QuoteLOS ANGELES â€" The company behind a plan to lure the NFL back to Los Angeles said Tuesday the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills are the first teams it will try to relocate.
Majestic Realty Co. managing partner John Semcken said the company is still considering at least seven franchises for a new stadium some 25 miles east of Los Angeles.
They also include the San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders.
But he said the Jaguars and the Bills are at the top of the list because they play in small markets that tamp down their earning potential and because they have little hope of building larger venues in their home regions.
"Jacksonville and Buffalo are two teams in very, very small markets, he said. "They are teams that have either outdated stadiums or are having trouble filling their stadiums or both."
The Jaguars have struggled to fill Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in recent years and had seven of eight games blacked out on local TV this season. The Bills, meanwhile, have been playing some home games in Toronto in an effort to expand their market.
Jaguars majority owner Wayne Weaver has categorically denied that the team was on the market. On Monday, he told the Times-Union that the team is "not for sale."
Bills owner Ralph Wilson also has dismissed any suggestion that he will sell or move his team.
Semcken said Majestic won't approach the 49ers, Chargers or Vikings as long as they are seeking stadium plans of their own. He said it would not be fair to interfere with their efforts to remain in their home markets.
Semcken also said Majestic chief executive Ed Roski's preference is to find owners willing to sell their franchise to a consortium of investors that he would lead, rather than buying a minority stake in a team that would move with its existing majority owner at the helm.
http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2010-01-05/story/la_stadium_builder_jaguars_bills_on_short_list
Hopefully Weaver will change his mind once enough money is woven in front of his face. ;p
Naw..............Mr Weaver would never sell right? He won't change coaches so he must have the Jag's set up a lost income division..............they are losing money real well for him! No one wants to go see a loser lose and if they had a winning record, were in the playoffs or atleast the hunt on a regular basis..........stadium would be full all of the time! But what do I know.
This was from Yesterday AM:
http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2010-01-04/story/jaguars_dealing_with_the_fallout (http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2010-01-04/story/jaguars_dealing_with_the_fallout)
QuoteWayne Weaver disputed reports surfacing over the weekend that said the team could be purchased by the highest bidder.
“We’re not for sale,†said Weaver, clearly irritated. “We’re trying to re-energize this fan base and get them excited about the team.â€
Don't know how many times the man has to say it, but go ahead and roll in the garbage.
The Raiders had lower attendance this year than the Jaguars. They played in an old, extremely outdated stadium. They played in LA for a time and are still probably the most popular team there.
The Raiders just seem to be the most obvious choice. Of course, the saying there not going after San Diego could be a shield because they really are. I'm just not buying that crock as it is a lot harder moving a team across the country than moving it just a couple hundred miles within the same state.
Quote from: Reaper man on January 06, 2010, 03:02:14 AM
Hopefully Weaver will change his mind once enough money is woven in front of his face. ;p
Why would you hope for that?
This is nothing more than puffery to try to depress ticket sales in Jacksonville. Unfortunately, with some people it seems to work.
Quotethey are losing money real well for him
Really? For what he put into (paid for) the team initially and what they are worth now, he's not "losing" any money.
Quote from: Reaper man on January 06, 2010, 03:02:14 AM
Hopefully Weaver will change his mind once enough money is woven in front of his face. ;p
and the city losses more jobs becuase of it.
Yea that would be progress!
It's being discussed (secondhand and unconfirmed, I know, but it makes a lot of sense) that Majestic Realty is employing a PR firm whose express purpose is to deflate Jacksonville into the illusion that it's a foregone conclusion that the team will move, thereby depressing ticket sales (or more accurately at this point, blunting a ticket sales recovery).
I am renewing and upgrading my seats first thing when the ticket price details become available. I'll do whatever I can do to head off this campaign against my town, even if it is not my town by the technical qualification that I live 600 miles away.
I've said it before: Do not give them what they want.
And for the record, anyone who thinks it's a joking matter that the Jaguars leave or lose or whatever combination of both: Whether you care about football or not, whether you think the presence of pro sports in a city is an economic benefit or not, losing the Jaguars would be an enormous national embarrassment to Jacksonville, and the #1 fact outsiders would associate with the city. And that would damage the city's image for a long time, possibly hindering its non-organic growth and its retention of current residents.
