5 Views of the Panthers’ Dream Season

From the locker room. From the tailgate lots. From the best seats in the house. From Singapore. And from, yes, Atlanta.

January 14, 2016

WE ARE THE "CITY OF CHURCHES."

We earned the nickname in the 19th century, and even today, after all the changing we've done, still more than 700 houses of worship stand. You can't miss them. Some are old, some are new. Some are small, others are mega. It's a point of pride here that no matter where you're from, on Sundays, there's a place for you.

This season, though, we've had a football team interrupt our Sundays, in such a good way. At first, only the most loyal had faith. Then it started happening. One win rolled into another, and then another, and then another, and more people jumped aboard, until we looked up and we'd won 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 games in a row, and suddenly we'd arrived here, at this point in the city's history when we are living in the home of the best professional football team in America. It feels good. It feels good to be the top seed in the playoffs, with a date against the Seahawks on Sunday. It feels good to win more games than all but six other teams in history. It feels good to believe.

These five essays come at you from everywhere, from Plaza Midwood to Atlanta, from Singapore to Spartanburg, from the tailgate lots to the best seats in the stadium, and together they tell the story of how a football team helped a city become one. At least on Sundays.