The Green Bay Packers: Special In So Many Ways

By

-

September 8, 2013

Go Packs! The Green Bay Packers play their first regular season game of the year this afternoon. I’m enough of a Packers fan to know this. I am not enough of a fan, however, to watch the game (I’m going to see Iron Man 3 with a friend instead). But I love the Packers, even though I don’t watch a lot of football and I am originally from Minnesota. The Packers have such an impressive legacy and they play outdoors in Green Bay in the winter. As a northern girl, I love that. Plus, it’s great to see one of the original small-town football teams not just survive but thrive in this era of big market, big money, big ego football.

But what I love most about the Packers is the fact that there are 364,122 owners of Packers. And not one Jerry Jones or Jack Kent Cooke (that’s a throwback to my college days in DC) in the bunch. Most people know that the Green Bay Packers are community owned. Even I, with my limited interest in football, knew that. What I didn’t know, however, is how the ownership works or how it started.

On August 18, 1923, the original articles of incorporation for Green Bay Packers Inc. were filed with Wisconsin’s secretary of state. A publicly-owned company, the Packers corporation is nonprofit. The bylaws state that the Packers are “a community project, intended to promote community welfare.”

The shareholders don’t get paid dividends and can’t sell their stock. But they do get to attend the annual shareholder meeting and vote on corporate matters, such as the board of directors. The Packers are governed by a board of directors and a seven-member executive committee. And to prevent a Jerry Jones-type from taking over, the articles of incorporation specifically prohibit any individual from owning more than 200,000 shares. Over the past ninety years there have been 5 stock offerings, with the last one (in 2011) used to raise funds for an expansion of Lambeau Field.

Unfortunately, the NFL will never allow another franchise like the Packers to be created. In 1960, the NFL constitution (I did not know until today that the NFL had its own constitution) was amended to add a Green Bay Rule that provides, “charitable organizations and/or corporations not organized for profit and not now a member of the league may not hold membership in the National Football League.” Art. 4, S. 4, NFL Constitution.

Maybe there never could be another Green Bay football team anyway, with today’s billionaires running most of the show. But the public, non-profit structure has created a great relationship between the team and the residents of Green Bay and Wisconsin. We know that the Packers can’t threaten to pack up and leave town. Volunteers work the concessions, with 60% of the proceeds going to local charities (could you imagine that at a San Francisco 49ers game?). And, during snowstorms, volunteers come to shovel the snow off of Lambeau Field (full disclosure – I totally want to do that). No way would anyone – or should anyone – volunteer to help out Jerry Jones and the Cowboys.

Nope, the Packers are awesome, and not just because they’re a good football team. They are truly part of the community and it makes for more dedicated fans and a better team. It may not be a wise financial investment, but if the Packers ever offer up more shares, I will proudly become an owner of the best football franchise in the US!

It's All About the Ice: A Legal Geek's Curling Adventure

By

Jessica_alegalgeek

-

February 26, 2013

0

Curling: The Sport of Kings…or maybe just the sport of people who like to stand on ice so much they even found a way to bring an ice sport indoors.

That’s right. This week I’m talking about curling – the bizarre but highly entertaining sport of the far northern states, Canada, and a few other countries.

As a native Minnesotan (albeit one who’s been gone a long, long time) I’m ashamed to admit that, until this past weekend, I had never curled before. Much as I’m pretty sure there’s a state law in Wisconsin that all food establishments must serve mac ‘n cheese, I’m pretty sure there’s some law that all northern Minnesotans must curl at least once. So I can finally say I am a true northern Minnesota girl.

What is curling?

Curling was invented in medieval Scotland (I guess they had to find something to do when it was too cold to golf). As one court explained, the game involves curling stones, with handles attached “for convenience in their use in the playing of a game on the ice for exercise and recreation. The stones are hurled along and on the ice to a mark, sometimes called a tee. There are four players on a side, and the object of the player is to so hurl or slide his curling stone as to bring it to a stop in or on the mark.” U.S. v. Kelley Hardware Co., 1924 WL 26627, 1, 12 U.S.Cust.App. 204, 205 (Cust.App.1924).

As another court noted in a footnote, curling is similar to shuffleboard in the way it’s played. See Cusano v. Kotler, 159 F.2d 159, 163 (3rd Cir. 1947). Curling also requires the use of brooms by sweepers – teammates who furiously sweep the ice in front of the thrown stone (or rock) to help the rock travel farther than it otherwise would (in theory).

Is curling really a sport?

