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As another mediocre season winds down and Los Angeles postures for a professional football team in 2010, a lot of attention has been paid to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The City has thrown its support to pack the stands for the only televised home game of the season and the franchise has increased its marketing efforts, culminating with the ultimate “Tealgate Party”. Retired Jaguar, Tony Boselli, has gone as far as to say that Jacksonville will be “judged” by how many empty seats a national audience will see when the Indianapolis Colts come to town on December 17, 2009.
Local sports commentators and media outlets have the blogosphere buzzing, but not in the way Jaguar executives had envisioned. Nearly three-quarters of the comments posted, in response to recent articles speculating on the Jaguars move to Los Angeles, have been less than kind to the Big Cats. The bottom line with the Jaguars is exactly that; the bottom-line. If a franchise cannot sustain itself in a city, then simple economics will dictate whether or not they stay. As driven as the City’s support of the team has been, it all will boil down to dollars and cents for the franchise owners. After all the Jaguars franchise is a for-profit organization, not a municipal service.
The Jaguar’s presence in Jacksonville has been marked by some positive benefits for charities and sales-tax revenues, but they have presented a fair share of drawbacks as well. Aside from the off field criminal antics by many of their players, the franchise has held the City of Jacksonville over a barrel many times. Dictates on advertisement-revenue sharing, stadium renovations and changes to their profit-and-loss disclosure agreements have been just a few of the front office antics Jacksonville has had to endure to ensure the team stays put.
Threatening to pull out of Jacksonville may not work for the Jaguars this time, especially with double-digit millage rate increases and cuts to public safety and civic programs looming. The majority of their fan base is becoming apathetic to a team who hasn’t contended for a decent post-season spot in nearly a decade. Ticket sales and team support are at all-time lows and it is not solely the economy’s fault, consumer choice is beginning to play a larger role. As the recession lingers, cost conscious consumers are only willing to pay for things that are worth their money; based on recent ticket sales, many have told the Weaver’s their team is not worth it.
If Jacksonville does lose the Jaguars will it be the end of the town? No, life will go on in Jacksonville. Any void the Jaguars will leave in their wake for charitable contributions, municipal income and national cachet can all be replaced if the City’s leadership puts as much effort into sustainable job growth as they have in keeping the Jaguars placated. Contrary to front-office opinion, cities are judged for a lot more than how many fans support their NFL franchise. If City leaders exercised the same creativity in their efforts to foster sustainable industry and tax-revenue in Jacksonville as they have to fill the stands for 1 game, then perhaps the programs and resources its citizens truly depend on would not be in the financial shape they are in.
When this season ends, it will be time for both the Jaguars and City leaders to face the harsh fact that whether or not Jacksonville is an NFL town will not change the problems it faces. Municipal growth, quality of life and sustainability issues should draw as much attention in City Hall as the ultimate Tealgate party has.
