The Last (Community) Team Standing
If I told you that 360,760 people held 5 million shares of stock in a $1.95 billion franchise but never made a penny off their investment, you would likely not believe me. If I told you that this investment which paid nothing to investors was the backbone of one of the most storied teams in sports history, you would certainly believe I was not being honest. Yet, it is this truth that makes the story so sweet.
The Green Bay Packers are one of the oldest teams in the National Football League. Many of the great names and games have gone through or taken place at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Superbowl trophy is named after Packers' legend, Coach Vince Lombardi. Apart from their one-of-a-kind history, the team is also the only community-owned nonprofit in the entirety of professional sports.
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No other NFL team is located in such a small locality. In fact, the smallest venues other than Green Bay are Buffalo and New Orleans, each with over 1 million people. The NFL cities of New York, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Houston have more people than the entire state of Wisconsin. Yet, the Packers have one of the most loyal followings in sports, and that following has made them the 10th most valuable franchise in the NFL with a worth of more than $1.95 billion.
If you are not amazed yet, consider that the Packers have only ever had three owners. The first was the Indian Packing Company (thus the Green Bay Packers) that gave Curly Lambeau (thus Lambeau field) and George Calhoun the money to start the team in 1919. Second was the Acme Packing Company that bought out the Indian Packing Company. Third, was the Green Bay Football Corporation, a nonprofit entity established to run the team in 1923, that still runs the team