It was a time when cities like Dayton and Racine lost their football teams. That move help them survive the Great Depression. The Packers first issued stock 85 years ago to keep the team solvent. MURRAY: The stock gives him and more than 100,000 shareholders little more than bragging rights. Subsequent stock sales succeeded that, but it's a great conversation piece and a beautiful on my mantle. RICK BEVERSTEIN: My wife's grandfather received two shares of the original stock sale in 1923. Rick Beverstein is both a fan and a shareholder. And in Green Bay's case, the fans actually do have ownership in their team, such as it is. The team is something of a throwback to a time when a town was intrinsically related to its gridiron heroes. MURRAY: Somehow, even people who don't follow pro sports tend to have a soft spot for the Packers. PATTY MURRAY: Cheeseheads can be found anywhere and everywhere. This is the fourth time the team has brought the Lombardi trophy back to the small Wisconsin city known as Titletown.Īs Patty Murray of Wisconsin Public Radio reports, many of these rabid fans are also team owners.
Their team beat the Pittsburgh Steelers last night to win the Super Bowl. In Wisconsin, fans of the Green Bay Packers celebrated into the wee hours today.
