# Packers season tickets. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 22, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569 "2008-01-22T21:33:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![King\_Friday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@King\_Friday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Friday)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/1 "2008-01-22T21:33:44Z")
I’ve often wondered, how does anyone on the Green Bay Packers season ticket waiting list ever get their tickets? I heard on the radio today that there are over 76,000 names on the waiting list and the current rate is around 70 or so seats being relinquished a year. (this year the number was 47 by the way) That means if you got on that list today, at the rate of 70 a year you’d get your tickets in the year 3074. :dubious: That brings up a few questions/comments: 1. How and why do 70 people lose and/or give up their seats a year? You’d think the rights could be sold for a bundle, or someone in the family would take them. Is there a rule against this? If I had tickets, it would be in my will that my kids would get them. 2. Let’s face it, no one is going to live 1000+ years to get their tickets. But let’s consider that a large percentage of the people ahead of you will die waiting…literally. You’d think that in the future, the stadium will be filled with 80 year old Packer fans that just got their tickets. 3. Why the Packers? Is there nothing else to do up there? A lot of teams have a lot of fans, with fan bases much bigger than Green Bay. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/2 "2008-01-22T23:08:48Z")
The Packers have very strict rules on transferring season tickets rights. You are not allowed to sell your rights to anyone. When the holder dies, the rights go to the spouse or to a close family member that the holder names in a will. [http://www.packers.com/tickets/season\_tickets/](http://www.packers.com/tickets/season_tickets/) Other football teams have long waiting lists for their season tickets, the Redskins claim the 2nd longest list to the Packers. The fact that the Packers exist is almost an accident of history and the people of Wisconsin appreciate that fact and continued to support the team even during the lean years between the Lombardi era and the Favre era. Hence the loyalty. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/3 "2008-01-22T23:55:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Should you wish to transfer your tickets upon death, a completed transfer form can be left with your will to be presented after your demise. To obtain a copy of the transfer form, please contact the ticket office. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![hekk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@hekk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hekk)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/4 "2008-01-23T00:37:44Z")
Because all seats at a Packers game are reserved by season ticket holders, the only way for you or me to see a game in Lambeau is to buy a ticket from a holder, or from a broker who already bought their ticket from a holder. Seats are relinquished when that person who bought the ticket acts rowdy enough to get ejected. The Packers have a very strict policy on that, and the season ticket rights are given up by their owner at that point. Kinda sucks, but it keeps most people in line. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/5 "2008-01-23T00:47:24Z")
[QUOTE=hekk] Because all seats at a Packers game are reserved by season ticket holders, the only way for you or me to see a game in Lambeau is to buy a ticket from a holder, or from a broker who already bought their ticket from a holder. [/QUOTE] Doesn’t there have to be a certain number of seats reserved for road fans? ---
**Author:** ![hekk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@hekk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hekk)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/6 "2008-01-23T01:19:32Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Doesn’t there have to be a certain number of seats reserved for road fans? [/QUOTE] Err, yes. There are only 28,000 season ticket seats, in a 70,000+ seat stadium. I should have researched. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/7 "2008-01-23T02:11:31Z")
[QUOTE=hekk] Err, yes. There are only 28,000 season ticket seats, in a 70,000+ seat stadium. I should have researched. [/QUOTE] That’s okay. Aside from those niggling 42,000+ seats, you have no choice than to buy tickets from a season ticket holder 😉 ---
**Author:** ![King\_Friday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@King\_Friday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Friday)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/8 "2008-01-23T04:00:16Z")
[QUOTE=hekk] Err, yes. There are only 28,000 season ticket seats, in a 70,000+ seat stadium. I should have researched. [/QUOTE] That seems like an awfully low number. Ravens Stadium (M&T Bank Stadium for those of you can keep up with the corporate sponsors) has somewhere around 69,000 - 70,000 seats (depending on what site you look at) and 64,000 are season tickets. Maybe there are seats dedicated to out of town fans, I wasn’t aware pro teams did this. I know colleges do, you always see one or two sections of fans that are a different color. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/9 "2008-01-23T04:00:42Z")
[QUOTE=fiddlesticks] The fact that the Packers exist is almost an accident of history and the people of Wisconsin appreciate that fact and continued to support the team even during the lean years between the Lombardi era and the Favre era. Hence the loyalty. [/QUOTE] No chance the Packers will be sold or move from Green Bay, ever. The team is owned by its fans. [Presently, 112,015 people (representing 4,750,934 shares) can lay claim to a franchise ownership interest](http://www.packers.com/history/fast_facts/stock_history/). As for those lean years you write about, the original articles of incorporation prevented the team from ever leaving Green Bay. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/10 "2008-01-23T15:06:53Z")
Yes, the Packers are different than every other NFL franchise in that they cannot be bought out or moved. If there ever would have been a moment for the Packers to disappear it would have been the late '20s or '30s as small town NFL teams such as the Portsmouth (OH) Spartans moved to Detroit to become the Lions or teams like the Dayton Triangles and Canton Bulldogs disappeared entirely (and heck, compared to Green Bay, Dayton and Canton are metropolises). But the Packers had their first run of success through the Depression years and thus managed to thrive. If they hadn’t written the bylaw that the team couldn’t be moved into their articles of incorporation, the team would have likely moved permanently to Milwaukee at some point instead of simply playing some of their home schedule there. But getting back the season tickets, the waiting list for season tickets never diminished significantly between 1968 and 1994 despite a long run of mediocrity. I think few other franchises in the NFL could have such a long run of bad play and still have an extremely stable fanbase. ---
**Author:** ![SharkB8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@SharkB8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SharkB8)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/11 "2008-01-23T15:52:41Z")
All I can say is: GO PACK!!! I still love you! You are my muse! Err…muses… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/12 "2008-01-23T16:11:25Z")
I just received notice that I’ve come up on the Redskins waiting list. I think I signed up something like 10 years ago. I’m not that interested in giving Danny Snyder any money, but I’d hate to waste being on the waiting list that long. ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packers-season-tickets/434569/13 "2008-01-23T16:35:09Z")
> **[In Pictures: Toughest NFL Waiting Lists](https://www.forbes.com/2007/09/07/nfl-football-tickets-forbeslife-cx_ls_0907tickets_slide.html)** > > Fans are willing to remain patient for decades in order to score season tickets for their favorite football team. Waiting lists Redskins 155,000 Packers 74,000 Giants 70,000 Eagles 65,000 Patriots 50,000 [http://www.forbes.com/home/sport/2007/09/07/nfl-football-tickets-forbeslife-cx\_ls\_0907tickets.html](http://www.forbes.com/home/sport/2007/09/07/nfl-football-tickets-forbeslife-cx_ls_0907tickets.html) A good article on waiting lists. An Arky jump on it 155,000 that’s almost like you got selected to win the lottery. 🙂