VOA常速英语2019--Green Bay Packer 美式橄榄球队

Some 4,000 people streamed in the Green Bay’s Lambeau Field one morning in mid-July, weeks before any scheduled game. These were not just any fans but stockholders in the publicly held not-for-profit Green Bay Packer Franchise¹. In effect they’re the team’s owners. They are here for their annual meeting. This is great that the people of Wisconsin and everywhere want a little chunk² of them. I even own the chunk of dirt. At the last sale, a share of Packer stock costs two hundred and fifty dollars. It allows each shareholder³ to attend the annual meeting and vote for members of the team’s Board of Directors, but otherwise this stock is effectively a donation. It pays no dividends⁴, gains no value and cannot be traded. Team president Marc Murphy says the Packers’ publicly-owned status has kept them alive. The team wouldn’t still be in Green Bay or not for this ownership structure and we’ve had five stock sales over the history of the organization, and the first three were really meant to save the team and to make sure the team stays here. Formed in 1919, the team was named after a local meatpacking company. It joined what would become the NFL in 1921, but by 1922 it was apparent the Packers would have to sell stock to survive. But the team’s early survival was also helped by what Packer’s historian Cliff Bristol calls Green Bay’s dirty little secret. This town never shut down in the Prohibition⁵. The Prohibition which lasted from 1920 to 1933, outlawed⁶ the sale and consumption of alcohol in the United States, but Green Bay chose to ignore the law, making the small city a popular place for teams to come and spend money. They didn’t have enough people to support a team. They didn’t have a lot of money and to be truthful⁷ their crowds weren’t that big. But visiting teams loved coming here and they would come in early that stayed late. Following Prohibition the Packers survived and thrived because they won, a total of 13 championships, the most of any NFL Franchise. But as Murphy points out stock sales for the publicly held franchise did get the Packers through some tough times. My predecessor⁸ Bob Harlan often said it’s the greatest story in all of professional sports that the small market team just has overcome odds⁹ and had all kinds of success. NFL rules prevent other teams from copying the Green Bay model, making the small-town Packers unique. And Murphy says that’s a good thing.

7月中旬的一个早晨，大约4000人涌进了 Green Bay’s Lambeau Field 球场，比任何即将进行的比赛都要早几周。这些人不仅是 Green Bay Packer 职业运动队的粉丝，还是该公司的股东。实际上，他们是球队的老板。他们来这里开年会。威斯康星和世界各地的人们都想成为股东，这真是太好了。我甚至拥有一些股票。在上次的销售中，Packer 的股票每股价值250美元。它允许每位股东参加年会，并投票选出董事会成员，但从另一种层面上来看，这只股票实际上是一种捐赠。它不支付股息，没有收益，也不能交易。球队主席 Marc Murphy 表示，Packer 球队的公有身份让他们活了下来。因为这种所有权结构，团队不会继续留在 Green Bay，在公司历史上，我们已经卖出了5只股票，卖出前3只是为了拯救球队，确保球队留在这里。该团队成立于1919年，以当地一家肉类加工公司的名字命名。1921年，它加入了后来成为美式橄榄球联盟的球队，但到1922年，Packer 球队显然必须出售股票才能生存。但研究 Packer 球队的历史学家 Cliff Bristol 称，Green Bay 小镇的肮脏小秘密也帮助了该团队的早期生存。这个镇在禁酒期间从未关闭过。1920年至1933年的禁酒令禁止在美国销售和消费酒精，但 Green Bay 小镇选择无视法律，让这个小城市成为球队来这里花钱的热门场所。没有足够的人数来支持一个团队。他们没有很多钱，说实话，他们的观众没有那么多。但是客队喜欢来这里，熬夜的人往往来得早。因为禁酒令，Packer 球队得以幸存下来，并蓬勃发展，因为他们赢得了总共13个总冠军，是所有美式橄榄球联盟球队中最多的。但正如Murphy所指出的，这家上市公司的股票销售确实帮助Packer 球队度过了一些艰难时期。我的前辈 Bob Harlan 经常说，这是所有职业体育领域最伟大的故事，小市场团队克服了种种困难，取得了各种各样的成功。美式橄榄球联盟球队的规则禁止其他球队复制Green Bay的模式，使这个小镇的Packers 球队独一无二。Murphy说这是一件好事。

1 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

2 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

3 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

4 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

5 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

6 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

7 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

8 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

9 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？