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

[mtraininjax]

stjr - You need to identify sarcasm more clearly, or maybe I need to do so. Perhaps I should let everyone know that of the 600 million needed to dredge, 200 million will come from the state and so Jaxport will be on the hook for a 400 million loan.

[stjr]

stjr - You need to identify sarcasm more clearly, or maybe I need to do so. Perhaps I should let everyone know that of the 600 million needed to dredge, 200 million will come from the state and so Jaxport will be on the hook for a 400 million loan.

As they say, there is often some truth behind humor.  I guess some work harder at looking for it than others. 

I think Jaxport should pass on the cost of dredging to its users in the form of fees.  If we are such a great spot for shipping, efficiency wise, it should pay for itself.  Need the money up front?  Let them bond it against port revenues.  Taxpayers shouldn't have to subsidize it.

[Ocklawaha]

Don't forget the Cubs are going to move to Jacksonville, they just can't make any money in Chicago. Perhaps adding 5 more decks to the baseball grounds would get us up to the number of seats they will require. mtrain? You think we could get a 3 for 1 deal instead? With stjr's new convention center in the Pepsi place, can you imagine the crowds and traffic it would generate in that area. Hell's bells, we might even get our own version of the Peachtree Plaza Hotel, what would we call it? stjr, keep working on this friend and I'll start drawing up a Skyway plan to connect your Convention Center with the cruise ships at Mayport. They'll be so much to see and do downtown, we won't need to connect it to central station, we can save some money! We have PCT Trolleys you know!

OCKLAWAHA

[stjr]

Ock, you had me until you threw in the $ky-high-way.  That's a deal killer!  Replace it with street cars and we are on again.  

[Ocklawaha]

LOL! 

I am working on a Skyway alternative, a plan that JTA won't be able to resist. Trolley Boats! It's a little technical but since it doesn't need railroad track, I know they'll go for it. We string +/- twin wires over the river from bridge to bridge. Where it sags too much, we'll anchor buoys to hold up poles and arms for the wires. The Trolley boats will look like an oversized Jon boat, with a Skyway like cabin on the deck, and twin Trolley Poles, say we could even claim we have DOUBLE Trolleys. Sleek and modern, they'll just hum along all day. Did some numbers for the FTA, and I think we could expect 60,000 riders per day... Okay, well maybe that's a bit optimistic, so what about 30,000 per day? This is the first mention of this top secret project, what do you think?

Back to my Rebel Yell...

OCKLAWAHA

[stjr]

LOL! 

I am working on a Skyway alternative, a plan that JTA won't be able to resist. Trolley Boats!

Ock, you are destined to go far.  JTA never saw a bad idea they could resist.  Only the good ones die with them.  You are sure to get Trolley Boats approved.  Whatever money you want, they will find it.  By the way, will your concept support advertising?  That would be the clincher. 

[Ocklawaha]

By the way, will your concept support advertising?  That would be the clincher. 

Poster boards, crayons and clothes pins, bet we'd sell a million of them! We don't want to get obscene with billboards or anything like that, so 10,000 standard poster board size ad's, dangling from the trolley wires, up and down the river. Wow, what a sight at night, with the reflection of all those downtown lights and the poster boards swaying gently in the breeze. Every business in town will want an ad.

Bottles empty, going to bed... now if I could just remember where it is...

OCKLAWAHA

[Coolyfett]

They have the governator behind them now!

INDUSTRY, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday he has signed a bill allowing the construction of a 75,000-seat stadium that developers hope will lure an NFL team back to the Los Angeles area.

Schwarzenegger said he signed the environmental exemption bill last week but saved the announcement for a news conference in Industry, where the stadium would be built about 15 miles east of Los Angeles ...

Majestic (the developer) has targeted seven teams it plans to approach after the Super Bowl in February about move to the Los Angeles area: the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers.

http://www.nesn.com/2009/10/arnold-schwarzenegger-signs-los-angeles-football-stadium-waiver-bill.html

I was elected to leeeeead. Not to reeeeaad.

Don't understand why LA would target any team outside of the NFC & AFC west?? Jacksonville's name is only included because the media does not like the NFL being there. Do you guys watch sports center at all??? Jacksonville really should support the NFL brand in Jacksonville, but it is lame that the media is always trying to overlook the Jags even when they are doing well, there is no coverage so....the long run thing to do is support the team NOW, instead of wishing they were the Gators.

