[Wood] – Mark Murphy says it’s “very disappointing” City of Green Bay ceased Lambeau Field lease negotiations. On the significance:

24 comments

1. Typical grandstanding by local politicians who think they are more powerful than they are.

   Recall these motherfuckers.

2. What leverage does the city of Green Bay have here? Do they want the team to leave or what?

   Can someone give me a TLDR?

3. The Lambeau Field lease expires in August 2033. They have some time.

4. Eric Genrich is a moron if he thinks playing hard ball with the Packers will help his political career in Green Bay.

5. He says they aren’t asking for public money but have since halted $80 million of improvements to the stadium in the wake of the mayor/Green Bay “ceasing negotiations”. He goes on to include that this will impact fans and the draft (I believe he is referencing the future draft *in Green Bay).*

   Might they be asking for a discounted lease agreement?

   Just speculating. Hope someone can bop into these comments and provide a little clarity.

6. They’ll reach an agreement. Hardball doesn’t last long in an co-dependent relationship.

7. There is only one Frozen Tundra. Make it work, dipshits.

8. I haven’t heard anything about this and based off the video there is nothing really to go off of. But I’m sure some people will come in here acting like experts lol

9. Could/should the packers not look to buy the stadium outright, to avoid this sort of issue? Pardon me if this is a stupid question, I’m from the UK, where many sports teams own their stadiums

10. Pack it up Mark move the boys to Butte, MT I dare you.

11. FAFO, Genrich.

12. I know this is a dumb question but the stadium is in Ashwaubenon. What day does the Green Bay mayor have over Ashwaubenon Business.

13. I used to be neighbors with Eric Genrich. Real nice guy.

    But if he doesn’t do anything here, there will be some very angry, tear drenched, beer scented letters coming his way.

14. LeRoy Butler for mayor of GB!

15. I’m really curious what the different scenarios would be if they can’t agree on something. I know people in here are saying the team would have to be dissolved but what exactly does that look like? Would it be as simple as just renaming them to the [city name] Packers or would using the name “Packers” be off the table? Also do all the shareholders have any say in this? Because there’s absolutely no way the thousands and thousands of Packers shareholders are ever going to agree to move the team.

    It seems like the city of Green Bay doesn’t really have much leverage here. I guess they could completely stop paying for anything to do with the Packers (traffic cops on game days, security for the team, co-advertising if they do that, tax incentives, road improvements, and things like that) and force the Packers to pick up the tab on all of that but other than that what are they going to do? Pass an ordinance that professional sports games can’t be played on Sunday?

16. Well, I for one think it’s fine to play a little hardball if you’re the city right now, with the lease expiration 9 years away. Any large entity like the Packers can end up holding an undue amount of sway in local municipal matters, and it’s fine IMO to try to keep that in check if you’re the GB mayor. Keeps everyone honest.

    The things it sounds like the city wants – more venue access in the offseason, for example – are reasonable asks in a vacuum. The Packers are being reasonable too, for their part. I’ve no doubt that they’ll resolve all of this and that this story will be a nothing burger; for now, I’d be curious which side was the first to talk to journalists; that’d tell us who wanted to go public as their next move…

    The Packers aren’t leaving GB. End of story.

17. I mean, yes the city is nothing without the Packers. But they (the team) don’t deserve a discount. Pay up, they are a multi-million (billion?) dollar organization. Pay what is being asked, whatever it is. And then citizens can police their politicians (dumb mayor) into ensuring those funds are being used in the community appropriately (schools, roads, hospital etc)

18. I hate politicians

19. Move the team to Milwaukee… We got sledding hills n shit…

20. https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/03/26/green-bay-packers-lambeau-field-lease

    There has to be much more to this that I don’t understand. The Packers paid 1.15 million last year for the lease agreement. Which to them, might as well be $1.15. So I don’t understand why they were negotiating a deal at all when there are 9 more years left on the current deal and the amount they are paying is such a negligible amount.

    But whatever the reason, why in the hell would Genrich cut off negotiations with the Packers? If Murphy wants to call the mayor and talk about the weather, Genrich should listen to everything he has to say 24/7. The idea of Green Bay cutting off negotiations is beyond ridiculous.

    “Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich recently informed Packers President & CEO Mark Murphy that the city was “done negotiating for now.” One concerns “investments by the Packers in Green Bay” and another is “stadium availability for events other than Packers games.””

    Weirdest episode of Punk’d ever. This can’t be something the city actually said. They are concerned with investments by the Packers in Green Bay? One home game generates 15 million in economic activity in the city. Nothing additional should be expected, but the Packers invested immensely in the Titletown district bringing jobs and makes Green Bay a year round attraction. https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2022/09/14/packers-home-opener-brings-business

    And even if the Packers are being stubborn about the lease agreement or being unwilling for the city to host events at the stadium, does Genrich actually think he can win a battle of public opinion in Green Bay over the Packers?

21. Quick question: Assuming the Packers are profitable, who gets the profits?

22. If the Packers were to hypothetically leave Green Bay, that’s so much money that would no longer come to Green Bay on a regular basis. Not just the stadium but hotels, restaurants, local attractions. And while it is a nice sentiment to say that they’ll never leave, at the end of the day business is business. Milwaukee has been growing a lot thanks partially to the investment in the Bucks facilities and there’s already a stadium there for potential use. Madison seems a little more on brand for the Packers and I haven’t met a single person who’s been to Madison that has a bad thing to say about Madison. Ultimately, I think they stay in Green Bay but it might not be a bad idea when the time comes closer to start talking to Milwaukee and Madison, if only as a negotiation strategy.

23. I’m guessing this is Genrich thinking the Packers should pay for some of his pet projects around the city that have nothing to do with football. If it doesn’t make game day or fan experience better the Packers really have no reason to invest in it.

24. Imagine being the city of Green Bay and thinking you have ANY leverage on this situation. What a bunch of shitheads. That town is NOTHING without the Packers. And if the bonehead in the mayor’s office doesn’t know it, he should be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail.