Trent Tucker October 20, 2015 Bank of America stadium is one of the most memorable NFL stadiums that I’ve ever been lucky enough to visit. The stadium is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and is the home of the Carolina Panthers. The surprise trip that I went on with my dad to see a game is one of my favorite childhood memories. It was December 18th and my sixteenth birthday was right around the corner. I came home from the boys’ basketball game, and my parents were sitting at the table with dinner ready. I noticed it was kind of weird for my dad to be home already, so I assumed that I was most likely in trouble. We ate one of the best steaks I’ve ever had and then after my dad asked me to lift my placemat. Still suspicious I thought, “oh great my report card came early”; Instead, I was given an envelope that had a birthday card in it. I opened the card and there were six small pictures that included, a plane, airport, Cam Newton, hotel, restaurant, and the panther’s stadium. At first I figured it was my parents trying to joke around with me, so I tried not to react. Then my dad asked me if I knew what it meant and I said, “What that I’m going to a Panther’s game?” When he said I was, I went silent because that was one of the gifts that I had asked for every year and never expected to get. After a long moment of silence, I hugged my parents and they told me that we were going with Seth and his dad on Friday. That was the start of a memory that I will have my whole life. Friday morning came and it was absolutely freezing in NY. Snowflakes as big as quarters began to fall from the dark sky as we drove down the highway towards Newark airport. We began to worry whether the flight would be delayed or even canceled. While at the airport, Seth and I tried to keep ourselves busy by trying to think of things we could do In Charlotte since we would be there two days before the actual game. We saw that the Charlotte Bobcats, an NBA team, had a game Friday so we tried convincing our dads to bring us. They made it clear that we were staying at the hotel for the night. The flight went smooth despite the three inches of snow and sixteen degree weather. When we arrived, it was about seven o’clock and all we could see in the sky was all the lights from Charlotte’s night life. There was a streak of about thirty bars, clubs, and restaurants right outside of the Charlotte airport. My dad got us into a cab that was “bringing us to our hotel”, The Carolina blue was all over the city and if you asked one hundred people about the Panthers, they would talk endlessly about them and most would be attending the game Sunday. It was cool to talk to so many Panther’s fans considering in NY Seth and I might actually be the only two in the state that like them. Finally the cab stopped and when we got out we noticed that we were at the Time Warner Cable Arena, which said “Home of the Bobcats”. This was another surprise as Seth and I got to watch Kobe Bryant, one of the best play the Bobcats, with great seats. After the game, I went to bed overwhelmed with how much fun I had and was going to have Sunday at the panther game. Finally, Sunday came and it was game day throughout all of Charlotte people were talking about the day’s matchup with the NY Jets. We arrived at Bank of America Stadium hours early to tailgate and talk to other fans about the game. We all had our jerseys on and even some of the diehards like myself had masks, hats, face paint or costumes on. Finally, prepared to enter the stadium, we were stopped by a man in a suit who said, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but you all have to come with me.” I immediately turned to Seth and asked if we did anything illegal that could get us in trouble, and for once, our answer was no. We followed this unknown man all the way to an entrance where we were given these small passes. I read the pass and it said “field pass”! That meant we were allowed to be on the field and meet some of the players. The field was beautiful. The grass was extremely soft and it felt like I was walking on a sponge. The air was crisp with a little bit of a chill. In other words it was perfect weather for some football. Things like the air, the atmosphere, the Carolina blue all over the stands, the stripes on the wall of the stadium, the scenic skyline towering over the stadium, seemed perfect on this day. The buildings were silver looking right over the south side of the field. My favorite player, Cam Newton, was ginormous in person, I stood close to him at one point and had to look straight up to make eye contact. At about six foot six two hundred fifty pounds, he was a monster. It was a four o’clock game and the sun was just beginning to set over the west side of the stadium and all you could see was the reflection on the beautiful buildings. The skyline was clearly visible and it couldn’t be any nicer. While watching the players warm up, Ted Gin Jr, a wide receiver, threw me a pass. I caught and got to throw it back. The ginormous yet down to earth players, the lights that blinked on midway through the warmups, and even the fat lineman dancing to the music that played throughout the stadium I won’t be able to ever forget. The game went well the Panthers won thirty to twenty one and the city went nuts after. Fireworks were launched and people screamed and shouted “Go Panthers” from all over. This game was special because it clinched us a playoff berth for the first time in three years and the excitement could be felt from all over. I don’t know if I could ever actually thank my parents enough for this trip. It was more than even what I expected when I dreamed about going to a Panthers game. I will forever be grateful for this memory and the beauty I was able to witness at Bank of America Stadium.