It is hard to believe that it’s been over a year since we hosted the draft here in Green Bay. Watching the event unfold in Pittsburgh was a great reminder of all the time, effort, and collaboration that went into making last year’s draft a success here in Green Bay and I hope we can have it back again in the future.
As rookies reported for minicamp Thursday, I was excited to greet the newest members of our team. When they step in the door they are becoming a part of over a century of tradition. That history includes 13 world championships, and many NFL legends that are forever enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It’s inspiring watching the rookies become part of our family as they get an opportunity to live out their dreams. I believe that Matt and the coaching staff, along with the rest of organization and our community, will help these men develop into the best version of themselves and ultimately into a championship-caliber football team. Let’s run through some questions from the last month. Here are the top picks…
Greetings Mr. P, in light of the recent conviction of Live Nation-Ticketmaster for monopoly price gouging,
have to ask if this contributed to the regular price increases to our season ticket packages. Thank you for providing this open forum. Proud season ticket holder and multiple shareholder since 1962.
Thanks for your question, Terrence. In short, no. The Live Nation/Ticketmaster ongoing legal situation in no way impacts our ticket prices here at Lambeau Field for Packers games. What does impact our ticket prices is market demand and league averages. We try to balance what is fair to the best fanbase in all of sports with what is required to field a competitive team. Despite the fact that our tickets are among the most demanded in the league, we aim to be middle of the pack on ticket prices. We have consistently remained in that tier throughout all of my years here in Green Bay. As teams build new stadiums and charge more for their tickets it is impossible to remain middle of the pack without some level of increases. Nearly half the teams around the league charge more than us, despite the high demand for our tickets.
Dear Mr. Policy, I just saw the article on packers.com about the citizenship ceremony at Lambeau Field. What a great thing to do! I have taught many immigrants to the U.S. and have attended several naturalization ceremonies. They are moving and filled with joy. It never ceases to amaze me what people go through to come to the U.S. and then to become citizens. I hope you get a chance to attend a naturalization ceremony sometime. Thank you to the Packers organization for hosting this. Not to mention I’m sure those 124 new citizens will become Packer fans for the rest of their lives if they aren’t already.
I appreciate your comment Terri and would second that sentiment. I am extremely proud of the work our community outreach team does. A few years ago when we hosted our first naturalization ceremony, it was inspiring to hear some testimonies on why participants that day were so proud to become American citizens. We are glad to host such a meaningful ceremony for those in attendance, and I hope we land a few lifelong fans along the way! When we say strengthening our community is a priority around here, we mean it.
Mr. Policy, I have not had the opportunity to attend a Tailgate Tour event, but love the pictures and captions of our beloved Packer fans and players who have. As your first tour as President and CEO (and possibly your first ever) what was this experience like for you?
Judy, thanks for following along during this year’s Tailgate Tour. It was indeed my first time attending the tour and it was an experience I will never forget. We often talk about what makes the Packers and our fans unique and special, and the Tailgate Tour is one of the greatest examples of this as it directly impacts one of the Packers’ core objectives: strengthening our community. Before I reflect on the tour, I think it’s important to recognize the work Cathy Dworak and Nathaneal Washington do in our community outreach department in preparation for the Tailgate Tour. It is a massive undertaking that takes months of planning, and we are all very proud of the work they do and the impact that the tour has on our state and with our fans. In regard to my experience, there are so many positive things to draw on. First, we had an incredible group of current players and alumni join us and I very much enjoyed the opportunity to get to know them on a deeper level. I also truly enjoyed watching the current players bond with the former players throughout the tour. Our players are great ambassadors of the Packers and truly embraced the spirit of the Tailgate Tour. We raised over $500,000 for four charities across our region during the tour. While the money raised is certainly impactful and something we are very proud of, I especially enjoyed meeting our fans in their hometowns and communities. The whole week was a great reminder of what makes working for the Packers so special.
Hi Ed, congratulations on being the captain of Green Bay Packers’ ship. I understand that adding more games will help promote the league BUT has the league figured out how many games would be too many? Have they been watching what happened when baseball and basketball added more games to the schedule? Last season, I’ve heard fans say that with so many games they can afford to miss watching one or two. In the late ’70s and ’80s, even though we stunk, it was must-see TV. Is football heading towards how the other two leagues are, wait for the playoffs to see a good product?
Thanks, Kevin. I appreciate your questions and I agree that 162 games (like baseball) or 82 games (like basketball) is not feasible and would dilute the importance and experience of each game. All hypothetical conversations around more regular-season games have been focused on replacing a preseason game. I think many of your fellow fans would argue preseason games are less meaningful than an 18th regular-season game. In fact, last year’s on-field product would suggest that the viewing experience was better than ever. The NFL had more close games than we’ve had in nearly two decades. So, to your friends who say they can afford to miss a game or two, I’d beg to differ.
I was perusing a list of NFL owners’ net worths recently and it seems that starts at a billion dollars. Not to disparage you, but I don’t imagine you being in that income bracket. Does this dynamic result in any issues at the owners’ meetings or any other time? I will say I am happy to have a president/CEO leading us as a full-time job. The other owners all have multiple businesses to divide their time. I believe this is one of the core strengths of the Packer organization. As your first-year anniversary of leading the Packers approaches, I feel confident the leadership of this team is continuing in good hands.
Thanks Dan, you might actually be vastly underestimating the net worth of NFL owners. Whether you pull up to the owners’ meetings in a minivan or a Rolls-Royce, you still get a vote. But in all seriousness, I always appreciate how other owners have immense respect for the uniqueness of the Packers and the special place we hold in the NFL. They see what I see; the Packers hire professional management, and we are empowered and expected to manage professionally. This allows for continuity, stability, and decisions to always be viewed through a lens of long-term success. Our structure is one of our superpowers. We are 1 of 32 votes in the NFL, and it’s our responsibility to act like it. We don’t shrink away from the net worth of other owners, and we measure success on the field, not by whether or not we have a Costanza wallet.
