As I reflect on the things I’m grateful for on this Thanksgiving Day, being a fan of the Carolina Panthers definitely makes my list.
I grew up in West Valley City, Utah in the 1980’s as an avid sports fan who played the basketball-baseball-football annual cycle. I loved playing football, first as a running back and middle linebacker through elementary school, then to wide receiver and safety in junior high as my friends mutated through puberty earlier than I did.
Living in Utah meant I had no hometown NFL team. I jumped on the Los Angeles Raiders bandwagon as a kid because of guys like Marcus Allen, Lyle Alzado, Todd Christensen, and Howie Long, but none of my friends were Raiders fans so I had nobody to commiserate with on Mondays.