We Want You (But We Blame You)
By:
May 16, 2021
Green Bay poll: 77% do not want Aaron Rodgers traded—but 56% believe the problem is his fault
CHICAGO (May 17, 2021) – The vast majority of Green Bay residents hope quarterback Aaron Rodgers stays put, but more than half blame him for the dispute putting his future with the team in doubt, according to a new poll of Green Bay residents commissioned by Chicago consulting firm Serafin & Associates, Inc.
“What we have here is a failure to communicate,” says Thom Serafin, echoing the iconic line from Cool Hand Luke. “A crisis like this requires a strong, consistent communications plan. I know there is a genuine affection between Aaron and the community, but right now 56% of Green Bay folks blame him… a result of his side’s failure to communicate.”
Nearly 77 percent of Green Bay residents do not want the Packers to trade Rodgers, while just 13 percent say they would be “okay” with letting him go. View topline results here.
When asked if the Packers should fire GM Brian Gutekunst to keep Rodgers in Green Bay, 50.4 percent of respondents replied “no,” compared with 26.5 percent responding “yes.”
Green Bay residents’ opinions are mixed on why Rodgers is unhappy with team management. When given several choices (along with the option to select more than one), 64 percent cited more money (to become the NFL’s highest-paid player); 34 percent said he wants to become the host of Jeopardy; and 20 percent chose his engagement to actress Shailene Woodley.
Meanwhile, given a choice, more than half of the 800 residents surveyed blamed Rodgers (56 percent) for the controversy. The rest of the blame fell on Packer management, with respondents able to select more than one: GM Brian Gutekunst (28.1 percent); CEO Mark Murphy (18.6 percent); and Coach Matt LaFluer (10.5 percent). Less than 9 percent had no answer.
Asked if the Packers should have “checked in” with Rodgers before drafting quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of last year’s NFL draft, 49 percent said “no,” compared with 43.4 percent who responded “yes.”
Just over 60 percent of respondents do not believe that the Packers have “mistreated” Rodgers, compared to 28.4 percent who do.
Contact:
Thom Serafin
312.560.4471
thom@serafin.com
Thom Serafin grew up in Milwaukee and his sons own shares in the Packers. Serafin commissioned a similar poll of Green Bay residents back in 2008 when the team was breaking up with Rodger’s predecessor Brett Favre. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/sports/football/18packers.html
This poll was conducted May 11 to May 13 by Chicago-based Victory Research, and it has a margin of error rate of +- 3.46 percent. Of the 800 respondents, 22 percent responded that they were shareholders of the team.
Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash
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