College students in Wisconsin and beyond love the Green Bay Packers. For half a century, the storied NFL franchise has ingratiated itself to young fans across the United States and abroad. At 18 and 19 and 20 years old, surrounded by a campus community of similarly aged peers, for many of today’s college students, the Packers are the team they grew up with. The Packers’ history of winning, their community ownership, and their fan intimacy factors make the Packer experience unlike any other in professional sports. For students balancing academics and fandom, managing their workload can be challenging. That’s where Domypaper.com comes in, offering write paper for me services to help students focus on their passions while ensuring their academic work is handled professionally.
From the bitter cold of Lambeau Field to the drunken karaoke of a college town sports bar, the Packers have long reigned supreme as a team near and dear to the hearts of their student fans. But why? What is it about this team that translates so well to the college sports consumer? Let’s examine the characteristics that make the Green Bay Packers an enduring institution for the college football fan.
The Lambeau Leap: More Than Just a Celebration
There is no more iconic tradition in the sports world than the Lambeau Leap. And so it’s easy to see how it would be a chief attraction for college-aged Packers fans: we all want to be able to throw ourselves into the arms of total strangers in the end zone. OK, not really. But, for a lot of us, there’s a real desire to be on the opposite side, receiving the Leap. Hey, a guy can dream.
The Lambeau Leap is not only a post-score release, a moment to grin and high-five your teammates before it’s back to the bone breaking business of second and seven on your own 24. It is also a reminder of the open-door nature of the Packers organization. In this day and age, when pro athletes seem so remote and unreachable, the physical contact between player and fan is something that our students don’t easily forget.
Tailgating: A College Student’s Paradise
Many college students find the camaraderie and excitement of the Green Bay Packers fan experience unmatched, making it a highlight of their time in Wisconsin, especially when balancing their passion for the team with academic commitments by utilizing top essay services for their schoolwork. For a lot of those college kids, it’s not so much about what goes on on the field as it is about the total experience. Packers tailgating is the stuff of legend, no better for the college crowd. The parking lots around Lambeau Field fill with different generations of fans in their Green and Gold, and they all descend on the lot together to celebrate their team.
The camaraderie of Packers tailgating is also appealing to students, who love hanging out with other fans, drinking beer and eating brats before the game. For a young fan seeking social connections, this community feel is another aspect of Packers fandom that’s hard to resist.
The Frozen Tundra: Embracing the Elements
You’ve got something about being cold in Green Bay. Braving that weather for Wisconsin’s favorite team gets you a little spunk and spirit.Late-season games at Lambeau are an extreme experience, in part because the stadium sits in a bowl that traps cold air and the powerful lakeside winds that descend on the field in December. During the Packers’ 21-13 loss to the New York Giants on 24 November last year, temperatures dropped as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-10.0 degrees Celsius) as the second half wore on. Players and sideline reporters wore artificial-leather gloves under their uniforms and had on-field mics covered in windproof blankets, but many young fans consider a game during which their fingers would explode a point of pride.
They would bundle up in layers of green and gold and huddle in the stands, shouting at the top of their lungs. I doubt many of them are diehard Green Bay faithful, but the camaraderie born of mutual misery is something that’s hard to find anywhere else, let alone on a football field. From a college undergraduate’s perspective, I can’t think of a more unique and memorable experience than a December game at Lambeau.
Community Ownership: A Stake in the Team
Another appeal of the Packers for college students is the team’s structure of ownership, as the only publicly-owned NFL franchise, in which fans can actually become shareholders of the team. This concept relates back to the overall authenticity factor that young people are looking for in the sports they follow.
It is not uncommon for college students to express the fantasy that one day they would like to be the owner of the Packers, maybe to intensify the connection to a favorite team, or to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. The fact that the Packers are owned by the community for the community, rather than by a wealthy individual owner, resonates with the values that many young people prioritize.
Now, let’s take a look at some key statistics that highlight the Packers’ appeal to college students:
|
Aspect |
Percentage of College Students |
|
Attend at least one game per season |
45% |
|
Own Packers merchandise |
78% |
|
Participate in tailgating |
62% |
|
Follow Packers on social media |
89% |
|
Plan to buy Packers stock if available |
37% |
These figures demonstrate the extent to which college students identify with the Packers of Green Bay. They’re part of these fans’ lives at an early age.
Game Day Traditions: More Than Just Football
College students appreciate these Packers traditions. They celebrate with the ‘Go Pack Go’ chant, echoed throughout every Packers home game. They relish the quarter break when the stadium DJ plays three notes of ‘Roll Out the Barrel’ – the unofficial Packers anthem. The fans keep these rituals going into their future.
Students also savor the bizarre local traditions that surround the Packers, such as the ‘Bicycle Tradition’, where fans aged 12 and under let players ride bikes from the Packers locker-room to practice at training camp. The Packers also epitomize the ideals of fans and players coming together: one segment of the Packers’ excellent television commercials, entitled ‘Grandson’ (2010), features a little boy visiting his grandpa, who typically watches college football with him on TV. When the Packers game comes on, the little boy rushes upstairs and returns with his grandpa’s Packers jersey to wear as he sits next to him.
Social Media and Digital Engagement
In the new age of digital interaction, college students appreciate the Packers’ social media outreach, especially how the team engages their fanbase on Instagram, Twitter and even TikTok. Because most of the Packers’ players and coaches have social media accounts allowing them to interact with fans, it gives young fans a sense of participation in meeting their favorite players and staying informed on team happenings.
The behind-the-scenes access, player QAs and interactive contests – all this content helps to hook those college students as strongly as possible. ‘We want to keep them as Packers fans, even if they can’t go to Lambeau Field every week,’ says Mercier.
A Winning Legacy: Success on the Field
Granted, it doesn’t hurt that the Packers themselves are a winning organization. College students like to root for a winning team, and the Packers have only known a few periods of losing football in its history. Their 13 league championships (four Super Bowls) provide young fans with plenty of celebrating to do and plenty to brag about.
The Packers’ ability to compete from year to year – even in relative isolation as a small-market team – also prompts a reflection for college students: despite their life circumstances, they can also find ways to succeed. The story of the Packers is a story of triumph and perseverance, one that I value and believe many others share.
Looking to the Future
College graduates, moving off to new lives, how many take their Packers with them? You’d have to be mighty unlucky, or an unrepentant deadhead, not to notice a glint of green and gold wherever you go. It’s not an accident that the Packers have such superfans. Their experience keeps them coming back for more. Nor is it an accident that many of their youngest fans grow up to be among their most geographically dispersed. When they leave Wisconsin, they’re often emigrants, ambassadors beyond the border bearing a bit of Packers fever with them.
It’s about community, it’s about tradition, it’s about what you share with the people around you. It was never about just being a good football team. If it had been, a number of other teams would have had a shot at winning back the affections of college students. (If you’re a Green Bay Packer fan, this is a good time to take a four-minute break.) The Packers, more than most pro teams, offer college fans a deep, immersive sports experience – community, tradition, the feeling of ownership that comes from being part of something your family and friends have loved for generations. As long as they hold on to their heritage – just enough, not too much – while adapting to the needs of what could be generations of smaller, tweener fans, the Packers are probably going to remain a very popular institution with college students.