Jul 15, 2008 8:31 pm US/Eastern
Could Fans Get The Chance To Own The Steelers?
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
After 75 years in professional football the Pittsburgh Steelers are locked in an ownership struggle, with the Rooney brothers talking to potential buyers for shares in the team.
But in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the public owns the Packers. In fact, the team has more than 100,000 owners.
So could that happen here in the 'Burgh?
Forget the billionaires and the captains of Wall Street, it's probably every Steelers fan's dream to actually own a piece of the Black and Gold. Many local people say they would jump at the chance.
"I'd love to be an owner. Sign me up," said Steelers fan, Morgan Martin, of Oakland.
"Absolutely, I'd love to say I own the Pittsburgh Steelers," said another fan, Ed Mulvey, of Highland Park.
In Green Bay, the home of another storied NFL team, some 112,000 fans actually own a piece of the Packers, even though none of them is getting rich.
The Packers are owned by a non-profit corporation and anyone can buy stock and become a part owner. Fans have been lining up for their chance to buy in ever since.
But being an owner of the Packers doesn't mean you determine draft picks and negotiate salaries. That's done by a president and a board of directors. It doesn't even entitle the owner to tickets and they can never make a profit.
It merely ensures two things, that the Packers remain in Green Bay, and the bragging rights because fans can call themselves owners.
But that's not good enough for some Steeler fans.
"I'm a Steeler fan. I love the Steelers, and I want to see them stay here, but if I put something in I want to get something out of it," said Elijah Posey of Oakland. "Not just to say I'm part owner of the Steelers.
But the truth is the Steelers Nation will probably never get the chance that Packers' fans have. The Steelers are in no danger of leaving and there are plenty of deep pockets looking at the team.
Also, the NFL no longer allows it, the league rules stipulate that no team can have more than 32 owners and one must own more than 30 percent.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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