The Jaguars -- What's Your Suggestion?

[hanjin1]

as long as they keep winning the crowds will get bigger. the next 4 games will be important as the combined records for those teams are 1-15. Now I doubt there will be sellouts, but hopefully there will be enough to at least lift the blackout. The only bad thing I see is that there are no good teams coming here except the Colts.

[TREE4309]

We are DOOMED if most of are Fan base are Gator Fans (We’re a bunch of spoiled fans,” said Don Eshelman, a Gators season-ticket holder who gave up his Jaguars tickets after the 2000 season. “We can go down the road and see a winning team.”

I don't think that many people are going to Gainesville for Gator games instead of Jaguar games.

I think you're wrong.  I know several die-hard Gator fans that go to G'ville for every home game and don't attend Jaguars home games.

[JaxBorn1962]

We have given Wayne and Friends so much to keep the Jaguars here, If and when Wayne finds a better place we will lose the Jaguars! My God L.A. hasn't had a Pro Football Team for years but of course California has worst problems then Florida so the Cats will be here a little longer.

[jagsfan32092]

The game was great but the Jags wonder why they're having difficulty in selling tickets (keep in mind, I'm a season ticket holder).  It's all about numbers. 9-3-2-1-0.  In the last 9 years, we've had 3 winning seasons, 2 playoff appearances, 1 playoff win and 0 division titles.  It's as simple as that.

[JaxBorn1962]

The game was great but the Jags wonder why they're having difficulty in selling tickets (keep in mind, I'm a season ticket holder).  It's all about numbers. 9-3-2-1-0.  In the last 9 years, we've had 3 winning seasons, 2 playoff appearances, 1 playoff win and 0 division titles.  It's as simple as that.

I'm not sure this is all a lot of people have decided to put there money into other places.

[ac]

The only bad thing I see is that there are no good teams coming here except the Colts.

There are no easy wins in the NFL, but if the people who complain that they don't win at home refuse to show up for the games they feel are "easy," then they're hypocrites.  We can't host the Steelers and Cowboys every year.

The Jaguars don't get to cherry-pick the home sked like that team "down the road."

The game was great but the Jags wonder why they're having difficulty in selling tickets (keep in mind, I'm a season ticket holder).  It's all about numbers. 9-3-2-1-0.  In the last 9 years, we've had 3 winning seasons, 2 playoff appearances, 1 playoff win and 0 division titles.  It's as simple as that.

Was it that simple in the 12-4 and 11-5 playoff seasons in '05 and '07?  There were still blackouts, and there was no trouble with the economy.

They're in the division race this year so far, aren't they?  Sure it's early, but this team is surprising people.  This team is growing each week, and gaining confidence.  They want to win, and furthermore want to win for us. The schedule is favorable to entering the bye week at 4-2.  They could just as easily implode from there, but if they keep playing on offense like they did yesterday and the week prior, people should be supporting them even in a losing effort. 

The "boring offense" excuse is being eradicated.

[David]

So what are some suggestions? We can ignore the bad economy and 10% unemployment but all we want, but the blow hard "just go to the game!" approach is turning a lot of people off as, believe it or not, football is not their top priority on the list this year.

Things like gas, rent, electricity &  insurance are. Yes there's fair-weather fans out there, and winning will definitely fill more seats, but it all boils down to money for a lot of people. And I don't mean those who are hopelessly struggling to get by, I mean those who are having to use more discretion on how they spend what's left of their disposable income 

Whether that means we're no longer a viable nfl town, that's a great debate, but this thread is supposed to be about suggestions to pack the house.

[hanjin1]

I know that there are no easy wins in the NFL as last year showed, but my point was that people would rather come out for a good game then they would a bad one. I know that the Jaguars don't make their schedule. But it is something that contributes to the smaller crowds.

[JaxBorn1962]

So what are some suggestions? We can ignore the bad economy and 10% unemployment but all we want, but the blow hard " just go to the game!" approach is turning a lot of people off as, believe it or not, football is not their top priority on the list this year.

Things like gas, rent, electricity &  insurance are. Yes there's fair-weather fans out there, and winning will definitely fill more seats, but it all boils down to money for a lot of people.

Whether that means we're no longer a viable nfl town, that's a great debate, but this thread is supposed to be about suggestions to pack the house.

Get the No Football League or NFL to change the Rules the Jaguars should be able to only have to sell 50,000 tickets for a sellout or drop the Blackouts all together!

[ac]

So what are some suggestions? We can ignore the bad economy and 10% unemployment but all we want, but the blow hard " just go to the game!" approach is turning a lot of people off as, believe it or not, football is not their top priority on the list this year.

Things like gas, rent, electricity &  insurance are. Yes there's fair-weather fans out there, and winning will definitely fill more seats, but it all boils down to money for a lot of people.

Whether that means we're no longer a viable nfl town, that's a great debate, but this thread is supposed to be about suggestions to pack the house.

I thought that it would go without saying that those who simply cannot afford to go aren't the target of the efforts to sell tickets.  The "Mean ol' Jaguars" aren't going to starve families or have houses foreclosed in order to fill the stadium, and the arguments such as yours are not relevant to this discussion because the poor or struggling and unemployed are not expected to buy tickets.

The economy is a legit reason for many folks, but there are just as many who can afford to go and choose not to.  That should be and is the focus-  how can the people who do have the income and solvency to attend, yet don't, get converted to paying customers?

Let's leave those who clearly cannot afford it out of the conversation.

EDIT:  That said, shaming people into buying won't work.  Involving the business community was a strong step, since the reason a lot of other teams are "selling out" has a lot to do with the corporate community in those cities.

There needs to be more PR to emphasize that this current incarnation of the team is not the bunch of ne'er-do-wells and "thugs" some would claim they were or are, and that they spend many hours (and their only days off during the week) in the community, giving back.

[David]

No, i'm not saying we should recruit the homeless guys in Hemming Plaza to go to the games. I'm saying people are being extremely picky on what they choose to spend their shrinking disposable income on this year. There's probably things that could be done to lure them out to a game or two.

For example, look at boldcity's anniversery party this weekend, 2 dollar beers packed a modest warehouse by the railroad tracks! I'm not saying do something that extreme for the games, but right now people are very selective on what leisure activities they're going to spend their money on

[ac]

What good is lowering admission for a city that wouldn't go for free several years back?

I could see having a weekly drink or concession special.  They do offer 4 dollar draft in the Bud Zone before noon, but maybe it should be a steeper discount and run until kickoff or the end of the 1st?

[David]

yeah I don’t think they can slash ticket prices any lower. When I get my first paycheck I’ll happily spend 40-50 bucks on a ticket in the nose-bleeds. I just know what people in my age & income range like when they go out, discounted concessions probably wouldn't hurt.

[BridgeTroll]

Since this thread is about suggestions... how about this one.  Have the Chamber of Commerce suggest to businesses to buy a pair of season tickets.  Those season tickets should be used by the businesses to award their customers.  For example... a bar has a contest or a drawing every week and give the pair away.  A business gives a pair of tickets once a home game to the "Employee of the week" or some such reward.

These tickets are for customers and employees... not executives or payoffs to vendors.  Perhaps the Chamber could partner with the Jags to implement the program.

This could be a win, win, win... customers/employees are rewarded for work or patronage, business is generated by interested in the "contest" and the Jags win...

$.02

[TPC]

Lets just face it, Jacksonville isn't a good NFL market and built a stadium that was too big for it's own good.