CHARLOTTE (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) — The Carolina Panthers went with an all-black look for this weekend’s game with the Chiefs. Coincidence? Not a chance!
“A few things went into it,” said Panthers Marketing Director Kalen Karahalios. “Huge opponent, right? (It’s a) very exciting game here. We wanted to show up in what makes the players feel the best.
Selecting the right look is a process, and in the NFL, it begins months before the start of the season. The front office and equipment manager are involved, too, and Karahalios is in the middle of all of it for the Panthers.
“It is pretty complicated,” she explained. “We have to stay within the league’s guidelines. They set some rules for us.”
The first one benefits the home team. They get to pick first. If say, the Panthers decide on a white jersey, their opponent must go with a color. From there, the teams than wait on league approval.
“I think the league wants to keep us all uniform,” Karahalios said. (This way) to keep structure around it so that teams can’t go rogue and wear the same thing the whole season.”
It sounds simple but there are some additional limitations jersey planners have to work around. For example, each team is designated two main colors, Carolina’s are white and black. They can wear those jerseys anytime. However, it’s a different story when it comes to their alternate blues.
“We can wear it unlimited in the preseason, but in the season you can only wear it three times, so that makes things challenging for us when we are determining what we can wear and when we can wear it.”
After jerseys have been picked, the rest of the look is typically decided closer to the game. We’re talking about the color of the helmet, or pants, or socks. There are a lot of combinations, so many in fact the Panthers haven’t even hit them all in their 30 years of existence.
“White jersey, silver pants, (and) white accessories with the silver helmet, we have never worn,” Karahalios said. “It is shocking to me that we haven’t.”
But what isn’t shocking to Karahalios is the fans’ true passion for fashion. In fact over the years, it’s taken on a life of its own on social media.
“It shows how much people love this team and how much they want to see us and care about how we show up on Sunday”
This weekend the Panthers have the look. Now it’s just a matter of getting the win.
