The Green Packers released a statement Tuesday voicing the team's opposition to potential changes to the Sports Broadcasting Act that would impact the Pack's ability to compete with the other 31 NFL teams.
The Packers also took issue with Wisconsin representative Scott Fitzgerald, who recently led a House Judiciary subcommittee meeting on the SBA wherein he called the Packers' concerns "ridiculous" and "almost laughable."
"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."
The Packers operate in the NFL's smallest market and are the only publicly-owned team.
The U.S. Department of Justice began an investigation into the SBA earlier this year. According to ESPN, the act was established in 1961 when the NFL lobbied for legislation after a court found that the league's rules and agreements restricted individual teams' broadcast rights, according to the House Judiciary Committee.
Lawmakers are now questioning whether the act needs to be updated as streaming platforms dominate the market.
The NFL has complete control over all 32 teams' broadcasting rights and distributes that revenue equally across the league. Last year every team received $432.6 million.
All games air free on the local stations in the broadcast markets of the teams playing.
"The NFL's media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry," the NFL said in a statement shortly after the Department of Justice launched its investigation. "With over 87% of our games on free, broadcast television, including 100% of games in the markets of the competing teams, the NFL has for decades put our fans front and center in how we distribute our content."
