Estate Planning for Green Bay Packers Season Ticket Holders
Since its foundation in 1919, the Green Bay Packers have always been dedicated to their fans. Though the Packers organization has faced many financial hardships throughout its history, their beloved fans were always there to help and support the team. They invested in Packers stock and, after the opening of Lambeau Field in 1957, Packer’s season tickets. Every game at Lambeau has been sold out since 1960, partly due to season ticket holders, but mainly due to the beloved fans. The Packers is also the only publicly owned team in the NFL owned entirely by fan-bought stocks. Because of the fans’ consistent dedication, the Green Bay Packers have implemented strict transfer policies for their season tickets to ensure the prized seats at Lambeau are held by true Packer fans (not Bears fans). This blog post will discuss the general policies surrounding Green Bay Packers season tickets and how current season ticket holders can use estate planning to protect their tickets for the future.
After the initial sale in 1957, Packers season tickets are no longer available for public purchase. The only way to obtain season tickets is through a ‘blood’ relative or join the official Packers season ticket waitlist. Currently, there are around 147,000 hopeful fans on the waitlist. Usually, 99% of season ticket holders choose to renew their seats every year (who wouldn’t?), so only around 100 seats are up for grabs at the end of each season. If your name wasn’t added to the waitlist 50+ years ago, unfortunately, your chances of receiving season tickets from the waitlist are slim.
Estate Planning and Post-Death Ticket Transfers
However, if any of your direct ‘blood’ family members, including spouses, are season ticket owners, you may be able to inherit their tickets. The Green Bay Packers honors any beneficiary designation of season tickets in an estate plan. For example, your will or trust can contain a specific bequest naming a desired beneficiary of your season tickets and the Packers will honor that upon your death. Without estate planning, if a ticket holder passes away without designating a specific blood relative to inherit their tickets, the tickets will pass to their spouse. If there is no spouse, then their surviving children. Including Packers season tickets in your estate plan is a great way to ensure your tickets are protected and passed down to your desired loved ones in the case of an emergency or after you pass away.
Lifetime Transfers:
If you are a current owner and want to transfer your tickets during your lifetime to a blood relative, you can simply fill out an official Green Bay Packers transfer form found on their website. This form must be notarized and, once the transfer is completed, you relinquish all rights to those tickets. In the event of a divorce, the Green Bay Packers will honor any marital settlement agreement awarding the tickets to either or both parties. A full description of transfer policies regarding certain circumstances is available on the Packers website.
Keep in mind: if recipients of season tickets from any type of transfer cannot agree, the tickets may revert to the Green Bay Packers. For example, if a grandpa left two tickets to his four grandchildren, and the grandchildren cannot agree on who will be the rightful owners, the tickets may be returned to the Packers and offered to the waitlist. If you designate specific individuals through your estate plan, discussing your wishes with those individuals can be beneficial to avoid any potential conflicts or loss of tickets.
The attorneys at Malm & LaFave, S.C. have extensive experience drafting estate plans to protect your assets, even your prized Green Bay Packers season tickets. Contact our office today to discuss your wishes and ensure your Packers season tickets will be passed down to your desired beneficiaries. In the meantime, Go Pack Go!