Panthers Fan Fest Returns To Bank Of America Stadium

Baker Mayfield #6 of the Carolina Panthers attempts a pass during training camp at Wofford College on August 02, 2022 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

With the start of another Carolina Panthers season just weeks away, the fans have so many questions. How many games does the team need to win for head coach Matt Rhule to keep his job? Who will be the Panthers' starting quarterback, Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield? What is Sir Purr's secret to beating the summer heat under all of that thick fur?

While we may not get any of those questions answered just yet, we can at least get a look at the 2022-23 team this week when Panthers Fan Fest returns to Bank of America Stadium (800 S. Mint Street) on Thursday, August 11th. You'll be able to see the Panthers practice on the stadium field, plus enjoy performances by the TopCats, Sir Purr, PurrCussion and the Black & Blue Crew.

According to the team website, the night of football and fun will be capped off with a fireworks and laser display. For the first time ever, you can be a part of the show thanks to new interactive LED wristbands provided by Daimler Truck of North America.

Tickets to Fan Fest are $5 with proceeds benefiting Carolina Panthers Charities' on-going mission to serve communities across the Carolinas. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Entertainment begins at 6:00 p.m. Practice starts at 7:00 p.m. Oh, and the NFL Clear Bag Policy will be in effect at the stadium. You can find more information about that and buy your tickets HERE.

Carolina Panthers Rank As 12th Most Popular NFL Team

I have to admit this came as a little bit of a surprise to me. I mean around here the Panthers are the home team so it makes sense there are more fans of them than other teams. But you never fail to see a significant portion of fans in the visiting team's colors on game day. Which, in a city full of transplants does make sense. But I guess I just wouldn't have imagined a team that has struggled in recent years and is still one of the newest in the league, would rank so high. But despite my surprise, the Carolina Panthers ranked as the 12th most popular NFL team in a recent study by Betway.

I'm also not remotely shocked at the number one and two teams on this list. It plays right into the "bandwagon teams" as I often refer to them. Hate me all you want for that statement, but in most cases it is true. And if you're actually from one of those places then no judgment from me. Not only with how high the Panthers ranked (beating 19 teams) but some of who we beat is interesting. We ranked as more popular than both teams that played in the Super Bowl last year. And not just one or two spots higher.

So how did these rankings come about? Teams are ranked by how many combined followers they have across social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Also listed in the % likeability. According to Betway: to determine the teams based on who's most positively talked about online we used the Linkfluence social listening tool that crawls data on mentions across the internet from the past 12 months.

Want to read the full study including teams across other professional sports leagues? Go here. Continue reading for the complete rankings of the most popular NFL teams from least to most.