Caution: LA is coming to steal your NFL team in 2011

[JaxNative68]

My post wasn't about my personal reasons for not buying ticket.  The reason I do not buy tickets is that I would rather spend quality time with my family and children on the weekends.  Also after having to take a 20% income cut due to the economy, I would rather spend what little disposable income I have left on items the can be shared by the whole family rather than me sitting in Jax stadium getting drunk.  I am a Jags fan, I used to have season tickets before having children, but now I have a life outside of Sunday afternoons watching football . . . and it's a lot less painful than wasting a lot of money tailgating, parking, ticket prices, in-stadium prices, losing 6 hours of your life you can never get back watching the Jags play rollercoaster/embarrassing football.

Most post was more in regard to the "fair-weather mind set" and 'lame excuse" you refer to.  The people are so fickle when it comes to football.  Let's face it they have been spoiled by the past successful college teams of region.  Unless the Jags can have kick ass mentality and records of the Gators, the people of Jacksonville will want nothing to do with you.  Basically Wayne Weaver is competing with Gainesville, Tallahassee and Athens for his market place dollar.

So everyone that has the mind set of jumping all over someone for not being a Jag's fan can go F themselves.  There is more to life than being able to go to 8 NFL games a year.

Do you have a personal financial investment in the team?  Do you make a living off the team?  Probably not, so put a cork in it and let the millionaires market themselves!  Football isn't life, just entertainment.

You people who cry about a football team are pathetic.  Put your energies towards something productive in society!

[David]

Jaxnative, I’ve been in the same boat for awhile man. I'm just now coming out of one of the worst dry spells of income in my life. So yeah, that's not directed at you. It’s at those who are choosing not to come to the games this year, at all. Any of them.

There needs to be a balance to the arguments of "YOU SHOULD GO TO THE GAMES YEP EVERYONE! OTHERWISE YOU'RE NOT A SUPERFAN!" and "meh, they're losing, why bother!" mentality.

I view it more as a civic duty than an allegiance to a sports team honestly, that's how I stay pumped about it. Because I’m not your typical rabid sports fan. I'd rather spend some of my Sundays doing something as well, but I’m thinking 5 or 6 Sundays a year is a fair number to give to the Jags.

If all the people who had formerly supported the team would at least do that, i'm sure attendance numbers would look far better. All 10 games would be preferred of course but like you said, it's expensive and not everyone has the time to invest in a game.


Either way if this keeps up, it won't matter in a year or two. I'll have all my Sundays free.

[copperfiend]

When they win, the tickets are still sitting there. The first drop in attendance was in 99, when the team was 14-2.

[ac]

So, JaxNative, the two are mutually exclusive?
 
No ticket-holding Jaguars fans have lives outside of the team?  We care less about our families?  The money's less dear to us?  That's a bunch of hooey.

I know, I know- a couple guys said mean, mean things on a message board (the horror) and got your hackles up.

I think you should heed your own advice, and not be so defensive of your decision.  You just don't want to go.  That's fine.  You don't need to justify it.  Comments like the ones you're responding to are better left ignored, because neither of you will change the mind of the other.

[Shwaz]

My post wasn't about my personal reasons for not buying ticket.  The reason I do not buy tickets is that I would rather spend quality time with my family and children on the weekends.  Also after having to take a 20% income cut due to the economy, I would rather spend what little disposable income I have left on items the can be shared by the whole family rather than me sitting in Jax stadium getting drunk.  I am a Jags fan, I used to have season tickets before having children, but now I have a life outside of Sunday afternoons watching football . . . and it's a lot less painful than wasting a lot of money tailgating, parking, ticket prices, in-stadium prices, losing 6 hours of your life you can never get back watching the Jags play rollercoaster/embarrassing football.

Most post was more in regard to the "fair-weather mind set" and 'lame excuse" you refer to.  The people are so fickle when it comes to football.  Let's face it they have been spoiled by the past successful college teams of region.  Unless the Jags can have kick ass mentality and records of the Gators, the people of Jacksonville will want nothing to do with you.  Basically Wayne Weaver is competing with Gainesville, Tallahassee and Athens for his market place dollar.

So everyone that has the mind set of jumping all over someone for not being a Jag's fan can go F themselves.  There is more to life than being able to go to 8 NFL games a year.

Do you have a personal financial investment in the team?  Do you make a living off the team?  Probably not, so put a cork in it and let the millionaires market themselves!  Football isn't life, just entertainment.

You people who cry about a football team are pathetic.  Put your energies towards something productive in society!

