Paying more to watch a losing team feels like buying front-row seats on a sinking ship. The Carolina Panthers faithful have shown up for eight consecutive losing seasons under owner David Tepper. And now, just as the franchise finds its footing, they’re being handed a steeper bill. The renewal notices are out, the numbers aren’t pretty, and patience in Charlotte is wearing thin.

“Panthers’ season ticket renewal notices were emailed today,” reports The Athletic’s Joe Person on X. “ticket prices increasing by avg. of 12% across BoA Stadium, with upper bowl seats moving from $510 to $590 ($8 hike per game).”

The Panthers did offer some context. Their own research shows that 75% of 32 franchises are raising prices this year. Additionally, Carolina’s projected average ticket cost now ranks 23rd-highest in the league.

But the context makes it worse, not better. This is notably the steepest single-season hike in recent memory. Last year saw a 6% increase, which itself followed a 4% rise in 2024. That’s a compounding trend that has quietly outpaced what the fans signed up for.

There are now three options available to the season ticket holders. Pay in full for a renewal by May 1, or opt for an interest-free, seven-month payment plan by April 1. The third, and most heartbreaking option, is to cut ties, shake hands, and walk away.

The price hike also carries a major financial backdrop. In June 2024, the Charlotte City Council voted 7-3 to approve a joint $800 million renovation deal for Bank of America Stadium. The City was set to contribute $650 million, and Tepper had to commit $150 million upfront. Tepper also signed off on approximately $421 million in potential overages. The renovations are supposed to wrap up by 2029, anchoring the Panthers in Charlotte through 2045.

David Tepper purchased the franchise back in 2018 for a then-record $2.2 billion. What’s more, before this 2024 renovation deal was finalized, Tepper had already invested north of $117 million in stadium upgrades. To those watching the spreadsheets, the price hike might just look like a way to get some returns on that investment.

There’s a playoff narrative buried in the price hike as well. The Panthers clinched the NFC South in 2025 despite finishing 8-9. They advanced on a three-way head-to-head tiebreaker over the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints, both also at 8-9. It was Carolina’s first playoff appearance since 2017, but it came through the back door, not a breakthrough.

Now, a division title earned through a tiebreaker (with a losing record) doesn’t buy goodwill. It especially doesn’t justify a 12% hike in the eyes of fans who have watched eight straight years of subpar football under David Tepper’s ownership. The backlash arrived within hours of the renewal notices going out.

Charlotte fires back at David Tepper’s price hike

The complaints weren’t just about the numbers. For a large portion of the fanbase, the renewal notices reactivated years of accumulated frustrations: decisions made under David Tepper’s ownership that they felt were more focused on bringing revenue than on the people filling the seats.

The one factor that keeps coming up is the grass. Bank of America Stadium switched from natural grass to FieldTurf ahead of the 2021 season, Tepper’s third year as Panthers owner. They cited a growing event calendar that now includes Charlotte FC MLS games, college football, and concerts. For many, that decision was the moment Tepper’s ownership priorities became clear.

“He’s a greedy owner,” one fan fired off on X. “We have known this since year two or three when he removed the grass. I suspect that he will continue to raise them until he recoups some of his investments in the renovations.”

For PSL holders, the financial frustration cuts even deeper. Personal seat licenses are one-time upfront fees granting the right to purchase season tickets. Owners can sell their licenses on the secondary market. However, if they stop renewing tickets without selling the license, it reverts back to the team.

“They are slowly trying to push out so they can sell them to someone else,” one fan observed. “Being a PSL owner is the worst financial decision i’ve ever made.”

The frustration doesn’t stop at the NFL sideline either. David Tepper also owns Charlotte FC, and fans of both franchises are connecting the same dots.

“One thing that will always happen is Tepper screwing fans out of more and more money,” one person wrote. “CLTFC prices consistently rise each year no matter what.”

Attendance figures add another layer of sting. The Panthers have been far away from capacity crowds throughout the 2025 regular season. Eight straight losing years have a way of thinning out the stands.

“Most of the games last year were lucky to be 2/3 full, and they want to raise prices?” one fan’s question hit hard.

But amid all of this, one person just needed seven words to capture what Charlotte is feeling.

“They really want me to give up,” the person wrote.

Tepper has the stadium deal signed, the renovation timeline set, and a playoff appearance (however narrow) to point to. What he doesn’t have is a fanbase that trusts his intentions. That gap won’t be closed by league-wide pricing comparisons or payment plans. It gets closed on the field, over sustained seasons, with results that make the bill feel worth it. Charlotte has been waiting eight years for that. And the price of that patience just went up 12%.