Jacksonville, if it were to loss the NFL

[95-Souf]

If Jacksonville were to LOSE the NFL

I haven

[bobliocatt]

If Jax were to lose the Jags, growth wouldn't be impacted at all. I'm not aware of any city that's population growth was stunted because of a professional team leaving the metro.

[afh]

If Jacksonville were to LOSE the NFL

I haven

[Charleston native]

I don't think it would cause a decrease in growth, but it might bring in a mental depression to many of the people in Jax. These people had been wanting an NFL team for YEARS, and for Weaver to even remotely think of the possibility of moving the team is sheer stupidity. Talk about sticking a shiv in the back of your best friend!

Afh, you made the best case for the Jaguars decrease in attendance and Weaver's loss in profits. The team has not been good since Mark Brunell's last years, and they have not been consistent. In order to build a strong following of fans who will always go to games, the team cannot be a flash in the pan. They have to consistently win games and at least make the playoffs.

Unfortunately also, Jax has many other recreational amentities and activities to do around the city, and on top of that, they're much cheaper! Sometimes the city's excellent quality of life can discourage attendance for athletic events. Sheesh, Boston and Green Bay sellout their games every year because what else is there to do besides freeze your butt off?!

[Russell B]

The Jaguars are on the up and up. The problem is that they have to field a playoff caliber team every season to sell out because there is no tradition yet. Population doesn't have as much to do with it as tradition and winning. Green Bay fills the stands in a small market. Cleveland fills the stands even though they suck because of their history.

It wouldn't affect the growth but I think it would lower the city budget.

[RiversideGator]

I do think people would continue to move here, but I think it would cause a city-wide malaise and may prevent the city from trying for similar big things in the future. As to the attendance, according to this, the figures have improved recently: http://www.kenn.com/sports/football/nfl/nf...attendance.html

According to this list, the attendance for 2004 was slightly better than for the first season (1995). Back then, Jacksonville was one of the most profitable teams in the league. I wonder if they lost money for 2004 (Weaver said they lost in 2001 and 2003). They did have 4 straight losing seasons before 2004 but I think they are moving in the right direction. There will be an article in the FL T-U on Monday which addresses the Jags' finances, by the way.

As I stated before, I am gonna go ahead and get 2 season tickets for next year. For those who say they are too expensive, the cheapest tickets are just $280 per year per ticket (this is for 10 games - 8 regular season and 2 pre-season). See: http://www.jaguars.com/Tickets/SeasonTicketMap.asp So that is kind of a bogus argument. I mean what do you want them to do, give them away? I think all of us who are able should buy at least the cheapest seats to support the team.

[afh]

I think all of us who are able should buy at least the cheapest seats to support the team.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why should people support the team for the sake of supporting a team? I wouldn't tell anyone to frequent a restaurant that had poor service just to keep the restaurant open. Weaver is a business man. He knows about products. Right now, not many people are buying his product. That's their right. His product is not worth the money he is charging. As soon as he puts a good product on the field, not a 9-7 team, but a divisional champ caliber team, then people will show up without a doubt.

Weaver has to remember, that outside of the college teams, sports fans in Florida tend to love a winner. Put a winner on the field and they will come.

[RiversideGator]

Real football fans support their team no matter what. And, dont you agree it would be a black mark for the city of Jacksonville to lose the Jaguars?

[derrickskugler]

Jacksonville losing the Jaguars would be devastating. I think that most people underestimate what the Jags mean to the city.

Like many of you, I lived in Jacksonville before the Jaguars... I moved away right when the city was awarded the team. Although I live in Atlanta (and work for the Falcons), I take pride in my team... the Jacksonville Jaguars.

They bring an identity to an area that, right or wrong, to many people had no prior identity. Like it or not, professional sports teams are important to their cities. The Jags are all that Jacksonville has in the way of professional sports... to lose them would be devestating. It would set the city back in terms of self-esteem.

Most would agree that many people that either at one time lived or currently live in Jacksonville have a bit of a complex. Some would call it an inferiority complex. I think that the Jags have helped alot of people with that... given them something to rally around, to call their own. They didn't have to be Dolphin fans or Bucs fans or Falcons fans... they could now be Jaguars fans.

Don't laugh. It's a big deal. Sports are a huge part of our culture, and the Jaguars are a Jacksonville icon. To many people, it's all they know of Jacksonville. It solidifies the city as being a major player, not just another city. Losing them would be the sports equivilent of imploding the Modis & the BoA buildings... tearing down the Landing, etc.

I don't think any of this is over-stated... and I don't think I am blowing things out of perportion, either. The product hasn't been great... but if you follow football, you know why... the Jags spent and spent to try and win a Super Bowl in 1999... they blew up their salary cap and went into several years of re-building. They have the pieces in place to make a major run this year, and I fully expect them to do it.

I think it's time that people quit being negative about this franchise. If you don't want to go to games, don't go to games. But for God's sake, don't hate on an organization that brings positive attention, a sense of comradery, and who knows how many BILLIONS of dollars into the local economy since 1995.

Of course, that's just my opinion... I could be wrong.

