General

Boise State Is the Green Bay of College Football

Nov 12, 2009, 7:35 PM UTC

â†µâ†µNo, that doesn’t mean their fans have to start wearing some version of a Brett Favre jersey now, but rather that they can purchase stock in the program.â†µ

â†µâ†µSo does this mean you can dictate the decisions of the school, then eventually assume control through a hostile takeover? Possibly, but not in a business sense, because Boise’s stock isn’t technically an actual stock. It’s a means of raising $20 million for various athletics projects.â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥“This will depict ownership in the Broncos, and we want all of our donors and boosters to become a part of the program and own part of our program,” said Bleymaier.â†µâ†µâ†µYou see that rhetorical flourish? It will depict ownership. Like that Magritte painting depicts a pipe. (It is not actually a pipe, you see.)â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥It’s about money. Boise State has projects it wants to do like adding more seats to Bronco stadium, but the money isn’t there. So BSU started a nonprofit organization called Boise State Broncos Inc., and they’re selling Bronco Stock, but you’ll never see this stock on the New York Stock Exchange.â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥“I suppose when you call something a stock it is misleading because it implies ownership. There is no ownership,” said Certified Financial Planner Dave Petso. “This is not a stock in anyway shape or form. It won’t trade, it can’t trade.â†µâ‡¥
â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥“It is just a fancy way of creating another fundraiser,” said Petso. “But it’s not an investment in anyway shape or form. You’re just giving $100 to BSU. That’s it. You really don’t own part of the team.”â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µâ†µBut you do get to attend stockholder meetings and give suggestions. Suggestions that the organization is under no obligation to consider in any way, shape or form. That’s almost like ownership!â†µ

â†µ

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

See More: