Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

The 5 Stages Of A Panther’s Fan Losing Steve Smith

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNCW chapter.

For 13 seasons, Steve Smith has been one of our favorite Carolina Panthers players. After a difficult decision, he was let go from the Panthers and picked up by the Baltimore Ravens the next day. Smith fans took to the internet to voice his or her emotions. Here are the five stages that we have all experienced:

Stage 1: Shock

When you first heard rumors that Steve Smith was being traded or released, you laughed it off. Until you found out that it was true. That’s when the shock set in…

Stage 2: Denial                                                                

The day news broke, your heart stopped for a second (and broke a little inside) while you thought that there must have been a mistake and tomorrow he would be back on the roster…he’ll be back, right?

Stage 3: Crying

The day after his release, you thought about how you can’t picture #89 anywhere else except in Charlotte and in the colors blue, black and silver. Rightfully so, your emotional rollercoaster began. It’s okay to cry.

Stage 4: Anger

After the news has sunk in, you reminisce about the 13 great seasons that Steve Smith played and how frustrated you are with the General Manager, Dave Gettleman is for letting him go.  You may have even thought about creating a petition to get Gettleman fired (who’s judging?)

Stage 5: Contemplating becoming a Ravens fan to support him

When you saw #89 and Smith on the back of a purple and black Ravens jersey, you thought about buying it. Hey, maybe we can even watch the Ravens from now on? But, no matter what color he is wearing, Steve Smith will always be a Carolina Panther in your heart.

From the wise words of Steve Smith himself, he would tell us to “Ice Up Son!”

 

Kaitlyn is a student at The University of North Carolina Wilmington attaining a degree in communication studies with a focus in public relations and minor in journalism. She will be graduating in May of 2015 with a B.A. In addition to starting a Her Campus chapter at UNCW, she also is a contributing writer for USA TODAY College and has interned for local WILMA magazine and The Greater Wilmington Business Journal. When she's not writing, her time is spent working or reading magazines of all varieties. Kaitlyn plans to move to New York City after graduation to pursue a career in journalism. You can follow her on twitter @KaitlynRussell_