The Green Bay Packers: where fans rather than a billionaire are the owners

<p>US sports teams often leverage the threat of relocation to access taxpayers’ money. But the Packers have thrived under a community driven model</p><p>Just days after the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first home game of the season, team president Mark Lamping – who has long been asking the City of Jacksonville to use taxpayer money to part-fund a $2bn stadium renovation – suggested that the team may move if the city doesn’t pony up the dough. In doing so, Lamping joins a well-established tradition among US pro sports teams. <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14554759/nfl-los-angeles-brief-history-relocation-threats-rumors-leverage">According to ESPN</a>, since the early 1990s more than half of NFL franchises have shown “interest in moving to Los Angeles – or at least trying to use the possibility as leverage for new stadiums or renovations.” (That’s just Los Angeles; some franchises have threatened, or actually moved, to other cities.) The threats can be effective: <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/jacksonville-residents-arent-interested-in-paying-for-renovations-to-jaguars-stadium">A recent poll</a> showed that 46% of Jacksonville residents would support giving $1bn of public money for the renovation if it was the only way to keep the Jaguars in the city; that’s up from a mere 6% who pledged their support if they weren’t told about the threat of relocation.</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2017/jan/12/san-diego-chargers-los-angeles-move-nfl-owners">Despite some notable recent relocations</a>, most teams stay put after getting what they want: Cities usually capitulate, forking over hundreds of millions of public dollars to fund renovations or build new stadiums. One example is my home city of Minneapolis, after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-minnesota-vikings-are-inching-closer-to-los-ange