New message for Tepper.

Winning brings more Panther fans to the game instead of a stadium full of the opposing fans.  Home crowd can be loud and effect the game.  Also helps people like the bar owner when enthusiastic fans come in before, during and after the game. There is no advantage if the visiting team has more fans in the stadium than the home team does. It's actually depressing. Not to mention embarrassing.

The team feeds off of great stadium energy.  I remember Luke talking about this once in the good old days when the stadium was full of Panther fans and the crowd was so loud ...he said the defense could not even hear  themselves in the huddle;. Disrupts the offence...they make mistakes and have more false start penalties.

I remember a game I wa at...it was a night game...maybe against the Pats and Brady (we won)...the crowd was do hyped up...when the Panthers scored the go ahead touchdown...people were jumping up and down and you could actually feel the stadium shake.  The game announcers even felt it and commented on that....worried the stadium was coming down....lol.

There was another night game...prolly Mon...we were playing the Bucs for the division lead. DWill and JStew just ran right over the Bcs...team blew them out (lead to Gruden's firing)...everyone in the stadium stood for the entire game.  Wining creates energy which creates more winning.

Almost everything you said here makes perfect sense. And I agree with almost all of it. I can't argue with the conclusions (for the most part..) and I won't..... I DO think (believe) that this does not tell the whole story. And because of this, and because the bar owner admitted it, his appeal to the masses with his sign is completely self-serving. The truth is ---- according to Matt Wohlfarth, he harbors no animosity toward Tepper. His ONLY concern is dollars -$$ - and how he can capture more of them. Given ANY situation that generates business (dollars-$$), Wohlfarth is happy. If visiting fans storm the bar and spend money, he is all for it. If there are drag races down main street in the middle of the day -- GOOD, as long as it lines his pocket. Make no mistake, this guy is a businessman, NOT a die-hard Panther fan.!!

So, let me quickly try to explain why i think his sign "misses the mark".  A team, playing at HOME, accrues certain advantages that together account for approximately 3 points in their favor. A team playing at HOME stays nearby and relaxes at home before a game, while a visiting team fights airports, bus rides, long flights, hotels, strange beds, room mates, jet lag, etc., etc.  A HOME team has players who are rested, spend time with spouses and families, eat their normal diet, and accept "massages" from their spouse (or offer them in return..). They then have a nice breakfast, take care of their morning ablutions, rest some more, then slowly make their way to the stadium a couple of hours before game time. A HOME team knows the stadium, they have all of their personal gear in their locker, they know the training staff and equipment, and know how to go about getting something done if and/or when they need it. A HOME team's players face generally well-meaning fans and reporters who ask them questions politely and respect boundaries that DO NOT exist at a visiting stadium or locker room.

There are many other situations as well where "advantages" accrue to the HOME team. YES, fan noise is one. But it's not the 'sign-post' for Home Field Advantage. One of the worst places to play in the NFL has always been Seattle. The "12th Man" was a living, breathing organism that created some problems for visiting teams. No doubt about it. But Seattle was UNIQUE. And the "12th Man" still lives on up there, even though the Seahawks are not winning like they once were.

So, I firmly believe that Home Field Advantage exists for ALL teams playing at home. It exists for a 4-12 team the same way it exists for a 12-4 team.

I think ---- Well, I'm pretty sure...