The Winning Formula

As we are already being bombarded with pre-super bowl commercials, its only appropriate for us at Sideline Slander to give our two cents on the upcoming Super Bowl XLV. Kudos goes out to both franchises for their consistent success. Green Bay deserves credit for showing that their success is not merely a product of a single franchise quarterback. They stood behind Aaron Rodgers when they knew it was the right thing to do and never had to look back. Pittsburg has shown the merits of its organization as Bill Cower handed the coaching reigns to Mike Tomlin with equal to, if not superior, coaching success. What is it that these teams have that eludes so many other franchises?

For Redskins fans in Washington, our season ended a long time ago and this week we had a rather timely reminder from our Owner as to why. Dan Snyder recently filed a lawsuit against the author of the awesomely poignant article “The Cranky Redskins Fan’s Guide to Dan Snyder” written almost three months ago for the Washington City Paper. It does not seem purely coincidental that Dan waited for his apology until this week. (You can support the Washington City Paper’s legal defense fund here if you agree that Dan Snyder is the worst owner in history).

Ownership is an integral part of any operation, but this is where the Packers really set themselves apart from every other franchise. The Packers are a publicly owned, not-for-profit organization as highlighted by the article “Those Non-Profit Packers” in The New Yorker. The NFL has made it abundantly clear that they can still make an obscene amount of money even if they do not play a single game next year, but it raises an interesting proposition. What if every team was owned by the fans?

These owners of the Packers are not multi-billionaires trying to suck their fans dry for every penny and do not receive any dividends, just the mere chance to be a part of something great. In Green Bay, volunteers run the concessions stands and sixty percent of proceeds are donated to local charities. When it snows, the fans volunteer their time to shovel out of the stadium.

There is a sense of loyalty there that is unmatched in any other NFL team and that is the vital component to having a successful franchise. Unfortunately, at the risk of losing billions of dollars, the NFL included the “Green Bay Rule” into the by-laws stating that a team cannot be owned by a non-profit or community owned entity.

If Egypt has taught us nothing else, the people have the power to choose and demand change. At the very least, we can refuse to pay an average price of $4,000 for a super bowl ticket. E Pluribus Unum.