Why Jacksonville Needs The Jaguars

With what will likely be the first year of an entirely blacked-out season underway in Jacksonville, the possibility of losing the Jaguars has become real to a lot of people.  The question of what the loss of the team would mean to the city, both in terms of economic and psychological impact, is now a frequent conversation topic.

In his efforts to drum up support for the team, Mayor John Peyton drew criticism last week after he made a public plea for fans to purchase tickets.

“The viability of this team in our city is critically important. The Jaguars have become a part of the fabric in this city,” Peyton said. “It’s hard to imagine not having this team here. We need to do a better job citywide supporting this team.”  Peyton went on to emphasize the fact that Jacksonville is one of only thirty-two NFL cities in the country, something that he said the city "should never take for granted."

While some applauded the Mayor's remarks, many commenters left messages on the Times-Union's online message board that, in essence, expressed a lack of concern over what the loss of an NFL might mean to Jacksonville.  In fact, many of the commenters seemed to take the stance that the presence of the Jaguars was more trouble than its worth.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars have struggled in the past few years, there was a time in the team's short history when they were all the rage in Northeast Florida.  In 1997, just a few years after the team launched, Jaguar fans were ranked the fifth most supportive fans in the NFL by the Jacksonville Business Journal and its parent, American City Business Journals.  In those first few years, Jacksonville had no problem filling up the stadium, even with the larger capacity.  Attendance did; however, begin to decline after 1998, even during that 14-2 regular season of 1999.  There are many who point to the team of the 90's and argue that they were the difference in garnering the support of Jacksonville and its surrounding counties.  The players were, for the most part, seen as active contributors to the community as a whole, something the team has really struggled with in the last few years.  Most importantly; however, they were winning games.

All that aside, Jacksonville--and indeed Northeast Florida--needs to seriously pause and consider what the loss of the team would mean to the city.  As Peyton said, the team has become an integral part the city's identity.  No longer do people wonder if you mean "Jacksonville, North Carolina" or "Jacksonville, Alabama."  The Jaguars have introduced Jacksonville to the world, even bringing a Super Bowl in 2005 that included PR on a level that most cities could only dream of.

The presence of the Jaguars; however, has meant much more than free publicity for the city.  It's also meant the generous and frequent support of local charities by Wayne and Delores Weaver.  In a 2007 article that highlighted the Weaver's $21 million gift to 38 local non-profits, the Times-Union took note of the fact that the Weaver's had given more than $42 million to local non-profits since bringing the team to Jacksonville.  That support, in a time when the city's public services grants that support non-profits has continued to decline, has been invaluable.  In fact, finding another modern Jacksonville resident who has given as generously as the Weaver's would be a rather daunting task.

And, the Weaver's haven't been the only members of the Jaguars franchise to support Jacksonville charities.  Many of the team's players have made generous donations over the years and Tom Coughlin, the team's former coach, has donated over $2 million to assist young children battling cancer through his Jay Fund.

Mayor Peyton stepped up to challenge the city because he is very well aware that if Jacksonville lost the Jaguars on his watch, that would ultimately be the only thing people remembered about his time in office.  Cities that have lost teams in the past typically spend millions, indeed, hundreds of millions in efforts to woo another team back.  It took St. Louis 7 years and $281 million to attract the Rams.  It took Baltimore 12 years and $200 million to lure the Ravens to town.  And, it took Houston 5 years and $309 million to fill the hole the Oilers had left.  Don't count on Jacksonville winning another team anytime soon.  And, even if that happened to be something in their future, the city doesn't have the hundreds of millions of dollars it would take to do it.  We have, after all, already spent hundreds of millions of dollars over the past several decades trying to lure a team to town.  Why on earth would we be so willing to throw all of that away so quickly?

It's time for the Jacksonville Jaguars to get radical.  It's fairly obvious by now that their current marketing approach isn't working.  It's time to throw it out and start over.  Recast the image of the team.  Stage service days where the community can see the players commitment to the city that offers them a lifestyle many can only dream of.  Acknowledge that the coaching staff isn't getting the job done and make some sweeping changes.  Unload players that aren't getting the job done and start over.  Sell Jacksonville on the Jaguars.  It was done before.  It can be done again.

Of course, it's not just the Jaguars that need to rethink their approach.  Jacksonville needs to share the massive investment the city has put out over the years to win and retain the team.  Educate people on the vested interest the city has in keeping the team in Jacksonville.  Bring in the surrounding communities.  Orange Park needs to be part of the discussion, as does Fernandina Beach, Waycross and St. Johns County.  Each of these cities and counties benefits from the presence of the Jaguars, whether its from the economic impact of the team and the jobs their presence creates or from the support that non-profits receive from the team and its owners.

The psychological impact of losing an NFL team would be almost as devastating on the city as the economic one.  The possibility of losing the team is a discussion that no one should take lightly.

Tags: Delores Barr Weaver, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jaguars, Jay Fund, John Peyton, Local Politics, Tom Coughlin, Wayne Weaver

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 5:53 AM and is filed under Football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.