The news out of Chicago over the weekend that the Bears could be moving out of state and building a new stadium in neighbouring Indiana was a valuable reminder of the importance of Green Bay’s fan-owned structure.
The Bears’ board of directors voted to move forward with a plan to develop a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana, due to apparent issues in finding a viable site in Illinois, or perhaps more so a favorable deal with the local government.
While it is not certain the Bears will leave the state at this point, it is looking increasingly likely their 100-plus year stay in Chicago, where the team has been since its inception, will come to an end.
They will still likely be named the ‘Chicago Bears’ after the move, similarly to the New York Jets and Giants, who play their games in New Jersey. Still, it seems ridiculous and unnecessary that the Bears have arrived at this point to begin with.
Packers fans will rightly make their jokes, but as one half of the most historic rivalry in the NFL, it would be a shame to see the Bears move away from their roots.
It also shines a light on just how unique the Packers are, being owned by the fans, and how vital that structure is.
When Ed Policy took over as the team’s new CEO and president of the Packers last year, one of the primary objectives he stated was keeping the team in Green Bay.
That raised eyebrows at the time, as after their long history in the city, and the success the team has had, it seemed a given the Packers would always remain in their current location, and Policy’s statement caused many to wonder if there was an imminent threat to that goal.
Instead of that being the case, Policy’s words were more a good reminder that keeping the team in Green Bay is something which constantly needs to be at the forefront of the organization’s mind in everything they do.
That is especially true as they must continue to keep up with the Jones’s while operating in the league’s smallest market. As we have seen in Chicago, which is one of the biggest markets in the NFL, anything can happen.
Packers fans have been the butt of many a joke over the years for spending hundreds of dollars to purchase stock in the team, knowing full well they will get no financial return or real benefit for doing so.
The line thrown at them has been that the certificate they receive as a stock owner is a “worthless piece of paper”.
But without those pieces of paper, the team may have been forced to move decades ago, or gone under altogether, as the Packers fought financial hardship from essentially the time of their founding in 1919.
More than just the Bears example, how many times are taxpayers in various states across the country forced into footing some of the bill for a new stadium a billionaire wants to build? The financial support given to the Packers is by their actual fans and is voluntary.
The recent events in Chicago should serve as a reminder that Packers fans have it pretty good, and that should never be taken for granted.