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CHARLOTTE, NC – It’s all about football in the Queen City this week.
First there’s the Belk Bowl in Uptown then the new NFC South Champs take on the Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Panthers pride is all around Uptown after Sunday’s big win in Atlanta. Fans are picking out their playoff gear and many already have their tickets.
“I knew they were going to be the hardest tickets to get!” said Chris King, an Uptown Charlotte Resident.
Tickets sold out in 15 minutes on Ticketmaster Sunday night.
There are sites still selling them at face value. Vivid seats, Ticket Network, TickPick, Ticket City and Stubhub all have tickets for under 100 bucks. GoTickets is selling them starting at $102 dollars.
For fans who don’t want to pay, there are watch parties.
“Only thing that matters is that my boys are going to be playing this Saturday in the playoffs and I’m going to be in front of the TV,” said Julious Smith, a Matthews resident.
Of course, Julious will still be sporting his best Panthers gear.
Finding the merchandise isn’t easy. Many stores we called are almost sold out.
“I don’t think anyone really saw it coming,” said Carlo Stefanello, manager at Pro Image at Carolina Place Mall.
Stefanello is hoping Nike will send more gear to meet the demand.
“My advice would be: don’t wait until Saturday!” said Stefanello.
The empty racks at the Panthers team store are for NFC South Champions gear that’s expected to arrive Tuesday–fingers crossed.
What’s a guarantee is a party in Uptown all week!
“Everybody’s here! There’s a football energy,” said Julie Sullivan.
On Monday night, it was about the Belk Bowl as Louisville and Georgia fans participated in a pep rally at the Epicentre.
On Friday night, there’s a Panthers Pep Rally at 7p.m.
“It’s wild. I mean, it’s a Monday right now and we’re already at capacity on our lanes and it’s only going to get better from here!” said Tess Shoe, marketing and promotions manager at Strike City.
On Saturday, Strike City is offering specials to fans with a game ticket.
