Some NFL Owners Resist New Deal

[Frezo]

What advantage do the Packers have over other franchises because they're publicly owned? ...just curious

 

[plk]

What advantage do the Packers have over other franchises because they're publicly owned? ...just curious

I can give you my take on that.

If the "Home Town Team" has a bad owner, the fans are screwed. There is very little that they can do to change the situation. If they support the team in spite of the owner, the owner has little incentive to change. If the fans don't support the team, the owner may move the team.

All the fans can do is wait and hope that the owner will sell the team to someone better. But the next owner may not be better.

The thing about a publicly owned team, as well as a publicly owned company and a democratic government, is that there is the possibility of change when things are not working.

I would be more optimistic about the shareholders of a publicly owned team fixing things than I would be with a publicly owned company. For the most part, if someone does not like the way a publicly owned company is being run, he sells his shares.

Teams are a lot simpler to make work than governments. Basically, you hire a good general manager, establish a long-term philosophy, and let the GM do his job without interference.

Also, I also suspect that, in many cases, community ownership would greatly increase community support for the team.

 

[townes]

I'm not talking about governments buying franchises, only communities through public offerings. Are you seriously defending the rule the owners put in place denying communities the right to buy their franchises?

Huh, no response---that's a first.

 

[plk]

What advantage do the Packers have over other franchises because they're publicly owned? ...just curious

Let me add this which is more directly responsive to your specific question.

Because the Packers are not run for profit, all profit goes back to making the team better. We don't know for sure, but I doubt that this is the norm in the NFL. My own guess is that it is extremely unusual.

There is also a considerable advantage for the fans. Because there is no point to making a profit beyond what the team needs, there is no point to raising ticket prices beyond what the team needs. The result, if I remember correctly, is that the Packers have the lowest ticket prices in the NFL.

 

[lurker1965]

You just cited a 10% profit for a non-profit team in a tiny market as support for your argument. Can you not see the irony in that?

There is no "non-profit" team. A non-profit would be like The Salvation Army. The Packers are not a charity.

Oh, and don't assume Green Bay is a small market because the city is tiny. It is essentially a national brand. In Dallas the #2 team is likely the Packers. (OK, probably a bad guess as Texan "fans" or Eagle "fans" meant to piss off Cowboy fans might be bigger. Probably should have used Jacksonville.)

Think around here. After the Patriots and anti-Patriots disguised as Colt/Jet/Steeler fans* I can find actual Packer fans.

*Aside: To find a faux fan ask if he knows the name of the Right Guard. If he (or she) is stumped they are only a "fan" to piss you off.

 

[Deus Irae]

There is no "non-profit" team. A non-profit would be like The Salvation Army. The Packers are not a charity.

The Green Bay Packers are a non-profit organization.

 

[townes]

I'm not talking about governments buying franchises, only communities through public offerings. Are you seriously defending the rule the owners put in place denying communities the right to buy their franchises?

Still no response. The silence is deafening.

 

[spacecrime]

Still no response. The silence is deafening.

If a man posts in a forum, and no one listens, has he made a sound?

 

[townes]

If a man posts in a forum, and no one listens, has he made a sound?

He's responded to every other post on the subject yet goes completely silent when challenged on his claim that only billionaires can run the game it definitely shows how weak his argument is. Not that it wasn't from the start as he never had anything more than 'If the owners say so then it must be so....."


Feel free to take up his argument and support the rule the owners made that communities cannot buy their teams, I'll be fascinated to see it.