Every year, the Green Bay Packers do something unique in the N.F.L.: they release a financial report. The document is brief but revealing, telling the story of a small-market team that benefits enormously from the league’s huge television deals and the devotion of its fans.

The Packers’ report is more than a novelty in the run-up to their playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6. It is a result of their being the league’s only publicly owned, nonprofit company, with 112,158 shareholders who own 4.7 million shares.

The Packers’ income statement is a proxy for the ones the 31 other team owners do not release and is of more than usual interest because owners are looking to alter the economics of paying their players in a new labor agreement. If the league and the N.F.L. Players Association cannot agree, owners could lock out the players.

Union officials frequently mention team revenue and profit; they want to examine every team’s books, but they cannot. The league insists that the union has audit rights to all league and team revenue, and player costs. But that is not enough for the union.