[Viper]

Just to put things in persepctive, Jags are still financially viable...even during the bad years.

Many teams experience blackouts, even in the biggest of markets.

[RiversideGator]

Just to put things in persepctive, Jags are still financially viable...even during the bad years.

Weaver is claiming pre-tax losses for 2001 and 2003. I stated above that, because of the NFL's profit sharing, I thought every team made money. But, I dont think he is lying. I am looking forward to the Monday article about the Jag's finances.

Derrick: Good comments. I completely agree with you. You should move back to Jacksonville too.

[JaxNole]

Weaver is claiming pre-tax losses for 2001 and 2003. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not familiar with how money is handled in the NFL, so if anyone knows, I'd interested in an explanation.

Since the financial losses are qualified as pre-tax, does that mean after taxes they didn't lose money? I faintly remember in accounting how operating losses and taxes are treated, in that tax expense can be deferred until positive gains are achieved. Is that what the language indicates?

I second Derrick coming back to Jacksonville or at least purchasing one of those condos Downtown. Why not two or three in each of the projects?

[derrickskugler]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind words. I actually recently started working for a company that has another office in Jacksonville, and I am considering making the move back. I think it would be great to come back, and my working environment would not suck.

My company just signed a lease to occupy the top floor of the Wachovia building downtown (we currently occupy the 14th floor)... not a bad view.

Ever since I got turned onto this site about 6 months ago and realized all the growth that was about to happen downtown, it has gotten me very excited. I have looked into alot of the developments downtown and am interested in quite a few. I grew up in Arlington, and most of my family still lives in Jax. My uncle actually lives about 5 houses down from Fred Taylor in Queens Harbor, and my grandmother has 3 acres on the St. John's in the old Clifton neighborhood right across the river from the stadium.

Ah... home... :->

[scongro]

I equate losing the jaguars to getting a hard kick in the groin - It hurts like hell for a while, but you get over it. I do feel thought that people sometimes underestimate what having a major sports franchise does for your city.

As far as NFL finances go - there are probably less than 100 people in the country that truly understands exactly how NFL finances work. It is a vert complicated system of revenue sharing. For example, regular tickets are pooled and shared among the 32 owners. However, club seats and skybox sales are not - they just belong to whatever team get them. The NFL is very interesting: Ronald Reagan spend much of his administration ridding the workd of communism, however the NFL is basically a private form of it.

Anybody who has any questions of NFL finances, Vic Ketchman of Jaguars.com seems to have a very good understanding of the way it works. He recently reported on what is being billed as the "Jacksonville-Pittsburgh Plan", named because Rooney (The Steelers Owner) and Weaver are the ones pushing it. Basically, it involves sharing 34% of revenues (Readers Digest Version).

In conclusion, if you are only interested in buying season tickets when the Jaguars are doing well - don't bother. I'm a pretty easygoing guy, but imagine a market like Green Bay, Pittsburgh or New York - try pulling that fair weather crap there. To be honest, I'm proud to say that I was at every game the two years they went 5-11.

[jax]

im new in town but i'll be going to at least 1 game this year. I'm not ready for season tickets yet. but. come on jacksonville, wake up!

why is college football around here so much bigger than the jags! do you realize how hard it was to get Jets tickets!!!!

[scongro]

im new in town but i'll be going to at least 1 game this year. I'm not ready for season tickets yet. but. come on jacksonville, wake up!

why is college football around here so much bigger than the jags!  do you realize how hard it was to get Jets tickets!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

If you didn't hear me, Thank You.

[Captain Obvious]

The Jags leaving town would absolutely NOT hurt Jacksonville's growth. Our growth has literally nothing to do with professional sports. They aren't even a blip on the charts compared to Jax's true major industries. (I'm still a huge Jags fan. But that's just the economic reality).

That being said, of course it would be a horrible negative for the team to leave. It just wouldn't be an meaningful economic negative. It would be a negative in terms of civic pride, entertainment options, national recognition - like others have already mentioned.

Even though I live in Gainesville right now, I am strongly considering buying tickets to individual games. If my workload is light, I could easily make it to the stadium on Sundays.

But here's my problem... I went to two games last year, and they were simply not that fun. Bill Musgrave's offense was pathetic and frustrating to watch. I don't care if they were 9-7, because it's not entertaining for a football fan to watch a miserable and boring offense with underused talent. If the new coordinator, Smith, can't create a more exciting offense - then it simply wouldn't be worth my time to drive 2 hours and spend $40+ to see a game in person.

[mwfsu84]

The Jaguars are a valuable recruiting tool to bring in new business. They are like an introductory page to outsiders who can't even find the city on the map. To those people, the Jaguars may very well be all they know about Jacksonville.

When the Jags play on Monday Night Football, a nationwide audience sees gorgeous shots of the skyline. The Chamber of Commerce couldn't ask for a better commercial - and it's free.

Any organization who can bring 67,000 people to downtown Jacksonville on a Sunday aftertoon must be considered a catylst for the redevelopment of the downtown area. It's up to developers and entrepaneurs to figure out how to keep those fans downtown before and after the game.