Ka-ching! Packers Are 7th In Revenue » Brats & Beer

June 19, 2006
posted under: moolah, NFL, Packers

The Green Bay Packers reported over the weekend that the team’s revenue rose to $208 million, the seventh-best in the NFL. That might seem like little consolation for fans still smarting from the dismal 4-12 season last year, but it is great news that the league’s smallest-market team can compete so well financially. Like it or not, pro football is a big business and it takes money if a franchise hopes to field a winning team, so we should all be happy that ours is doing well on the balance sheet. Packer Nation should also be proud that ours is the only team in the league willing to reveal the financial health of the franchise.

One of the interesting things to come out of the report is that 45% of the team’s income came from local sources, which includes ticket sales, Packers Pro Shop revenue, and corporate sponsorships. That’s a real sign of the strength of the Packers and its fan base. Even while struggling through such a difficult and frustrating season, the team was still able to generate more than $17.5 million from pro shop sales, and revenue at Lambeau Field topped $41 million. The team says it’s looking for more ways to grow local revenue, which is good since they don’t have to share as much of that money with the rest of the league.

Speaking of sharing, Green Bay paid about $4 million into the NFL revenue sharing pool last year, which is one of the reasons profits were down last year by almost 30%. We should remember, though, that revenue share has helped Green Bay remain competitive with the rest of the league in the past. Firing Mike Sherman and an increase in player salaries also contributed to the decline.

I know this all sounds like a bunch of corporate cheerleading, but really it is good news for anyone interested in the long-term health and vitality of the Packers franchise. Now, they just need to turn that vitality into a winning record and a championship season.