FanPost

The Broncos should be owned by the fans, like the Packers

Pat Bowlen has been an exemplary owner and the news of his deteriorating health is very sad. With his decision to step down, Denverites, Coloradans, and Broncos fans everywhere should pressure the Pat Bowlen Trust and the NFL to sell the Broncos to a non-profit corporation with an organizational structure similar to that of the Green Bay Packers.

Yes, I'm aware that the NFL has changed their rules so as to make such an ownership arrangement nearly impossible (the Packers were grandfathered in, having already established non-profit corporate ownership before the rule was made). This rule needs to be challenged. These questions are ultimately more political than legal, and political pressure must be applied to embarrass the league into allowing community ownership of teams to thrive again.

It's hard to believe, but the NFL is officially a non-profit organization, with a lucrative bundle of tax breaks and antitrust exemptions to go along with it. A nonprofit organization with such a preferred tax status should be compelled to serve the public interest, not merely pad the bottom line of its cartel of owners. The NFL enjoys this privileged status at the discretion of congress, who are accountable to voters. I'm not a lawyer and I don't know the first thing about mobilizing people for a political campaign, but I do know that politicians do what their constituents force them to do, and that our representatives in congress have it within their power to pressure the NFL to change their rules regarding non-profit corporate ownership.

Let me put it another way: how many people don't think it's entirely reasonable for cities and states to be allowed to own these valuable community assets that are our beloved sports franchises? If you were Roger Goodell, responsible for the reputation of an intensely image-conscious league, would you want to step up to a podium and defend the principle that owners can pack up their teams and leave town at the drop of a hat? If you were a craven politician (but I repeat myself), wouldn't you rather be seen as being on the side of the Barrel Man than Dan Snyder?

This effort's gotta start somewhere. I can imagine no better place than Mile High Report. Go Broncos!

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR.