Jaguars behind in ticket sales, blackouts loom

[Ocklawaha]

I say leagues need to stop expanding for the next 30 years. Especially the NBA. As far as NFL goes, how are ticket sales in Baltimore, Charlotte, San Diego or Seattle? Just listing random cities with the same type of fan base the Jags have. Jags are not the youngest franchise so if the Rams, Ravens, Texans & Titans are doing ok Jags should do ok as well.

I'd rather see the expansion, as every team brings in huge money to their respective citys. Jacksonville without the Jaguars is simply Mobile on Streroids. Without the Jags we'd go from being on the cusp of "America's Logistics Center" to "The unfinished metal building capitol of the world."

Not only that but there are a great many LARGE cities that have no team and often not even a "State" team. Think about the rivalrys when Jacksonville vs:

PORTLAND, OR
BIRMINGHAM, AL
LITTLE ROCK, AR
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
ALBUQUERQUE, NM
MEMPHIS, TN
OMAHA, NE
RALEIGH, NC
NORFOLK, VA
SACRAMENTO, CA
LAS VEGAS, NV
SALT LAKE CITY, UT

I could see a lot of fantastic gridiron rivalrys... Something that would help all of the teams and cities out.

OCKLAWAHA

[Shwaz]

I agree Ock that an NFL team can make a small town a big city and it carries great economic impact. However, the talent pool could not support many more teams. If you were to spread out the college draft to an expanded league like you've listed, it would become a league of below mediocre teams with the major market's controlling all the talent. Remember the NFL is headed to the next generation with no salary cap.

[copperfiend]

If that happened, we would basically be a minor league team for markets like Dallas, Washington, New England and Denver.

[cline]

Think about the rivalrys when Jacksonville vs:

PORTLAND, OR
BIRMINGHAM, AL
LITTLE ROCK, AR
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
ALBUQUERQUE, NM
MEMPHIS, TN
OMAHA, NE
RALEIGH, NC
NORFOLK, VA
SACRAMENTO, CA
LAS VEGAS, NV
SALT LAKE CITY, UT

That really doesn't sound exciting at all.  That would completely water down the league. 

[heights unknown]

lots of sports teams are having problems...MLB attendance is down about 10% (even w/ new stadiums in NYC), and the NBA got $175 million in loans to help out 10-12 teams.

from what I hear, some other NFL teams are also struggling...and I would not be surprised to see the league be a bit more lenient on te blackout rules this year.

The economic turmoil is finally biting the NFL.  Sign of tough times guys.

Heights Unknown

[mtraininjax]

The economic turmoil is finally biting the NFL.  Sign of tough times guys

But the teams can sign #1 draft picks to 40 million in guaranteed money? I'll take the tough times of the NFL any day!

[Shwaz]

Yeah tell the tough times to the Cowboy's opening their new 90K seat stadium with tickets starting at $1000 per season.

[ProjectMaximus]

I never understood why the NFL goes by tickets REMAINING instead of tickets sold. Jacksonville actually does pretty good in ticket sales. I mean, we sell more tickets than the steelers, but because our stadium is so big we run the risk of blackouts.

It's definitely unfair the way black outs are determined. We have a tremendous stadium and a small market.

Guys, just remember that only non-premium seats count towards the blackout rules. I don't have the actual numbers to prove this, but I've seen it written many times that Jacksonville has one of the lowest number of non-premium seats in the league. Therefore the argument that we have a huge stadium in a small market is weakened. Still a relatively young franchise though...the next few years are critical.

[mtraininjax]

Lowest price tickets are $390.00, who doesn't have this lying around, burning a hole in your pocket? Come on, you don't need to eat, you don't need shoes on your feet, you don't need to have insurance for your car or house, but you do need to keep all those toys you bought over the years.....help a Jaguar out.

[heights unknown]

The economic turmoil is finally biting the NFL.  Sign of tough times guys

But the teams can sign #1 draft picks to 40 million in guaranteed money? I'll take the tough times of the NFL any day!

Yeah they're paying out all that money to new draftees and sign ons, but I'll bet they are also mortgaging their souls and betting on those season tickets to help bail them out in paying the new draftees, rookies, sign-ons and veterans.

Heights Unknown

[Shwaz]

Lowest price tickets are $390.00, who doesn't have this lying around, burning a hole in your pocket? Come on, you don't need to eat, you don't need shoes on your feet, you don't need to have insurance for your car or house, but you do need to keep all those toys you bought over the years.....help a Jaguar out.

Jacksonville has enough high income citizens to sell out the 50K non-premium seats. You say it like Wayne Weaver brought an NFL team and erected a stadium in the middle of a giant trailer park.

The homeowners of Marsh Landing alone could buy up the remaining tix.

Look around the league and compare their lowest ticket cost's, PSL fee's and then take notice of their economic standpoint.

What about 12 month financing offered by the Jaguars and the half season packages? Is $32.50 per month going to make anyone go hungry?

It's an outlandish characterization to make the team into blood thirsty monster who takes food of Jacksonvillian's plates... how much did they donate to the St John's River keeper fund?

[stjr]

I'd rather see the expansion, as every team brings in huge money to their respective citys. Jacksonville without the Jaguars is simply Mobile on Streroids. Without the Jags we'd go from being on the cusp of "America's Logistics Center" to "The unfinished metal building capitol of the world."

I agree Ock that an NFL team can make a small town a big city and it carries great economic impact.

I love the Jags as much as anyone.  But to say they are a panacea to all the economic, image, or other "issues" Jax may have, is wrong.  Study after study has shown sports teams have little, if any, real effect on local economies one way or the other.  It is mostly urban myth that civic investments in stadiums, etc. for sports teams ever pay back anything other than psychic dividends.  As to boosting the way of life in a city, there are lots of successful cities in this country with equal or better qualities of life than many NFL or other major sports cities.

Sports teams are "entertainment" and have an appeal to a segment, albeit a large one, of the population.  When teams lose they are likely as much a "drag" on the "image" of a city as they are a "boost" when they win.  Since all teams go through cycles, it all eventually cancels out.

Did Jax grow because of the Jags or did the Jags come because Jax was already going to grow?  I say the latter.  Jax was already on a tear when we got the Jags.  And the Jags certainly didn't keep Jax's growth from being hard hit by the current economy.  One really has nothing to do with the other.  I have never heard of one person or company that moved here because we have the Jags.  They come for jobs, economics, resources, location, relatives, educational infrastructure, weather, price of housing, and overall quality of life, which includes culture and recreation of which the Jags are but just one slice.

To me, the Weavers are the biggest byproduct of the the Jags for our community.  Their substantial support of the community sets the pace for the rest of us to get involved.  Communtiy leaders do come from most of our companies headquartered here but such leaders are unable to serve as brightly in our community because they are not connected to a public persona in the league of the Jags.  As such, the Weavers do have a special role in our community as leaders and role models.

[GatorShane]

The 35k figure does sound low but that number doesn't include the 9500 club seats the jags sell on a regular basis. I feel like part of the problem is that that Jags don't go after big name free agents like Terrell Owens or Chad Johnson. I know these guys have some character problems but they bring with them instant coverage to the franchise and an immediate boost in ticket sales. As far as the list of rival cities, I feel that theses are the cities the Suns should be playing, not cities with populations of 50k. Go Jags!

[CrysG]

Is $32.50 per month going to make anyone go hungry?

That's per person. So factor in that most don't want to go alone, a couple or family that $32.50 adds up. Then add in parking, food and drink.

[GatorShane]

One way to not have to pay for parking is to park at the courthouse lot and walk. Yes I know that some people cant but it does cut out $25 from the cost of going to a game.