Stocking up on Memories

Posted by Mike Wendt on January 5, 2012   Jump To Comments

Growing up in as an only child in the early 90′s, I was first introduced to a lot of ideas and concepts from popular television shows. One of the shows that impacted my childhood was The Wonder Years. For those of you unfamiliar with The Wonder Years, the show centered around a kid growing up in the 1970′s and facing all the challenges surrounding adolescence and beyond. I felt connected to Kevin, the character played by Fred Savage, because he was close to my age and because his problems related to what I was or would soon be going through. Whether it be riding a bike, dealing with personal loss, or just the idea of kissing a girl, I could relate to what Kevin went through.

I also remember The Wonder Years because Kevin always had a way of passing on good advice. One thing he said that stuck with many fans of the show was “memories are a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” When we remember back to some of the happiest and saddest parts of our lives, we remember who we were with, and how they made us feel. People hold on to memories because, ultimately, we are only made up of our experiences and interactions with others.

I bring this up because there has been a lot of backlash about the Packers selling stock certificates to fans, with the promise of any stockholder being able to call themselves an “NFL owner”. We’ve all heard the comments by now. “I wish (insert team name here) could sell stock and raise money off idiot fans”, or “Green Bay has the smartest front office and the dumbest fans in the league, who would throw away $250 for a piece of paper that is worth nothing”.

In a sense, yes, the stock certificate is worth less than the postage used to ship them. But in another sense, the stock is worth so much more than $250.

To many Packer fans around the country, myself included, the stock sale gave us a tangible way to hold onto the things we love, the things we are, the things we never want to lose. We always remember who we were with at cherished moments in our life, but what we were doing is sometimes just as special. Like many fans, I can remember the first Packer game I attended (August 11th, 1996) and who I watched the game with (my father, uncle and cousin). I remember almost getting ticketed by Green Bay police while trying to scalp tickets before the Divisional playoff game in 2007, a game where my friends and I sat in a blizzard with MVP painted on our shirtless chests to watch Brett Favre earn what would turn out to be his final win as a Packer. I remember partying to the wee hours of the morning on State Street with friends and fans alike after winning Super Bowl XLV, many people drunk on the thrill of victory more than the beer that flowed so freely that February night.

Forty years from now, while I’m all but certain these won’t be my dearest memories, I know those experiences will never be forgotten. Without the Packers, some of my favorite experiences never would have been possible. I won’t always have my dad, but I’ll always remember him taking me to my first Packer game. I know that it will be tough to keep in touch with my friends who went to the playoff game with me, but we’ll always have the memory of those big white snowflakes melting as they landed on our bare shoulders and chests that cold Lambeau afternoon.

I have no shame in admitting that I love the Packers. While it may be a different love than the love I have for some of the people in my life, it’s a much stronger bond than the love that is casually thrown around in conversations like “I love the movie Forrest Gump”, or “I love the way my hips look in these jeans”.

For me, buying stock was, in many ways, a way to further my connection with the team as well a chance to thank the Packers for all they have meant to me growing up. The stock was purchased for me by money left by my late grandfather, which in itself will become another memory of him. Looking at the stock certificate will forever connect me to family as much as it connects me to the Packers.

There will always be people who will never understand why someone would spend $250 on something that, in their mind, is worthless.

To me, the stock is a culmination of the memories I’ve shared with so many people along the way. To me, the stock, and the memories, are priceless. They are something I love, something I want to hold onto, something I never want to lose.

Thoughts on the piece or the stock sale? Drop me a line at wendt@brentfavre.com or on Twitter @Mikewendt7.