[Mpls] "Stadiumus Giganticus!"

[John Harris]

> As anyone on here that reads my posts knows, I am totally opposed to a tax payer funded stadium.  I have made comments to the effect that I could warm up to the idea under the right circumstances.  Public ownership would be one of them.  In fact I would be more than willing (interested) in owning stock in them.  Its one of the things that has kept the Packers in Green Bay all these years, and they are a MUCH smaller market than we are here.

history of packer community ownership.
http://www.packers.com/history/fast_facts/stock_history/

packer stock is worthless.  you get to vote but get nothing else.  it
doesn't appreciate, you can't sell it but back to the packers for a
fraction of the purchase price.  I don't believe the stock allows you
to make any decisions on the direction of the team.  when the team
needs more money, they sell more stock, effectively making your share
even more worthless.

the presence of stock isn't what kept the packers in green bay...

Based on the original 'Articles of Incorporation for the (then) Green
Bay Football Corporation' put into place in 1923, if the Packers
franchise was sold, after the payment of all expenses, any remaining
monies would go to the Sullivan-Wallen Post of the American Legion in
order to build "a proper soldier's memorial." This stipulation was
enacted to ensure that the club remained in Green Bay and that there
could never be any financial enhancement for the shareholder. The
beneficiary was changed from the Sullivan-Wallen Post to the Green Bay
Packers Foundation on the basis of a shareholder vote at the November
1997, meeting.

I don't see how this could be successful with the Twins.  there just
isn't the same love affair with the twins that there is with the
packers.

Brown county or whatever county green bay is in, has a sales tax
surcharge for lambeau field renovations.  this is no different than
the twins situation even though the packers are community owned
because shareholders get zero out of it.  if anything, the packer
foundation should be paying for the renovations because they get the
profits if the team is sold.

John Harris
webber-camden