Have you had someone from out of town join your watch party?
Louis: My sister and her husband came up from Fayetteville last year when we beat the Patriots to watch the game; they live in Kentucky now and wish they could be back at The Bearded Goat to watch the game.
Are there particular challenges that your city faces (i.e. too spread out, lots of neighborhoods, apathy, lack of transit options, etc)?
Louis: Not at all, downtown Greensboro is very easy to navigate. Parking around downtown can be a little of a headache if there are other events going on but a few blocks up the road are parking garages, and we have Lime Bikes and Bird Scooters to zip around downtown – but downtown is small enough you can just walk around.
What’s the most popular Panthers gear at your watch party?
Louis: A lot of us wear Panthers jerseys but it ranges from Roaring Riot shirts to Gate City Riot shirts or even one of the members has a Panthers blazer he wears! Even when people bring their dogs they have their gear on – collars, jerseys for dogs, or bandanas.
Why Did You Want To Lead A Chapter?
Louis: Jamie is normally the leader of Gate City Riot but he asked me to help be a spokesperson for the Roaring Riot out this year since he is out traveling for a lot of the games. With this opportunity to step up and be a spokesperson/leader of Gate City, it has been awesome and I want to continue to be in this role and grow in it and possibly become a full leader one day!
What Does Being In The Roaring Riot Mean To You?
Louis: Well, this is my second year with the Roaring Riot and means more than just being a fan, it feels like a family. I have been a diehard Panthers fan since I was younger and now being a member of the Roaring Riot, I have met some awesome people and fellow diehard fans like me. Fans that get excited and jump up and down when something good happens or yell at the TV when a bad call/play is made, or even about to go into cardiac arrest watching the Cardiac Cats. It’s fun to be loud and proud to be a Panthers fan, even through the tough times, also to help Change the Culture and bring in other fans that are just as diehard as myself and others. Also, it’s great knowing that if I am ever in another city for vacation or whatever and there is a viewing bar, I know that there will be a bunch of fans there watching the game and feel welcome there
What One Place Would You Recommend Panthers Fans Eat in Greensboro? One Activity? One Place to Drink?
One place to eat:
Greensboro has a lot of fun areas downtown to eat but Natty Greene’s is my go to place downtown for some good pub style food – they make their own local beer there, really good beer and food.
One activity:
Greensboro has fun activities for everyone. Greensboro is a “college” city but there are fun local shops to go to downtown. There are different bars and breweries to check out, Boxcar Barcade, Joymongers Brewing, Preyer Brewing. If you’re here during the summer come check out the Greensboro Grasshoppers, a minor league farm team for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
One place to drink:
I may be a little bias but come on over to the Bearded Goat any time. The staff there is awesome and they have great drink specials every day of the week.
How excited are you to have the Roaring Riot and the Panthers in your town/what does it mean to have a chapter there?
Louis: I was very excited to hear that Greensboro had a Roaring Riot chapter and a viewing bar. I joined the first night I went to the Bearded Goat for a viewing party. Originally, I’m from Fayetteville and at the time they did not have a chapter so I went to Buffalo Wild Wings, Kick Back Jacks or other sport bars to watch the games. It was super annoying having to watch a Panthers game on TV with no sound because they had other games’ sound being played over the sound system. I love having a bar to go to and can hang with other fans, feel the energy and feel the excitement while watching the games.
To learn more about the Gate City Riot and find your local Roaring Riot chapter to watch games with other Panthers fans, click this picture of the best group of wide receivers in the NFL:
