Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper re-asserted his position on Tuesday that he would not build the team a new stadium without government assistance. It’s the latest example of a multi-billion dollar NFL owner expecting local citizens to foot the bill of pet projects under the guise of fandom.
Tepper’s proposition isn’t unique. Rather, it’s become part of the fabric of the NFL’s new-normal which treats its cities as expendable — unless they’re willing to pay. The ever-present subtext in these discussions is that if local government won’t foot the bill, a team will find a city that will, even if nobody is saying it.
“I’m not building a stadium alone,” Tepper told reporters on Tuesday. “The community is going to have to want it.” The Panthers owner added that he wasn’t going to force a new stadium on anyone, but once again, the devil is in the details. It’s bizarre of Tepper to say he won’t “force” a stadium on the people after years of publicly stating he wants a new stadium with a retractable roof to house the Panthers, his recently-purchased MLS team, and host larger events, potentially even a Super Bowl.
Outside of giving a billionaire a shiny new play thing, there’s little-to-no reason for the Panthers to need a new stadium. While Bank of America Stadium remains one of the oldest in the NFL, initially being built in 1994, the difference between a mid-90s constructed stadium in 2021 is far less pronounced than teams who were…