[David]

Touchdown Jacksonville revived to keep Jaguars here

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-11-04/story/touchdown_jacksonville_revived_to_keep_jaguars_here

Touchdown Jacksonville, the organization that helped convince the NFL the city was ready for a professional football team, is being revived to help keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

Carl Cannon, former publisher of the Times-Union who led the 1993 effort, has been tapped by Mayor John Peyton to revive the group and lead a grass-roots effort to sell tickets to home games.

“Jaguars ticket sales are down more than any other team in the league,” Cannon said. “We are at a critical point in the history of the Jaguars in Jacksonville.”

At a news conference Wednesday at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Cannon said the Jaguars were the only team in the NFL to have its season opener blacked out because of anemic ticket sales. He added that there’s a possibility that all home games will be blacked out.

Cannon and other leaders in the group attributed the low ticket sales to the economy and not to the Jaguars’ 3-4 losing record so far this season. There are nine games remaining.

Former Jaguar Tony Boselli, the team’s first drafted player and who has remained in Jacksonville as a businessman and philanthropist, will be an important part of the ticket sales effort along with Chamber of Commerce leaders. Boselli unveiled the group’s logo, “Revive the Pride.” ...

I like the idea of creating a more festive atmosphere for the games, like we seem to do for any college game that comes to town. This may actually lure more people out for the games & keep them downtown afterwards.

[JaxNative68]

Unfortunately the game the Jags have played well in this season have been blacked out.  The games that have been aired this season are the games they looked like the local highschool teams, maybe even worse.  With the product that has been put out this season, the ticket sales will remain low.

The Jags should try winning prior crying about ticket sales. 

[Shwaz]

So you'll buy tickets "if" they win? Just another countless example of what's wrong with the fan base here in Jacksonville. Your statement is the epitome of "fair-weather" mindset that thrives here.

Why is it so hard to understand that buying a ticket guarantees nothing. The only thing guaranteed is losing cycles. It's happened to the Colts Patriots Cowboys who were all dynasty teams at one time or another.

Be realistic. The product is the game it self... not the outcome.

[copperfiend]

Unfortunately the game the Jags have played well in this season have been blacked out.  The games that have been aired this season are the games they looked like the local highschool teams, maybe even worse.  With the product that has been put out this season, the ticket sales will remain low.

The Jags should try winning prior crying about ticket sales. 

They didn't have a losing record from 2004-2007 and had to tarp 10k seats. Don't try that lame excuse.

[JeffreyS]

We have been middle of the pack in attendance for most of the time.
I do not mind the fact that winning attracts ticket buyers. I just do not like it when it is on a year to year bases.  You will be up and down even if you have a good owner(we do). Pittsburgh Pirate fans should never go to the games their owners do not try to win or be competitive.  That said it is a bad time to be losing in a small market with an extra large stadium.

[David]

@Jax Native

If it were that simple I’d agree, but I’m willing to fork over some money every now and then just to see the home team lose, so long as it decreases the risk of them moving. Because who knows how long it’ll take for them to win again. Maybe we need this as a city, as a franchise, to learn how to deal with them losing and still get behind them, so we can build that fanbase up.

I'm not saying we're that winning of a team either, haha because Lex and Terry this morning were talking about how the Yankees had just won their 27th  world series and it's like "Meh, cool" to New Yorkers, then they said "yeah it's not like if the Jags had the Super Bowl, everyone would be in the streets shooting their guns in the air, it'd be a town full of Yosemite Sams. Then "taint" jumped in of course saying "in the air? shoo, they'd be shooting straight down Cesery blvd" which...doesn't do Jax any favors on air in terms of perception, but anyways...

Back on point: 40,000 in attendance is pretty weak by NFL standards, this can't continue for long. It'll wear even Mr Weaver's patience thin. I'm glad to see the city's taking this serious by reviving Touchdown Jacksonville.

[77danj7]

wow...BIG article on ESPN.COM about the Jaguars...

Here is headline on the NFL Page.

"8 Blackouts...45,874 Average Attendace...1 Big Question...Is the NFL Viable in Jacksonville?"


http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=garber_greg&page=hotread8/Jacksonville/Main