It is! After playing three games this weekend I can tell you that it’s harder than it looks. I was actually a bit sore for a couple of days. There’s even a calendar put out by some of the female curlers. Plus, it’s actually in the Olympics, so it has to be a sport. And the Bemidji Curling Club, where I curled, is home to many Olympian curlers (see the picture above if you don’t believe me). According to some Canadians who have visited the curling club, Bemidji’s ice is special (and they should know!).

There must be something special about Bemidji’s ice. It was the local men’s team that won bronze in curling at the 2006 Olympics — the U.S.’s first curling medal ever. And Pete Fenson, the skip of the bronze-medal-winning team, is also the owner of Dave’s Pizza, one of my all-time favorite pizza places.

Why are The Legal Geeks talking about curling?

Because I curled! Other than that, the connection is weak (well, the legal part, anyway — I think the geeky part is pretty clear). I mentioned above two cases that have at least touched on curling, but other than those two I was only able to find one other case that discussed whether a party had a legal duty to advise a curling club about using barricades. See Otto v. Eau Claire County, 2012 WL 1165749, 4 (Wis.App. 2012).

No, this was really all just a pretext so I could talk about my first time curling. I played in a tournament with my cousins and consider it a success (even though we lost all three games) because I had a ton of fun, I actually scored one point, and I didn’t get injured (the odds were high that I would). So if Laura, Stef, and Sara invite me back next year (and they’re clearly good sports – they didn’t mind me using these pictures), I will definitely curl again!

It’s All About the Ice: A Legal Geek’s Curling Adventure

By

Jessica_alegalgeek

-

February 26, 2013

0

Curling: The Sport of Kings…or maybe just the sport of people who like to stand on ice so much they even found a way to bring an ice sport indoors.

That’s right. This week I’m talking about curling – the bizarre but highly entertaining sport of the far northern states, Canada, and a few other countries.

As a native Minnesotan (albeit one who’s been gone a long, long time) I’m ashamed to admit that, until this past weekend, I had never curled before. Much as I’m pretty sure there’s a state law in Wisconsin that all food establishments must serve mac ‘n cheese, I’m pretty sure there’s some law that all northern Minnesotans must curl at least once. So I can finally say I am a true northern Minnesota girl.

What is curling?

Curling was invented in medieval Scotland (I guess they had to find something to do when it was too cold to golf). As one court explained, the game involves curling stones, with handles attached “for convenience in their use in the playing of a game on the ice for exercise and recreation. The stones are hurled along and on the ice to a mark, sometimes called a tee. There are four players on a side, and the object of the player is to so hurl or slide his curling stone as to bring it to a stop in or on the mark.” U.S. v. Kelley Hardware Co., 1924 WL 26627, 1, 12 U.S.Cust.App. 204, 205 (Cust.App.1924).

As another court noted in a footnote, curling is similar to shuffleboard in the way it’s played. See Cusano v. Kotler, 159 F.2d 159, 163 (3rd Cir. 1947). Curling also requires the use of brooms by sweepers – teammates who furiously sweep the ice in front of the thrown stone (or rock) to help the rock travel farther than it otherwise would (in theory).

Is curling really a sport?

It is! After playing three games this weekend I can tell you that it’s harder than it looks. I was actually a bit sore for a couple of days. There’s even a calendar put out by some of the female curlers. Plus, it’s actually in the Olympics, so it has to be a sport. And the Bemidji Curling Club, where I curled, is home to many Olympian curlers (see the picture above if you don’t believe me). According to some Canadians who have visited the curling club, Bemidji’s ice is special (and they should know!).

There must be something special about Bemidji’s ice. It was the local men’s team that won bronze in curling at the 2006 Olympics — the U.S.’s first curling medal ever. And Pete Fenson, the skip of the bronze-medal-winning team, is also the owner of Dave’s Pizza, one of my all-time favorite pizza places.

Why are The Legal Geeks talking about curling?

Because I curled! Other than that, the connection is weak (well, the legal part, anyway — I think the geeky part is pretty clear). I mentioned above two cases that have at least touched on curling, but other than those two I was only able to find one other case that discussed whether a party had a legal duty to advise a curling club about using barricades. See Otto v. Eau Claire County, 2012 WL 1165749, 4 (Wis.App. 2012).

No, this was really all just a pretext so I could talk about my first time curling. I played in a tournament with my cousins and consider it a success (even though we lost all three games) because I had a ton of fun, I actually scored one point, and I didn’t get injured (the odds were high that I would). So if Laura, Stef, and Sara invite me back next year (and they’re clearly good sports – they didn’t mind me using these pictures), I will definitely curl again!