Not only can President Barack Obama slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet, but he apparently also has the ability to influence National Football League schedules.
With the announcement that a large portion of the Democratic National Convention will be held at the Carolina Panthers’ 74,000-seat Bank of America Stadium, team owner Jerry Richardson told reporters this week that the Panthers will play their first regular season game on the road to make way for the convention, according to the Charlotte Observer.
“[I]n this case we were willing to do it,” Richardson said.
The DNC has expressed hopes that the large outdoor venue will help engage more supporters. The Observer reports that the location will enable the DNC to offer donors the added perk of luxury skybox seating.
“From the start, this convention has been about engaging more people in the process,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “We saw in Denver in 2008 how holding the president’s acceptance speech at Invesco Field allowed more Americans to be part of the process and part of this experience.”
With excitement mounting for a big season led by Carolina Panther’s star quarterback Cam Newton, however, a perceived disruption in the Panther’s home schedule could upset die-hard fans.
Obama is scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech at the stadium on Thursday, Sept. 6, the last night of the convention.
In 2008 Obama was the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter, to carry North Carolina — but by a margin of just 14,000 votes.
A final schedule for the 2012 NFL season has yet to be released. In recent years the league’s “kickoff weekend” has commenced on an early September Thursday. Last year the Panthers played their first regular season game away from home, against the Arizona Cardinals, on a Sunday.
A Panthers’ spokesman did not respond to requests for further comment.