Carolina Panthers Take Most Bougie Plane EVER to Germany

You know that last time you got on an airplane? Do you remember when your "group" finally got called and you began that walk of shame back to row 25? Do you remember how envious you were as you passed by the first 5-6 rows, ie "First Class?" I remember thinking, "Wow, can you rub it in, more? I mean, you're literally drinking a COMPLIMENTARY cocktail watching me struggle to the back of the bus." Those people will now know your pain after they see how the Carolina Panthers traveled to Germany for their game on Sunday.

Kids, welcome to Virgin Atlantic's A350-1000 Airbus, nicknamed "The Ruby Slipper." WBTV reports on just how bougee this plane is. "Virgin’s A350-1000 models boast 44 intricately-designed suites, which have seats that fold into beds, 18.5-inch television screens, shelving and privacy walls. They also have 56 “premium” seats and 235 economy seats. The airline currently operates 11 of the A350s, according to its website."

Now, if you're reading this, and you're already a member of the bougie elite, and thinking, "Ok, this is the real me. I'm taking this plane the next time I fly." Think again. Virgin Atlantic– which is headquartered in the U.K. – does not operate out of Charlotte, This was a special deal to take the Panthers to their second-ever international game (in Munich).

I have to admit this came as a little bit of a surprise to me. I mean around here the Panthers are the home team so it makes sense there are more fans of them than other teams. But you never fail to see a significant portion of fans in the visiting team's colors on game day. Which, in a city full of transplants does make sense. But I guess I just wouldn't have imagined a team that has struggled in recent years and is still one of the newest in the league, would rank so high. But despite my surprise, the Carolina Panthers ranked as the 12th most popular NFL team in a recent study by Betway.

I'm also not remotely shocked at the number one and two teams on this list. It plays right into the "bandwagon teams" as I often refer to them. Hate me all you want for that statement, but in most cases it is true. And if you're actually from one of those places then no judgment from me. Not only with how high the Panthers ranked (beating 19 teams) but some of who we beat is interesting. We ranked as more popular than both teams that played in the Super Bowl last year. And not just one or two spots higher.

So how did these rankings come about? Teams are ranked by how many combined followers they have across social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Also listed in the % likeability. According to Betway: to determine the teams based on who's most positively talked about online we used the Linkfluence social listening tool that crawls data on mentions across the internet from the past 12 months.

Want to read the full study including teams across other professional sports leagues? Go here. Continue reading for the complete rankings of the most popular NFL teams from least to most.

% likeability: 6.8

Total following: 2,371,136

% likeability: 7.16

Total following: 2,371,136

% likeability: 9.37

Total following: 3,521,400

% likeability: 6.76

Total following: 4,178,478

% likeability: 9.41

Total following: 4,185,890

% likeability: 7.85

Total following: 4,194,035

% likeability: 8.92

Total following: 4,194,035

% likeability: 16.10

Total following: 4,287,425

% likeability: 10.70

Total following: 4,666,730

% likeability: 12.80

Total following: 4,678,884

% likeability: 9.42

Total following: 4,821,000

% likeability: 9.99

Total following: 4,889,445

% likeability: 10.30

Total following: 4,955,146

% likeability: 13.90

Total following: 5,311,064

% likeability: 10.70

Total following: 5,440,136

% likeability: 11.10

Total following: 5,440,136

% likeability: 10.50

Total following: 6,402,550

% likeability: 18.20

Total following: 6,652,833

% likeability: 13.30

Total following: 7,216,811

% likeability: 13.30

Total following: 7,216,811

% likeability: 6.63

Total following: 7,868,928

% likeability: 16.20

Total following: 8,061,400

% likeability: 12.10

Total following: 8,245,252

% likeability: 11.30

Total following: 8,375,042

% likeability: 13.40

Total following: 8,467,020

% likeability: 16.10

Total following: 8,627,742

% likeability: 13.80

Total following: 9,411,393

% likeability: 11.70

Total following: 9,901,326

% likeability: 13.90

Total following: 10,251,535

% likeability: 16.40

Total following: 10,567,548

% likeability: 16.30

Total following: 16,858,395

% likeability: 11.70

Total following: 17,918,484