2026 Training Camps. The Panthers will host fans during Fan Fest at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, August 2, 2025," Newton said.

Fans being able to go to training camp and watch the team during that slightly less formal time of year was always a huge draw for the Carolinas. This team may not be very good, but fans are interested in them. There's been some outrage online in the immediate aftermath of this decision.

They will still have Fan Fest, but the Panthers have been a stale franchise for a long time. They haven't been good, and they've frankly made some head-scratching decisions (cutting Cam Newton, hiring Frank Reich, etc.) that have turned off so many fans. Yet, they still want to engage with the team at training camp. Now, they're not allowed to.