So you're going after the little guys. You do realize they just won the Super Bowl, right?
Fitting.
With the NFLPA filing for decertification and the impending lawsuits between players and the league, fans can only cringe at the possibility of not watching football come September.
So who has the most to lose?
The home of the Super Bowl champions, who ironically, are the only team without a greedy owner vying for more money in this seemingly never ending labor dispute.
Once again: fitting.
While the Packers are set up well for the future and represent the epitome of building a team through the NFL Draft, the city of Green Bay could be the most adversely affected with a NFL lockout.
Ponder this: Super Bowl XLV had more people in attendance than the city of Green Bay has residents. So how might a lack of an NFL franchise affect the economy?
Not to mention, the Packers are a team that is fresh off their first Super Bowl victory in 10 years with a MVP-caliber quarterback and a young team built for success in the future.
It's not like Green Bay has trouble filling Lambeau Field due to it's Buffalo Bills-esque franchise that's focused on rebuilding.
The Packers are built to win now and in the future. Without football, Green Bay's economy will nosedive. Unfortunately, the state is already in turmoil due to Governor Walker creating disputes over another collective bargaining agreement.
What would the state of Wisconsin do without professional football?
One can only grimace at the possibilities of answering that question.
The Packers are the only professional sports franchise owned by the public, with multiple shareholders, who have input at the shareholders meetings about the organization. Is it a coincidence that the best NFL team is also the only team that doesn't have a greedy owner lobbying for millions of dollars more in the labor disputes?
Maybe. But the fact of the matter is that Green Bay will suffer dramatically if a lockout ensues.
Pray for a 2011 football season: for a resolution between owners and players, for another record-breaking Super Bowl, and for the home of the Super Bowl XLV Champions.
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