The idea of community ownership of sports franchises has captured the imagination of some Denver Broncos fans. An upcoming ballot issue in the Denver metro area deals with whether to construct at partial expense to the taxpayers a new stadium for Denver's beloved football team. Some backers of the stadium issue have warned that if the taxpayers don't help finance a new stadium, a future Broncos owner might whisk them away to Toronto or some other city, as was the sad experience of the Cleveland Browns. This argument settled poorly with the general public, the majority of whom don't take kindly to extortion and appear to lean against the stadium issue. All of this, plus plans to replace the Broncos' lovely but garrish orange jerseys with navy ones and an owner who (gasp!) used to wear fancy fur coats to games, has prompted some fans to look to Green Bay's ownership arrangement as a possible solution. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]
