The Impossible Fight Against America's Stadiums

[RattlerGator]

We may not have... or EVER reach that First Tier status, however, we are certainly among the top dogs in second or third tier cities in this country. Ask anyone from Orlando, Birmingham or Memphis what the one thing Jacksonville has that they'd sell a theme park for? 

J A G U A R S !

It's a name, a history and a brand that is international. For all of our other weaknesses, this one certainly isn't the one to worry about.

Some people work so very hard to not get this one, incredibly simple fact.

[Adam White]

We may not have... or EVER reach that First Tier status, however, we are certainly among the top dogs in second or third tier cities in this country. Ask anyone from Orlando, Birmingham or Memphis what the one thing Jacksonville has that they'd sell a theme park for? 

J A G U A R S !

It's a name, a history and a brand that is international. For all of our other weaknesses, this one certainly isn't the one to worry about.

Some people work so very hard to not get this one, incredibly simple fact.

So international, in fact, that when I tell people at my office I'm from Jacksonville, they say, "Like in the song?" It took me a while to realize they were talking about "Jackson".

The only people who know the name Jacksonville in London - in my experience - are people who follow the NFL or Limp Bizkit. And most of them couldn't find it on a map.

[CCMjax]

We may not have... or EVER reach that First Tier status, however, we are certainly among the top dogs in second or third tier cities in this country. Ask anyone from Orlando, Birmingham or Memphis what the one thing Jacksonville has that they'd sell a theme park for? 

J A G U A R S !

It's a name, a history and a brand that is international. For all of our other weaknesses, this one certainly isn't the one to worry about.

Some people work so very hard to not get this one, incredibly simple fact.

So international, in fact, that when I tell people at my office I'm from Jacksonville, they say, "Like in the song?" It took me a while to realize they were talking about "Jackson".

The only people who know the name Jacksonville in London - in my experience - are people who follow the NFL or Limp Bizkit. And most of them couldn't find it on a map.

Most people in America outside the southeast don't know where Jacksonville is, just somewhere in Florida, coming from someone who grew up elsewhere.  And I would say the Jaguars are the only thing that make people outside the southeast realize Jville actually exists, not Limp Bizkit ha ha!  A much cooler band hailing from "Florida's River City" would be Lynyrd Skynyrd.  There is a lot of musical history here, much of it has been forgotten though.  The only time Jacksonville comes up in conversation in other parts of the country is when football teams are being discussed.

[jaxjags]

Seems this thread has moved directions to more about JAX than the stadium. But as to jph's  comment first I must say I have no  association with the jaguars or Shad. Second, his comment does lead to a point I think should be explored. In the 15 years I have lived here, on and off since 1989, one thing I believe does hold us back is a lack of civic pride. (Based on another thread, let me give a warning -I am not accusing jph of lacking civic pride and if I use terms like "us" and "in general" it does not imply all or even most of Jax). That is why I choose my screen name as I did. There are many assets here to take pride in: the river, the beaches, the great art/cultural scene, state parks, craft beer,and yes our sporting scene, including the Jags. The city has many talented people. If more people took pride in our city, I believe we would make better progress to where we want to be. Third, for a city and metro area of this size, taxes are quite low. The tax rate (millage not total $) in some rural counties in WV is higher than here. Our leaders need to realize that a marginally small increase can provide the funding over the next 30 years for development and mass transient improvements. Take pride and build a brand.

[Adam White]

elsewhere.  And I would say the Jaguars are the only thing that make people outside the southeast realize Jville actually exists, not Limp Bizkit ha ha!  A much cooler band hailing from "Florida's River City" would be Lynyrd Skynyrd. 

^You'd think. But I swear I've had a couple of people know Jax in my office because of Limp Bizkit -and when I brought up Skynyrd, they'd give me a blank stare. I'd have to say "Sweet Home Alabama" and then the penny would drop!

It's mainly the NFL fans, though. But even they don't know much beyond the name of the city and the name of the team. It's like me "knowing" Plovdiv is a city in Bulgaria. That's marginally better than NOT knowing it, but it ain't much.

[ProjectMaximus]

Our leaders need to realize that a marginally small increase can provide the funding over the next 30 years for development and mass transient improvements. Take pride and build a brand.

I agree. I want major improvement to our transient population.  Seriously though, your point is right on.

elsewhere.  And I would say the Jaguars are the only thing that make people outside the southeast realize Jville actually exists, not Limp Bizkit ha ha!  A much cooler band hailing from "Florida's River City" would be Lynyrd Skynyrd. 

^You'd think. But I swear I've had a couple of people know Jax in my office because of Limp Bizkit -and when I brought up Skynyrd, they'd give me a blank stare. I'd have to say "Sweet Home Alabama" and then the penny would drop!

It's mainly the NFL fans, though. But even they don't know much beyond the name of the city and the name of the team. It's like me "knowing" Plovdiv is a city in Bulgaria. That's marginally better than NOT knowing it, but it ain't much.

McCartney is a fan of the Jags. That all that matters. 

[avonjax]

It seems that some of the comments here are by people who really don't care about the sport of football or maybe sports in general for all I know. I try to stay out of these conversations but it's the same people who cry about the money the city spends on the stadium and all things Jaguar. The only defenders are the fans of the NFL and football.

I can see the side of those who feel we shouldn't spend a dime of taxpayers money on the stadium. But as previously noted before the Jaguars came and if they ever leave, the stadium belongs to the city of Jacksonville. So what happens to the stadium if the Jaguars were to leave? There are not a lot of big time events knocking down our doors to lease the stadium.

There are a couple of people who post comments that seem balanced and rational. And let me say that most of the people who have posted negative comments are people that I most often agree with. So my conclusion is you don't like football in general and definitely not the Jaguars in particular.  If it matters, and it probably doesn't, I completely have the same opinion as jaxjags.

Oh, and by the way I like Joe C. I'm just curious what makes him so awful.

[JFman00]

The Never-Ending Stadium Boondoggle

The overwhelming conclusion of decades of economic research on the subject is that using public funds to subsidize wealthy sports franchises makes zero economic sense and is a giant waste of taxpayer money. A wide array of studies have shown that professional teams add virtually no income to local economies. In fact, some of them find that large subsidies actually have a negative effect, taking money out of the local economy. Aside from the jobs generated by actually building the stadium, most jobs inside the stadium—selling food and beer or working at team concessions—are low-paying temp jobs. It's even worse for football stadiums, which are used for games at most a dozen times a year, and maybe a few more times for concerts or large events. Public economic development dollars can be put to much better use on things besides subsidizing sports teams and their wealthy owners.

In a world of limited resources, the opportunity cost of publicly subsidizing pro sports is simply not worth it. Doesn't take an urban planner to look at a map of Jax and see what is, for all but a couple hours an NFL season, the urban wasteland that is the stadium and its sea of parking lots. This isn't about a hatred for sports or the NFL or billionaires, it's about hatred for wasting resources that could unequivocally be better used elsewhere. I'd wager that from a public cost/benefit perspective that the stadium area and tax dollars would be more productive if razed and turned into an urban park or divvied up and rezoned as a medium-density mixed-use neighborhood.