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We need to come clean on something right here on Windy City Gridiron.
We're jealous of some Green Bay Packers fans.
Yeah, it's true. We're not proud of it. But there it is. What makes it even more sickening is that "green" is the universal color of jealousy, and green is also a primary color of the Packers, so it's a doubly gross green infection of envy.
Why are we jealous you ask?
Since 1923 the Green Bay Packers have been a publicly traded company.
There are actual Packer fans, about 360,000 of them, that actually own a piece of the franchise. What we wouldn't give to be owners of our beloved Chicago Bears...
Carl does like to point out that those "owners" have about as much a say so in the daily operations of their team, as does Todd in the daily operations of his household. You see for as rough and tumble that Todd appears to be, the old softy lets the Misses run the show at his Kedzie Avenue abode. Todd may bring home the bacon, but once he crosses the threshold into his casa, he answers to Mrs. O'Connor.
We get that being a Packers owner means squat, but they still own a piece of their team, and that's darn nifty.
Now that we got that outta the way, do you realize that their fanbase, with well over 360,000 so called "owners", struggled to sell out Lambeau Field for the Wildcard playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers? The NFL even gave the team an extension to avoid a blackout penalty that would have prevented the game to air on Wisconsin television.
Thanks to some Packer sponsors and a few FOX TV stations, the team finally sold out 48 hours before kickoff.
That's just sad.
Lambeau Field holds a smidge more than 80,000 fans, Packers "ownership" is made up of about 360,000 fans, the city of Green Bay contains about 104,000 cheese-heads, and yet they nearly forfeit the right to air over local broadcast TV.
Wow.
Packer brass wanted to know why this travesty nearly occurred so they sent out a survey to season ticket holders and fans on their season ticket waiting list. We've managed to acquire the actual survey thanks to my cousin Rog in exchange for a case of Goose Island 312, a case of Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale and 24 Vienna Beef Polish Sausages.
Here's the survey.
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Packers Playoff Ticket Survey
*please ensure that your writing utensil actually works before filling out this survey, and then circle the appropriate answer
- Did you purchase tickets for the Jan 5th Packers-49ers Wild Card playoff game?
Yes
No
-- If No: Where did you watch the Packers-49ers Wild Card playoff game on Sunday, Jan 5?
- At Home
- Bar/Restaurant
- Friends house
- Streaming online or via NFL Mobil App
- Tundra tailgate Zone Tent
- I did not watch the game
--- I did not purchase tickets for the playoff game because (circle all that apply)
- Didn't know tickets were available
- Price was too high
- Direction of the team
- Playoff fatigue (been to multiple playoff games)
- Weather forecast
- No friends to go with me
- Was out of town/holiday weekend
- I had better stuff to do
- Too short of notice
- I prefer to be let down by the Packers from the comfort of my living room
- Afternoon Sunday game (too hard with travel to make work on Monday)
- Live too far away to plan a trip that quickly
- Live too far away and it is too expensive for me to attend
- There is a restraining order against me levied by Dom Capers because of some message board posts
- Other
- If you answered number six (6) above, what was the reason you did not watch the game?
- Faith in Packer defense is waning
- I forgot
- Colin Kaepernik owns us
- This cold snap makes for some good ice fishing
- Bring back Brett Favre!
- The refs would just screw us over like always anyway
- Vince Lombardi would have turned down a playoff invite after having a record of 8 wins, 7 losses, and 1 tie
- We now boycott Aaron Rodgers for doing commercials with those stupid Bears fans
If you did purchase tickets, how did you acquire them?
- Ticketmaster
- Secondary market (NFL Ticketexchange, Stubhub, Craig's List, PackerSingles.net, etc)
- Family member, friend, coworker, or employer
- Ticket broker
- I know a guy that knows a guy
- Duh, I'm a season ticket holder
- other
- Gender
- Age
- Income Bracket
- Additional comments
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A few thoughts on their survey...
If you truly didn't realize your team would sell tickets to a playoff game, you should consider getting the old noodle checked out.
If anyone actually answered "playoff fatigue" you should immediately go jump in the frigid arm of Lake Michigan known as Green Bay.
We hate Brett Favre.
For the record, we were none to excited about doing those commercials with Aaron Rodgers either, but we figured we'd give the kid a rub off our celebrity. And besides, as soon as we heard Coach Ditka would make a cameo, we were all in.
What are your thoughts Bears fans? When we begin our seven year streak of consecutive NFC North Championships in 2014, will you wuss out of going to check out our beloved Bears in Bear Weather?
