Packers Are Sharing The Riches » Brats & Beer

March 28, 2007
posted under: NFL, Packers

Which NFL team has the greatest fan base in the league? Considering the Packers have missed the playoffs for two years in a row, suffered two shutout losses at home last year, and have done little in the free agent market under the watch of general manager Ted Thompson, and yet the team continues to stand on a strong financial footing, I think the answer is pretty clear.

According to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Packers rank seventh in the league in terms of revenue and expect to pay about $2 million into the NFL’s revenue sharing pool this year. Not bad for a team that plays in the smallest market in the league. A large part of that revenue comes from ticket sales, of course, and Green Bay averaged 70,719 in attendance last season to see their team go 3-5 at Lambeau Field. And of course those ticket numbers could not be that high if the good people of Brown County hadn’t helped pay to expand the stadium four years ago.

If the fact that the Packers have sold out every home game since 1960 isn’t enough to convince you, consider the competition Green Bay is up against these days. The New England Patriots probably make more money than the Packers, but it’s pretty easy to sell tickets when you’ve won three championships the last six years. The Cowboys and the Redskins are also up there, but they spend crazy amounts of money on free agents to fill those seats. The Giants play in the largest media market in the country. Considering Green Bay ranks 69th, yeah, I’d say Packer fans are #1 in the league.

But who’s at the bottom? Glad you asked. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the bottom feeders of the NFL include the Bengals, the Buffalo Bills, and the Jaguars, but the team that ranks 32nd in the league in terms of revenue was none other than the Minnesota Vikings.

Considering that part of the $8 million the ‘Queens will get this year from revenue sharing is coming from the largess of Packers fans, you’d think they’d show us a little more respect.