GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers have come out against any significant changes to the Sports Broadcasting Act, the team said in a statement released Tuesday. The team said, in part, that its ability to compete with the other 31 NFL teams could be significantly impacted.
The Packers also took issue with U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin, who recently led a House Judiciary subcommittee meeting on the SBA and said the NFL might be in violation of the act. Fitzgerald also called the Packers' concerns "ridiculous" and "almost laughable" during a recent appearance on WISN-TV in Milwaukee.
"Packers fans everywhere should be deeply concerned that Rep. Fitzgerald admitted to giving 'zero' consideration to keeping the Packers in Green Bay as he explores upending the 65-year-old Sports Broadcasting Act," the Packers said in a statement released Tuesday. "Fans should be offended that Fitzgerald then went further, saying our concerns were 'laughable.' What is laughable is that a congressman from Wisconsin is leading this charge. Why threaten the team his community overwhelmingly cherishes and its ability to compete on a level playing field?
"The tremendously successful model of pooling media rights and sharing revenue equally amongst teams has allowed the Packers to survive and thrive in the smallest media market in professional sports. This model is as foundational to the Packers' existence as the very bricks in Lambeau Field. It is careless and unwise to rearrange the bricks of a foundation which has stood strong for over half a century."