Local newspapers are in danger. But they may have found an unlikely savior in the Packers. You read that right: the Packers may save journalism.
Here’s Five Fast Facts On Newspapers And The Packers
- 📰Dying Off - A recent report shows newspapers rapidly becoming an endangered species, with the country on track to lose more than a third of its remaining newspapers by 2025.
- 🏈Go Pack Go - The Aurora Colorado Sentinel is in trouble and its current owners are trying to save it. A member of the leadership team just so happens to be a Packers shareholder. That got him thinking that maybe the newspaper should “Go Packers,” as he put it.
- 🏟️Pilgrimage - Sentinel representatives attended the Packers Shareholder meeting last month to see how local ownership works and if it could work for them. Like anyone who visits Lambeau, they apparently came away with some good ideas.
- 🧀Cheeseheads - They had a particular interest in how public ownership informs the team’s decisions (LEAVE RODGERS IN) and how well team leaders listen to the shareholders. If you own a share, you already know the answer.
- 🗞️Ice Bowl - Even crazier: the Sentinel has a loyal fanbase on par with the Packers. Much of its revenue comes in through donations, rather than subscriptions.
🔥Bottom line: If you own a share of The Pack, you may have started a trend that could very well save local newspapers. There are a lot of people out there who joke (screw you, Deadspin) about our business model, but clearly there are people who do get it. If The Sentinel goes that route you could possibly be a shareholder of a football team AND a newspaper!
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