There is loyalty, and there is inertia.
Either way, the persistence of a large bloc of Packers fans has been rewarded, as 5,000 names are being taken off the team’s season-ticket waiting list, the most in one offseason.
The Packers gave a glimpse of the expansion of Lambeau Field yesterday, which includes 7,000 new seats. The bulk of those are going to people who have been waiting to get in for decades.
“The folks coming off the list have been on for 30 years, so there’s some patience on their part. That’s the great thing with the support the Packers have,” Packers director of public affairs Aaron Popkey said, via WBAY.
Team officials said the project, which includes suites, escalators, new concession stands and standing room areas is 98 percent finished, and should be complete before the team’s shareholders meeting in late July.
While they took pride it making it look like it blended into one of the league’s most traditional buildings, they think it’s going to be even louder than before.
“I think it’ll be pretty dramatic in that top area,” said Stuart Zadra,vice president of Hammes Company, the contractor on the project. “It’s got metal behind it that’s just going to reflect, and I’m sure people are going to be pounding on that metal cheering on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.”
And with 7,000 new voices, the effect should be dramatic.