CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FOX 46) – Football fans headed inside Bank of America Stadium Saturday night for the Carolina Panther’s first home game of the preseason.
The team went up against the Baltimore Ravens. It’s what Panthers’ fans like William Caldwell and his little boy have been waiting on for more than a year now.
“It’s pretty exciting to finally get to see our team play in person,” Caldwell said. “We’re PSL owners me and the wife and we didn’t get to go last year because of the COVID situation.”
Mask mandates are in effect inside the stadium. It’s optional in the stands. Other precautions like social distancing, using hand sanitizer, and cashless transactions are also in place to keep fans like Tina Evans and her two children safe.
“We have our masks with us if we have to wear them and we are ready to rock and roll,” Evans said.
Fans were already getting things started ahead of the game. Hundreds of tailgaters like Tammy Little showed their support on the outside.
She was with one group glad to have the Panthers back and playing up the street. It’s times like this they say they missed.
“We got together, we played corn hog.” Little said. “ We support the Panthers 100 percent and love being here.”
With COVID cases and hospitalization continuing to rise in Mecklenburg County, some fans say they will be wearing their mask for the whole night regardless of mandates.
“We’ll constantly have it on,” Caldwell said. “Whenever we get into the stadium, we’re masking up all the time.”
Close to 75,000 seats were available for fans to watch the game in person.
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