Everyone knows that the Green Bay Packers are publicly owned. But there is someone that, in a way, acts as the team’s owner. That would be the team’s President and CEO. Currently that title is held by Mark Murphy.
Murphy assumed his title in January of 2008, and was tasked with succeeding a legend. His predecessor was the man that basically turned around the Packers Franchise in the 1990s, Bob Harlan. So, Murphy had big shoes to fill from the start. It’s almost poetic that months later the Franchise was moving on from Legendary Quarterback, Brett Favre, to Aaron Rodgers. A changing of the guard in Green Bay in more ways than one. This eventually led to a Super Bowl XLV win and continued success for the Packers for the majority of Murphy’s tenure.
Fast forward to today, and Mark Murphy has found himself the subject of a lot of scrutiny in the handling of Aaron Rodgers’ eventual departure. Sure, he’s maybe made some comments here and there that may have been, complicated, but these decisions don’t exactly fall on him. In 2018, Murphy shifted power a bit to give the majority of football related decisions to GM Brian Gutekunst, Director of Football Operations Russ Ball, and former head coach Mike McCarthy. They’d report to him, but ultimately, he gave them the power to do as they see fit.
So, if that’s the case, what exactly has Mark Murphy done for the Packers?
A Giant Sledding Hill!
If you ask some of the more casual fans, they might tell you all Mark Murphy has done is build a giant sledding hill. However, it’s what surrounds the sledding hill that is Mark Murphy’s legacy.
Until 2017, the financial success of the Green Bay Packers was ultimately dependent on the success of the team itself. Bob Harlan helped make Lambeau Field a year-round destination to help with team finances in 2003. But Mark Murphy took this a bit further with the development of Titletown.
Under the direction of Murphy, 45 acres of land West of Lambeau Field was purchased for development by the Packers. Beautiful, state of the art buildings were constructed on the land as well as a 10-acre public park and plaza.
Anchoring Titletown today are tenants such as Hinterland Brewery, Lodge Kohler, and Bellin Health Clinic. As of 2019, the Packers also announced a partnership with Microsoft to form Titletown Tech. Which is a venture capital firm the invests in industry entrepreneurs.
“That’s great, but what does it all mean?”
Outside of providing more year-round destinations around Lambeau Field for entertainment, it provides greater financial stability.
You might look at other owners around the NFL and recognize that outside their teams, they have other means of making money. Arthur Blank of the Falcons co-founded Home Depot. Jimmy Haslam of the Browns is CEO of the Pilot Flying J truck stop company. Jerry Jones made all his money in oil. All these ventures provide the owners with money outside of the team’s success.
Look at Titletown as essentially the Packers’ Home Depot.
While Titletown doesn’t provide you with all your home improvement needs, you can look at it as a real estate and investment company. The companies on the Titletown land pay the Packers to be there. I’m sure you can imagine, to rent space in a state-of-the-art building right next to the Mecca of the NFL, isn’t cheap.
With Titletown, the Packers roots in Green Bay are basically driven miles deeper into the ground. Developments on the current land and any future endeavors will continue to create a revenue stream for the Packers Franchise for decades to come.
So, while you laugh at the title picture of this article, and believe me, I have as well several times, realize the true meaning. Mark Murphy may be a Super Bowl Championship-Winning Team President, but his success isn’t necessarily built on the on-field success of the Packers in his tenure. His success is built on what surrounds that sledding hill. The financial stability that he created for our favorite team to ensure its success for years to come.
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