Jaguars being sold to Fred Smith...

Rynjny · November 03, 2011, 09:28:50 PM

http://www.bigcatcountry.com/2011/11/3/2536623/jaguars-sale-wayne-weaver-fred-smith

What you guys think of this??

Timkin · November 03, 2011, 09:46:35 PM

Wow. Don't know whether this is good or bad. I am surprised , if it is true .

RiversideLoki · November 03, 2011, 09:49:28 PM

It's honestly nothing... I think it's a token gesture that will get him a suite but not much else (btw, you still have to pay yearly for your suite as a minority owner.) If you look at the "owners" of the team, you'll see a long list of companies. This isn't really anything to hem and haw about.

I-10east · November 03, 2011, 09:59:51 PM

This is nothing uncommon, there are many minority owners in the NFL. Make no mistake, Wayne Weaver is still the majority owner. Everyone's first reaction is, the Jags are moving etc etc; Don't fall for it; Wayne Weaver wants the Jags in Jax. Pete Prisco on 930 explained the situation precisely, Smith is a minority owner, and will most likely transition into the majority owner, but Weaver is not giving up the keys just yet. From what I hear, Smith's wife has ties to Jax. Wait and see how things play out a lil' before the typical knee jerk Jags are moving, blah, blah, blah.

Rynjny · November 03, 2011, 10:10:33 PM

anybody know what ties smith's wife has with jacksonville??

I-10east · November 03, 2011, 10:22:21 PM

^^^I believe family, if I'm not mistaken; I heard it on the Prisco show. BTW, the thread title is pretty misleading, the key word is MINORITY; The thread title makes it sound like Weaver is no longer the majority owner.

Rynjny · November 03, 2011, 10:26:33 PM

Quote from: I-10east on November 03, 2011, 10:22:21 PM
^^^I believe family, if I'm not mistaken; I heard it on the Prisco show. BTW, the thread title is pretty misleading, the key word is MINORITY; The thread title makes it sound like Weaver is no longer the majority owner.

MINORITY going to be MAJORITY after Wayne Weaver retires...

I-10east · November 03, 2011, 10:31:56 PM

^^^You're right, but that still doesn't mean that the Jags aren't staying in Jax. Weaver will eventually have to step down as majority owner one of these days. There's no concrete evidence that says, new owner automatically = new city, that's all I'm saying.

Rynjny · November 03, 2011, 10:40:12 PM

Look guys I'mn not saying the fred smith going to move the team..I'm just trying to find out more info connecting this guy to the city.

I-10east · November 03, 2011, 10:45:49 PM

I wiki'd him

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_W._Smith

JeffreyS · November 03, 2011, 11:04:43 PM

Quote from: Rynjny on November 03, 2011, 10:40:12 PM
Look guys I'mn not saying the fred smith going to move the team..I'm just trying to find out more info connecting this guy to the city.

He is on the board of the Mayo Clinic.

Rynjny · November 03, 2011, 11:12:37 PM

Quote from: JeffreyS on November 03, 2011, 11:04:43 PM
Quote from: Rynjny on November 03, 2011, 10:40:12 PM
Look guys I'mn not saying the fred smith going to move the team..I'm just trying to find out more info connecting this guy to the city.
He is on the board of the Mayo Clinic.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/governance/trustees.html

InnerCityPressure · November 03, 2011, 11:19:59 PM

Jaguars shot down this "rumor"

It could be the whole "Our owner is our owner until he's not our owner" thing, but for what it's worth...

http://www.bigcatcountry.com/2011/11/3/2536758/jaguars-deny-fred-smith-report

Non-RedNeck Westsider · November 03, 2011, 11:46:22 PM

Look, these guys are in it to make money.

Here's an article that the Jags aren't mentioned in: http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201111/nfls-worst-owner-over-last-five-years

Our team is generating enough revenue to offset the costs. The business is actually growing (hard to believe, but true). The only negative that we get is completely self-generated.

We tarp our seats to avoid blackouts - no, we tarp our seats to bring our capacity down to a managable number. Unlike other stadiums that ONLY seat 63k, we have built-in room for expansion. I'm talking to you Indy, how many SB tickets can you sell in your BRAND NEW house? Oh, and did you remember to hook up the sound system the same way as the RCA dome? You know, with the mic's under everyone's seat? Ooops, sorry, I know that was just a nasty rumor.
We can't sell out our tarped stadium - wrong again. We haven't had a blackout since the '09 season (need some help coming up, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there) We've actually averaged between 19-24th in attendance over the past 5 years with '09 being an off year (31st). That's better than more than a quarter of the rest of the league.
Wayne Weaver is selling the team so they can move to LA - C'mon..... we've been hearing that 'rumor' since Korholer caught the crabs at the Doll House. Fact is Weaver has defended his position, ad naseum, that as long as he's the owner, they aren't moving. Think of all the other hard-luck cases the Weaver's have poured money into for the sake of preservation. He's done nothing to have us believe otherwise. He's also on record stating that when he does sell the team, after he's no longer able to run it, he will have Jacksonville's best interest in mind. Again, I have no reason to believe otherwise
Jacksonville doesn't even deserve a franchise - Sure. At least we didn't steal ours at the 13th hour and move a few hundred miles south under the cover of night. Nor did we have a team, lose a team, get another team, only to see them leave again and wonder why there's not a team jumping at the chance to move back. We are under lease in a pretty decent stadium that just had some major improvements within the past few years. So, to recap, we're not at the bottom of attendance, we're not losing money, we have a stadium with room for more capacity, we have a current lease with the city, WE'RE NOT MOVING!
The team sucks - Yeah, buddy, we've heard that one before. Oh-ridge-anal! We're not good this year, I can't argue that. I know, no one cares about a top tier Defense anymore. If you can't score 30 points a game, you're no good. We know, we know. What you fail to realize, is that it's year 3 of rebuilding. Every team has to do it once and a while. I know we're all too impatient to give it a few years and we all expect to celebrate a Super Bowl win in Hemming Plaza every March. Sorry, doesn't work that way. If we're in the same situation in '13, then there can be some cause for concern. I'm patient. I've coached T-ball, sometimes it takes a few seasons to 'get-it'.

I guess the point that I'm trying to make is that 90% of the negative that we hear on a daily basis is pure slop; printed and aired to sell [insert shmuck production] 5% has some merit that can usually be balanced out with a little fact checking and the remaining 5% is deserved. I can't even read our local paper's stories because they're so biased AGAINST Jacksonville, that it's pointless to read. The national media doesn't feel a need to do due diligence if the juicy rumors are coming from the teams own beat writers, why should they?

In closing, Vito Stellino - I can't understand you when you talk, I understand less when you write; Gene Frennette - There's a few words you should look up - Bitter, Depressed, Retirement; Tania Ganglia - keep doing your job and don't let the pessimistic old men drag you down; Vic Ketchman - you are missed; Pete Prisco - the truth is refreshing, although sometimes hard to stomach; John Ohesner - Shoes that were impossible to fill, although you're growing on me.

I-10east · November 03, 2011, 11:54:55 PM

If the rumor is true, I seriously doubt if Smith transitions into the Jags majority that abruptly.

There's no telling which Mayo Clinic (three Mayos FL, MN, and AZ) that Smith was on the board of. I don't put no stock into INSISTING that an owner have some kinda tie to a city from the get-go. Most pro sports owners have little to do with the city (where the team is located) before they owned the team. Al Davis was born in New England for gawdsakes.