It may not be the reason for you not buying tickets but still an obvious example of your fair-weather mind set. The team isn't "crying"...  they came out and said before the season even started that it was likely most games would be blacked out.

As for this round of excuses... is it a requirement to:

Tailgate before the game?
Get drunk at the game?
Spend money on concesions at the game?

No. No. No.

The Gators losing years well outweigh their winning seasons. Even this season the t.v. ratings for the Jags are almost 10 points higher than the Gator game's ratings.

Excuses are pathetic. Start a thread about baby Einstein DVD's or "play dates" Pops.

[JaxNative68]

I don't wish to change anyone's opinion.  Just wanted to illustrate the replies to my post were more about people reading between the lines and make more out of what was said.  In short, there are many reasons why people do not attend Jag games don’t take it so personal that only 39,999 other people in the city cared to go the game with you.  If Wayne wants to move or sell the team, it’s his business decision.  Isn’t the saying “If you love something, sometime you have to let it go”?

ac:  It takes a lot more than mean spirited posts to get my hackles up - someone trying to be a tough guy when they sheepishly sit anonymously behind their computers is something I find quite amusing.

And no I’m not accusing you of not having a life outside of the Jags or caring less about your family or that money is less dear to you.  Just that we are all individual spending our time here on earth as we see fit.  There is no reason to ostracize someone for wanting to spend their time differently than you.  If spending time at Jax Stadium watching the Jags gets your goat, then by all means knock yourself out.

I just get a little tired of people telling me I should be putting more effort to support a team that seams to be in need of putting in more effort in the management sector.  Jack and the players are doing the best with what they have, but they aren't being given much by the GM in draft picks.  Wayne needs to learn how to spend money on quality players rather than on hype.

[copperfiend]

Do you realize that Weaver hired a new GM this past offseason?

[Shwaz]

...and that 6 of our draft pick's are not only starting but playing well. hahaha

[JaxNative68]

Shwaz:  take the football out of your ass and grow up.
1) baby einstein dvd's are a sham, there is no proof to what they claim
2) play dates are for disgruntled mom's who have no friend and hate their lives.

[JaxNative68]

. . . and that Mathis and crew still can't tackle.

. . . and that if it weren't for Jones-Drew the Jags would be even worse.

. . . and that Weaver will probably be hiring a new head coach in this upcoming offseason.

[copperfiend]

And the Patriots were worse without Brady. Your point?

[JaxNative68]

my point is about as pointed as the current jags season.  your point?

[copperfiend]

I take it you don't have one.

[Wacca Pilatka]

I live in Virginia.  I love Jacksonville.  I root for the Jaguars because they are Jacksonville's team.  I never want to see this city get embarrassed and scarred by losing its pro franchise, so I buy season tickets.  What I can't use I give to the USO.

I will never, ever understand the sector of the Jacksonville population that seemingly revels in pointing out the team's flaws and gleefully listing reasons to not support the Jaguars.

[ac]

JaxNative-  I read you.  

It bothers me when I see people make the comments you have, because the effort to turn it around has begun.  The problem is, a team can't whiff on a majority of its draft picks for 6 years straight and expect to play well.  Conversely, they can't expect blind faith in the new front office regime.

However--like the posters before me have said--the GM was changed, and we appear to have had a solid draft for the first time in years.  I can't blame you for your cynicism, but there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel.  Personally, I don't think getting a new coach is a bad idea.  We have emerging talent on offense to complement Mojo.  We need a better QB to tie it all together.  We also need to focus on D, clearly.

Quality of play aside, it's interesting that you stay home for your kids.  Conversely, I buy tickets because of mine.  I have a 15-month-old who I want this team to be here for, so she can have the memory of going to games with her dad that I have of mine taking me to my first game when the Bulls were here.  Selfishly, of course, I want that memory as a parent as well.

I don't pretend to know what your work/life balance is, so stating you have 355 other days with your family each year would be calloused and assumptive.  Clearly it's important to you to be home as much as possible, and I share that belief re: my family.  However, Jaguars games are just about the only "me time" I get as a consequence, and I'm protective of that as well.

Income reduction is really an inarguable issue.  No one can spend money they don't have, and to earn more requires more time away from home to afford something you admittedly don't enjoy anymore.

All in all, I'm saddened by folks in your situation who once saw value in going, but gave up, regardless of the reason.  

I'm interested in what it would take on the Jaguars' end to restore that value for you.  I've volunteered for the Champions Club, and if selected, I'm probably going to be talking to many folks in situations like yours.  Rather than badger, I want to offer them solutions where possible.  So if money were no factor, and the team shows improvement, what would it take to get you back?