[terry]

The Packers fans "owning" the team has got to go down as one of the greatest sports marketing gimmicks of all time.

http://deadspin.com/5866292/the-feel-goo...he-packers

Wow, this article completely misses the point.

Stockholders in the Packers have the same the kind of influence on operations that stockholders normally get -- they vote for members of the Board of Directors. The Board then selects executives, who make the operating decisions.

My grandfather was elected to the Packers' Board of Directors and served on the Board's Executive Committee for many years. He was one of people who made the important decisions for the team, such as hiring Vince Lombardi. If the Packers' shareholders had thought my grandfather was doing a bad job, they could have voted him off the Board of Directors and put someone else in his place.

It's true that Packers stock is not an investment. The Packers are a non-profit corporation. The stock can't be traded and doesn't pay dividends. But that's not the point. Packers shareholders did not buy stock because they wanted to make a profit. They bought Packers stock because they wanted to save their team. Back in the day, other NFL franchises were folding due to lack of funds. Packers fans saved their team by buying it. A deep-pocketed owner can move his team whenever if he chooses -- Bob Irsay, Al Davis, Art Modell. Packers fans kept their team in Green Bay by buying it. That's why Green Bay is the only small-town franchise still in the NFL. Without ownership by the fans, the franchise would have gone bankrupt or been moved. Instead, the team is still in Green Bay. No other fan base has had that kind of impact and influence on their team.

[terry]

The Packers fans "owning" the team has got to go down as one of the greatest sports marketing gimmicks of all time.

http://deadspin.com/5866292/the-feel-goo...he-packers

Wow, this article completely misses the point.

Stockholders in the Packers have the same the kind of influence on operations that stockholders normally get -- they vote for members of the Board of Directors. The Board then selects executives, who make the operating decisions.

My grandfather was elected to the Packers' Board of Directors and served on the Board's Executive Committee for many years. He was one of people who made the important decisions for the team, such as hiring Vince Lombardi. If the Packers' shareholders had thought my grandfather was doing a bad job, they could have voted him off the Board of Directors and put someone else in his place.

It's true that Packers stock is not an investment. The Packers are a non-profit corporation. The stock can't be traded and doesn't pay dividends. But that's not the point. Packers shareholders did not buy stock because they wanted to make a profit. They bought Packers stock because they wanted to save their team. Back in the day, other NFL franchises were folding due to lack of funds. Packers fans saved their team by buying it. A deep-pocketed owner can move his team whenever if he chooses -- Bob Irsay, Al Davis, Art Modell. Packers fans kept their team in Green Bay by buying it. That's why Green Bay is the only small-town franchise still in the NFL. Without ownership by the fans, the franchise would have gone bankrupt or been moved. Instead, the team is still in Green Bay. No other fan base has had that kind of impact and influence on their team.