Packers Prove You Don’t Need an Owner to Feud With City

The Green Bay Packers have perhaps the most unique ownership setup in U.S. pro sports, with fans nominally “owning” the team and no one controlling a stake in what is technically a nonprofit.

That doesn’t mean they’re immune to the feuds that arise between teams and cities.

The team is calling for the Green Bay/Brown County Professional Football Stadium District to intervene in its quest to upgrade Lambeau Field and address its lease, among other issues, after multiple failed attempts with the city’s mayor in recent years. 

The Stadium District is a seven-member committee that the Wisconsin state legislature created in 1999. It oversees the use and development of Lambeau, and its members are appointed by various local governments—three by the mayor of Green Bay, three by the Brown County executive, and one by the village of Ashwaubenon, which borders the stadium. 

The Packers aired their grievances in letters to both the Stadium District and the city of Green Bay, both of which were posted to the team website. 

The Packers are attempting to spend $1.5 billion in upgrades to Lambeau Field over the next two to three decades without asking for taxpayer funds and allege the situation has stalled due to Green Bay mayor Eric Genrich’s refusal to meet. Additionally, the Packers say Genrich wants to increase Lambeau’s rent despite the city not committing to any future investments in the stadium. The team’s current lease at Lambeau expires in 2032. 

Stadium upgrades have been a controversial point in recent NFL markets, from the failed sales tax vote to help fund a new home for the Chiefs to the squabble over using the RFK Stadium site as a new home for the Commanders. Unlike many pro sports teams, the Packers are looking to foot the bill themselves and have no billionaire owner crying empty coffers. 

“The City of Green Bay is not interested in a public debate with the Packers, other than to say the Packers are grossly mischaracterizing our views and actions,” a city spokesperson said in a statement. “As we have stated previously, our taxpayers deserve nothing less than what they’re currently entitled to under the existing lease, which has 18 years remaining, and absolutely not the $30 million loss the Packers proposed. If and when the Packers are interested in submitting a proposal that reflects the thoughtful conversations that took place over several months between the two parties, the City will be happy to consider them and respond appropriately.”

The reference to 18 years in the statement includes options to renew past 2032.

Genrich, the team alleges, wants taxpayer money to be used for stadium upgrades so “some of that money would flow through the stadium to the City,” the Packers said in their letter to the Stadium District. Genrich is also proposing the elimination of the Stadium District. 

The Packers said the city receives more than $1 million annually from the team for rent and administration fees. In its current lease proposal, the Packers are asking for a flattening of rent in exchange for assuming all maintenance costs to Lambeau going forward because the Stadium District’s fund for it will be exhausted before the lease is up. 

The Packers claim the postponed talks have caused them to cancel an $80 million planned renovation of the lower concourse this past offseason.