RolandDeschain":3t9d7gw8 said:
What a bunch of BS. Our attendance started waning BECAUSE the new owner wanted to move the team, our attendance was great in the 70s and 80s, and we're even credited with being the main reason the NFL instituted a crowd noise rule back in the day, as I linked to earlier in the thread.
I'm sorry to do this and it might be a bit painful, but here it is:
1995: An analysis by The Seattle Times shows the team did not make a profit last year (1994).
But the losses were driven by empty seats caused by the club's third straight last-place finish, and by one of the highest player payrolls in the National Football League.
1996: Behring and Hoffman transferred the team's operations to Anaheim, California, a widely criticized move, although the team continued to play in Seattle. The team almost relocated, and was in bankruptcy for a short period. They sold the team to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 1997, for $200 million.
There were lots of empty seats and the franchise almost moved because they couldn't generate enough income in Seattle to support the team. They needed more fans.
This is what my fellow Packer-Backer has been trying to get through to you. You see, this would never happen in Green Bay. Our support for our team was so strong that even with losing records and struggling through periods of no playoff berths, the Packers organization was making money and was able to sell out the stadium year in and year out. That is loyalty. That is something we have had for so long now that Seattle just can't match and it does not seem you can understand.
You seem to take this as a knock against Seattle or it's franchise. It isn't, it is just a testament ot the Green Bay faithful and that no other team can match it. Seattle might get there someday. Pittsburgh is close and so is Chicago. These teams have been around (at least the Bears have) for a long time and have a very rich tradition of history and players.
Our fan base is impressive above and beyond any other. The smallest city with the largest following of any NFL franchise that has lasted nearly a century.
