CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A leading sports economist told Channel 9 that he does not think the new owners of the Carolina Panthers would get a new stadium in uptown because of the lack of parking.
It is unclear if home games at Bank of America Stadium will likely be a big part of the process with the sale of the team.
“Frankly, I don’t see a situation where the new ownership is going to have a lot of leverage in terms of leaving Charlotte,” said Todd McFall, an assistant professor of sports & economics at Wake Forest University. “They need to be able to hold the city hostage to some extent and I can’t come up with a better place for an NFL team to be at than Charlotte right now.”
McFall said that the new ownership group will likely want a parking lot as a new revenue opportunity so they can charge for parking on game days.
"I don't see that parking is going to be something that the team's going to be able to do in the existing location, so they have to find a new location if that's going to be a point of emphasis and I'm sure it will be because millions of dollars are at stake," McFall said.
Fans told Channel 9 they cannot imagine uptown without the stadium. Some fans questioned whether it would be a waste of money to tear down Bank of America Stadium.
"Why not just keeping building on what you have already?" Loel Alston said.
Eyewitness News anchor Liz Foster contacted the county manager and planning department in Mecklenburg County and all adjacent counties.
None named a specific site for an NFL stadium, but many said they would be happy to entertain talks for it.
"If they move it somewhere else, people won't get easy access to go to the games," Panthers fan Vittorio Murillo said.
Most experts believe the Panthers will stay in Charlotte when the team is sold.
“If I had to bet on it, I would think (it's) going to be that the city and the team will find a spot where that new stadium can be built,” McFall said.
“The city values its relationship with the NFL and we look forward to working with the future ownership of the Panthers,” a city of Charlotte spokesperson said in a news release.
McFall said there is not a deadline for bids to buy the franchise, but he believes the other NFL team owners will vote on the new Panthers owner during their annual meeting in March. He said the league will likely want the new owner in the spotlight on draft night in April.
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