Cheeseheads unite!
Green Bay, Wisconsin, home of the legendary frozen tundra of Lambeau Field and the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, has a fierce loyalty to its football team. In fact, the Green Bay Packers are the only publicly-owned football franchise in the league. The value of the shares is in the Packers stock certificates and because the franchise is so inextricably tied to the community, there is never a shortage of willing buyers for the tickets or the shares.
Stock sales in the Packers have happened in the following years, 1923, 1935, 1950, 1997, and 2011. A total of 361,169 shareholders own a sum of 5,009,562 shares of stock, and no individual may own greater than 200,000 shares.
In the franchise’s last stock release in 2011, the Packers offered an additional 250,000 shares at $250 each, which ultimately raised $64 million, all of which was earmarked for renovations and improvements to Lambeau Field. Stock buys in the Packers’ franchise is largely sentimental as there are no dividends or earnings. Cheesehead bragging rights and a few unique perks are really the only return you will see on this investment.
Investing in the Future
As the beginning of the 2020 NFL season looms less than a week away, we can take a look at the odds being offered on the Packers and see that they are +180 to win the NFC North, trailing only the Vikings at +170, +1400 to win the NFC, and +2200 to win the Super Bowl this season. Aaron Rodgers has a Hall of Fame plaque waiting to be etched in his honor once he hangs up the cleats on his storied career but he still has plenty of gas left in the tank to make another Super Bowl run this year.
Speaking of investing, those odds are quite attractive considering the Packers were a 13-3 team last season that bowed in the conference championship to the 49ers. Imagine a team that was within a game of the Super Bowl a year ago, now relegated to 22-1 odds to win the big game this season. It appears as though the Packers are getting overlooked, which means a solid investment in September could pay healthy dividends in February.
“I think some of the beauty in expectations is that there are lot of comments about us being not a great 13-3 team last year, so I don’t know if we’re going to be a favorite or be the team that’s expected to dominate the NFC,” Rodgers said on a conference call with team beat writers. “I mean, I love our chances. I love our team. The key will be to find a way to recreate that chemistry and come together. But that gets figured out when we get back together in training camp.
“I like our squad. It’s been fun to see the guys every week with our daily Zoom meetings and our calls that we do. So, we’ve been definitely keeping it intense. It’s different not being able to do some of the things we usually do. What I did with some of the guys, taking them down to the Derby, and the get-togethers we had during the offseason when we’re all in Green Bay and they’re shorter days. But we’ll have plenty of time when we get back to work on the chemistry. I like our chances. I like our squad. I like the leadership of the football team. I also like it’s probably not going to be sky-high expectations for us like last year. At the same time, I really feel like we’ll be the mix.”
Companies Invested in Sports
If you want to have an arms-length financial connection with a professional sports franchise then you can buy stock in its parent company. It won’t get you preferred seating but it will allow you to tap into the financial holdings of the company with which your team is associated.
Atlanta Braves – The Braves are owned by Liberty Capital Group, a division of Liberty Media Corporation.
Chicago Cubs – The Cubs are owned by a family trust established by TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts.
Miami Heat – The Heat’s owner is Mickey Arison, CEO of Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise ship operator.
New York Knicks & New York Rangers – Both teams are owned by Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.
Philadelphia Flyers – The Flyers’ owner is Comcast-Spectacor, a Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm.
Seattle Mariners – The Mariners’ owner is Nintendo of America, one of the world’s largest videogame manufacturers.
Toronto Blue Jays – The Jays’ owner is the Rogers Blue Jays Baseball Partnership, a division of Rogers Communications.
