For the 5^th time in the history of the Green Bay Packers, fans are invited to become legitimate NFL owners. The Packers are the only non-profit, publicly owned major league professional sports team in the U.S. 280,000 shares of common stock are being offered at $250 per share until February 29th or until the offering is fully satisfied. Since the first stock sale in 1923, a total of 4,750,937 shares have been bought by 112,158 stockholders.

The Packers Corporation was formed during a meeting at the local Elks Club in August of 1923. With the team headed towards bankruptcy, the community rallied to save the Packers. Every following sale continued to secure the team’s financial future. The last sale in 1997 helped to fund the 2003 Lambeau Field renovation.

Once again, the Packers are turning to their fans (and not the taxpayers) for assistance. This sale of shares, which began December 27^th, is intended to help fund an expansion project. The expansion is designed to maintain crowd noise within the stadium and will add ~6,700 new seats as well as several other improvements. The continuous growth of Lambeau Field is something every Packers fan can get behind simply due to the fact that every game has been sold out since 1960.

As for the fine print… no dividends or distributions upon liquidation are paid to shareholders. You will not profit from purchasing shares and they are not tax-deductible. You cannot sell, or transfer shares in any way to a third-party. The only exception is to an immediate family member in the event of death or as a gift.

The benefits to owning a share in the Green Bay Packers will not appeal to the savvy investor. Benefits include being invited to shareholder meetings, voting rights, and exclusive merchandise available on the Pro Shop website. To a fan, the most significant perk of being an owner is being a part of not only an NFL franchise, but a legacy. The Green Bay Packers are a team that is not owned by a corporation or a member of the wealthy elite, but by their fans. Now’s the time to be a part of history and own a piece of the Pack.

Karla Butler is an NFL team writer for The Penalty Flag.  She can be contacted at KButler@thepenaltyflagblog.com.

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