In getting on this soapbox, I'm not in any way trying to say a football team is more important to the city's future or development than transit or historic preservation or good urban planning. I fell in love with Jacksonville for the river and the landscapes and the architecture, not the football team. I'm saying I know the city will be enormously, long-term embarrassed if the team leaves. It would be psychologically devastating from an image perspective. Just about all anyone ever asks me about Jacksonville, given that I'm not exactly subtle about my love for the city, is whether/when the football team is leaving. If you don't want to see this city get hurt, there's no humor in "LOL, hopefully they leave!"
Quote from: Reaper man on January 06, 2010, 03:02:14 AM
Hopefully Weaver will change his mind once enough money is woven in front of his face. ;p
What!?!?
"HU"
Weaver has got to be getting tired of no fan support, severely lackluster ticket sales, and a team that's beginning to constantly not make the cut (should have kept Coughlin). Hope he is honest in saying the Jags are not for sale, but don't forget other owners over the years who have said the same thing and then you wake up in the morning and your football team is gone; don't trust rich people at all. Money talks, bulls*** walks!
"HU"
I don't think the days of not making the cut will continue, HU; the 2009 draft was brilliant. Our third-round picks would be first-rounders if the draft were rerun today. The foundation for the next great Jaguar team is in place, and I've no reason to expect less than excellent talent evaluation from Gene Smith going forward.
ouch!
QuoteBut he said the Jaguars and the Bills are at the top of the list because they play in small markets that tamp down their earning potential and because they have little hope of building larger venues in their home regions.
At the very least, that last part is true. Building a bigger stadium for Jacksonville football fans would be like building a bigger public library for high school drop-out crystal meth tweakers. It's just not going to get much use.
It's kind of a strange announcement, and if I were a Jaguars or Bills fan, I'd take it a little personally.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Los-Angeles-announces-intentions-to-poach-the-Ja;_ylt=AvlS2fnMT3vM.2mArdJpW_xDubYF?urn=nfl,212070
I admit it, I laughed.
Kinda hard not to giggle at it.
Is there any way to block a user on this forum?
Seriously, that's pretty ignorant. Because they're not in the running for the superbowl we should get rid of them? Or, because of you want to see "rednecky trash" (not a word btw) cry on the west side?
Do you know how much money & jobs the jags bring to the city each year?
Bah, I guess I took the flame bait.
Reeper - Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if its the wrong one. Your view is anti-Jacksonville, and with that, I bid you farewell in your travels to L.A.
Forget the draft picks, forget the hot cheerleaders, forget the PR of the L.A. press, forget the fact that California just asked the Feds for a 21 billion dollar bailout (and we think WE have money issues) for 2010, forget that our head coach is as sharp as a box of rocks and hails from So Cal, it does not matter.
What does matter is attendance, in 2008, the average attendance for a Jags game was 65,000, then in 2009, it drops to 49,000. Hey, we won 2 more games than in 2008, so we're headed up, I plan on some seats, I want to support the Jags and make Jacksonville a better community while I do it, but hey, that's me, I live in Jax, my interest lies here, not in L.A.
Quote from: coredumped on January 06, 2010, 09:34:29 PM
Bah, I guess I took the flame bait.
Dont feed the troll.
Quote from: thelakelander on January 06, 2010, 07:32:29 PM
ouch!
QuoteBut he said the Jaguars and the Bills are at the top of the list because they play in small markets that tamp down their earning potential and because they have little hope of building larger venues in their home regions.
At the very least, that last part is true. Building a bigger stadium for Jacksonville football fans would be like building a bigger public library for high school drop-out crystal meth tweakers. It's just not going to get much use.
It's kind of a strange announcement, and if I were a Jaguars or Bills fan, I'd take it a little personally.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Los-Angeles-announces-intentions-to-poach-the-Ja;_ylt=AvlS2fnMT3vM.2mArdJpW_xDubYF?urn=nfl,212070
I saw that one earlier today. Personally I was more offended by the article's author's statement than what the LA folks wrote.
Reaper man is obviously a very little man who feels beaten down with little accomplishments in his life to be proud of if his real enjoyment in life is belittling people and laughing at them when they down . . . must be the only ego boost he gets in life.
That was a little uncalled for Jax, grow up.
Quote from: JaxNative68 on January 07, 2010, 04:38:21 PM
Reaper man is obviously a very little man who feels beaten down with little accomplishments in his life to be proud of if his real enjoyment in life is belittling people and laughing at them when they down . . . must be the only ego boost he gets in life.
