At first, I really didn’t think anything of this — tickets are sold out for this summer’s Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame induction banquet, where Brett Favre will be enshrined.
And then, one of the Favre haters brought this to my attention. The Hall of Fame, which is a separate entity from the Packers organization, announced the event was sold out before tickets even went on the sale to the general public.
So that means no yahoos will be getting in to the event, unless they are connected.
This is where a little background is necessary.
These Hall of Fame induction banquets are just that. Banquets. There are a bunch of tables set up, you have a meal and do whatever else it is people do at banquets. I drank a lot of Old Fashions at the one I went to.
So the only way it resembles the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony is that you see some highlights of the inductee and that person gets to give a speech.
The other thing is, there are sponsors. The Packers Hall of Fame generates the bulk of its revenue off of two events each year — the Hall of Fame induction banquet and a golf outing. A number of Wisconsin and Midwest-based companies pay them to sponsor these events. Sponsors can also buy tables at the induction banquet.
Normally, sponsors buy a few tables and then whatever is left gets opened up to the general public. If memory serves, it costs around $2000 per table. Well, this is Brett Favre, so of course those sponsors scooped up those expensive-ass tables right away.
Well, at least that’s what we’ve been told.
“We were delighted with the positive response this year and how quickly the sponsorships, tickets and tables sold out. In addition to our longtime supporters, we will host a record number of returning Hall of Famers and their guests, plus expected NFL dignitaries,” said Packers Hall of Fame, Inc. President Perry Kidder.
I know Perry. He’s a good guy and one of the few guys in that operation who gets it.
However, I find it conspicuous that they wouldn’t set aside some tickets for fans for this event. Clearly, there was going to be a demand, but they’re only going to let corporations in? This isn’t the NBA All-Star Game.
This thing is held in the Lambeau Field Atrium, where there’s plenty of room. They could easily rope off an area in the back for fans to sit or stand and not feed them.
But there’s two reasons they won’t do that.
1. The induction banquet now has a local TV deal. For the first time, it will be broadcast the following day on WTMJ-TV (Milwaukee), WGBA-TV (Green Bay) and the Packers TV Network affiliates. This will supply some decent local ratings for these outlets and let them make some money off advertising. You don’t want to diminish that potential by allowing fans to actually attend the event.
2. Any intelligent person knows there are Packers fans out there who hate Favre and will never forgive him for his post-Green Bay chicanery. Favre, the Packers and the Hall of Fame do not publicly acknowledge that these people exist, seemingly thinking they will eventually all just vanish if they are paid no mind. You know damn well none of these entities will have someone showing up at this event and yelling something negative about Favre.
Because don’t you know none of that ugliness ever happened?