Charlotte paying $143 million to keep Panthers happy

With Los Angeles still looking for a team to move to town -- the Chargers seem to be the best bet, but they're still locked down in San Diego for the 2013 season -- you can cross yet another potential franchise off the list.

That would be the Panthers -- who have won concessions from the Charlotte City Council, which will invest $143.75 million during the next 15 years for upgrades to Bank of America Stadium, according to the AP.

This also means the Panthers, who will contribute $96.25 million during the next decade and a half, will stay in Charlotte for at least the next 15 seasons. Charlotte -- which plans to raise food and beverage tax by one percent in order to pay its part -- and the Panthers also have asked the state for $62.5 million.

“When you stack up what our loss would be if we lost the team versus what the gains would be if we kept the team tethered to the city, there's no question what the right call is here,” Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx told the Charlotte Business Journal. “We have negotiated a deal that keeps the team in place for 15 years where today they have no requirement to be in Charlotte other than the fact that the current owner wants it to be. With transition expected at some point in the future, security's a good thing for Charlotte.”

And not such a good thing for L.A.

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