This seems to be a trend in message boards. Reaper clearly has a goal of provoking everyone who supports that Jags and think the idea of the Jags heading to LA is complete balderdash. I think one of the greatest things about MetroJacksonville.com is that a majority of posts seem to generate brainstorming to solve problems that the city faces and encourage real organic thought.
Quote from: Wacca Pilatka on January 06, 2010, 06:31:40 PM
I don't think the days of not making the cut will continue, HU; the 2009 draft was brilliant. Our third-round picks would be first-rounders if the draft were rerun today. The foundation for the next great Jaguar team is in place, and I've no reason to expect less than excellent talent evaluation from Gene Smith going forward.
Wacca is right. I agree that the Jaguars youth moment on the field is coinciding with the youth movement in the stands. Those of us who grew up with the Jags are slowly taking over the workforce and able to afford tickets on a regular basis. The Jaguars should really focus their energy on the game day experience to create a more unique experience and start a tradition in Jacksonville. How about a contest to create a new song or cheer? Anyone???
All in all, I'm proud to be from Jacksonville and a proud Jaguars fan no matter how well the team performs on the field. We're spoiled from our early success combined with the tradition of winning at FLA/FSU/GA/Miami, etc., but I think we have a lot to look forward to and even more to be positive about.
Dude out.
QuoteThe only big issue I see is what to do with a relatively useless football stadium. After giving it some though, why not just rebuild it into some sort of EPIC entertainment center??
Because the game day expos, tailgating, fireworks, cheerleaders, rock concert / dirt bike jumping halftime shows, hard hitting game of football and gigantic cartoon cat parachuting into the stadium is not epic entertainment? :D
Thanks for the advice Sportmotor, but it's not the first of his posting that belittle and mention his enjoyment in other misery. Sometimes the ones who constantly have those views need to hear it about themselves to realize what it actually sounds like.
When typing alone, I sometimes forget the number of eyes that will view what was contrived. In the future I will type once, read twice, then consider the post button.
Xian, thanks for bringing some positivity to the thread so it isn't all focused on someone's delighting in anonymously provoking a stir on a message board.
I do think we have a pretty unique gameday experience--Jaxson is nonpareil among NFL mascots, the Roar do a great job and take the time to mingle with fans before some games, the flyovers are superb, intros are far better than I've seen in other pro stadiums. I may be in the minority on this based on what I see on the Jaguar message board, but I love the "Move Those Chains" and Duval chants too.
It would be nice to have a team song of some kind. I like some of the Tal-Kin Trees Jacksonville-centered songs myself, and often play them before and after games. I know Kristin on this board has lobbied the stadium DJ to incorporate those into the playlist.
It'd be great if we could have a few more pregame expos like the Tealgate before the Colts game, as that could be a draw for casual fans who like "see and be seen" events more than football games themselves. I suspect we had quite a few among our initial ticket holder base in the mid-90s.
Quote from: JaxNative68 on January 07, 2010, 05:16:04 PM
Thanks for the advice Sportmotor, but it's not the first of his posting that belittle and mention his enjoyment in other misery. Sometimes the ones who constantly have those views need to hear it about themselves to realize what it actually sounds like.
When typing alone, I sometimes forget the number of eyes that will view what was contrived. In the future I will type once, read twice, then consider the post button.
What he does is called Trolling. He trolls, hell I troll. Dont take it seriously or personally, also dont get sucked into personal attacks as when you go after a troll you look the fool.
you already made your point. thanks again. :) see I'm smiling, not serious or personal, but probably the fool.
Quote from: Sportmotor on January 07, 2010, 05:24:14 PM
Quote from: JaxNative68 on January 07, 2010, 05:16:04 PM
Thanks for the advice Sportmotor, but it's not the first of his posting that belittle and mention his enjoyment in other misery. Sometimes the ones who constantly have those views need to hear it about themselves to realize what it actually sounds like.
When typing alone, I sometimes forget the number of eyes that will view what was contrived. In the future I will type once, read twice, then consider the post button.
What he does is called Trolling. He trolls, hell I troll. Dont take it seriously or personally, also dont get sucked into personal attacks as when you go after a troll you look the fool.
This may be the most contradicting posts of all time in which I believe you hold the top 3 spots.