YoHoChecko wrote: ↑24 Aug 2023 20:32
NCF wrote: ↑24 Aug 2023 15:53
Yes and no. None of these owners were supporting anything that didn't ultimately help them. Cooperative umbrella is a good term, but underlying corporate greed was still present in these early NFL decisions. Halas helped Green Bay keep the Packers, but the Packers may have also helped Chicago keep the Bears. That was Halas' motivation.
You're writing this as if it is couched in a disagreement, but what I'm saying is that the ability to even recognize that it is in one's best interest to cooperate with and enhance a rival such that the whole enterprise is a more successful and profitable endeavor. I'm not making any argument against the idea that the founders' vision was in their own best interests. I'm pointing out that many are so blinded by competition that they fail to see that benefit, and they act in pure competition instead of competitive partnerships. I am giving them all credit for recognizing that the league benefits from their revenue sharing and cooperation in ways that several current owners fight tooth and nail at every new revenue stream. And in ways that some fans here can't seem capable of acknowledging out of competitive juices aimed at "the enemy"
I give more credit to the people of Wisconsin that either bought shares of Packers stock or voted "YES" to either build Lambeau Field at 1265 Highland Avenue or expand Lambeau Field at 1265 Lombardi Ave. There have been six stock sales, in 1923, 1935, 1950, 1997, 2011, and 2021. Shares in 1923 sold for $5 apiece (approximately $75 in 2020 dollars), while in 1997 they were sold at $200 each, $250 each in 2011, and $300 each in 2021.
At that rally in 1956, heavily promoted on local radio, George Halas preached to locals used to booing his Bears. When voters responded April 3, 1956, by passing the stadium referendum measure to issue bonds that greenlighted more pro football in Green Bay, Halas received a share of the credit.
Bob Harlan gets a share of the credit for the Brown County voting results on September 12, 2000 to renovate and expand Lambeau Field.
Jack Vainisi gets the credit for drafting most of the key players that resulted in the Glory Years. Without the Glory Years it may have been more difficult to get the votes on September 12, 2000 than some people may realize.
In summary, April 3 and September 12 were pivotal dates in the history of the Green Bay Packers. As a result, Lambeau Field and Green Bay Packers are collectively the greatest story in the history of professional football. It has been a privilege and an honor to sit in Row 57 for the past 10 years owing to the stock sale that funded the stadium expansion. Thank You referendum voters and Packers stock purchasers.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/1999/1226/253182.html
years and only two years removed from a SB appearance. The referendum added a 0.5% sales tax. Almost every county in WI now has the same tax (that is the most allowed by state law unless the legislature approves more like they did in Milwaukee this year).