Who owns the Green Bay Packers?

Green Bay is one of, if not the most historic franchises in the NFL. From Lambeau Field, to Bart Starr and Vince Lombardi, to the first ever Super Bowl, Packers have etched their legacy into the history books of the National Football League.

Green Bay fans some of the most devoted in the NFL

The four-time Super Bowl champions have seen names like Brett Favre, Reggie White, Clay Matthews, and Charles Woodson come and go. All in all, 27 Hall of Famers have donned the green and gold of the Packers. While the players have been enshrined and immortalized, at one point or another they have to move on, due to trades, free agency, or retirement.

One thing that never changes, however, is the Packer faithful. The Cheeseheads, as they are so affectionately called, are not just present on game days inside Lambeau Field, but also outside pregaming in the parking lots surrounding the stadium. The Green Bay fans are literally invested emotionally and financially.

Packers one of four publicly owned US teams

Football fans are some of the most passionate in all of sports. There is a deep spiritual and sentimental connection with a team, that has the ability to make or break a person's week depending on the outcome of a game. But what happens when the effect is not just intangible, but it hits a fan directly out of pocket?

The franchise from the Frozen Tundra is one of four publicly owned sports teams in the United States and the only one in the NFL. The Boston Red Sox discontinued their option to buy shares in the club. That leaves the Packers, two New York based franchises - the Knicks and the Rangers - and the Atlanta Braves as the only publicly owned teams.

Investors have what are called 'common stocks'

There are over 360,000 stock holders invested in the Green Bay Packers. The team is not publicly traded, but the shares in the club are referred to as 'common stocks'. The stock pays no dividends and is not tied to the team's revenue in any way. Financial experts have called the shares in the Wisconsin based franchise “worthless stock", in that it has no pecuniary value for the owner.

At the end of last season the Packers were estimated to be worth over $3 billion. While this is not too common ground in the US, stocks and share holders in a sports team is a common theme around the world, especially in European soccer. Teams like Manchester United, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund are all publicly traded.

At the moment there are no Green Bay Packers stocks available for interested buyers to purchase. The only way of obtaining stocks is to find someone who already holds stock in the franchise who is willing to sell part or all of their stock.