Veterans outraged at possibility of selling Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena

[Keith-N-Jax]

I'm also a Vet, could care less. Name it Sweet Home Alabama and be done with it

[pierre]

With the recent talk of Everbank potentially keeping naming rights, it got me thinking of this issue.

Is it a dead issue? Who will be smart enough to tell it like it is and mention how many millions the city has lost out on?

[KenFSU]

Sadly, sentiment will probably continue to win out over common sense and financial prudence. We ALL love veterans and believe that they should be honored wherever and whenever possible, but our arena name is a relic from decades past and needlessly leaves cash on the table. Based on deals that other non-NBA/NHL cities have brokered for mid-sized arenas, I don't see any reason that Jacksonville couldn't sell naming rights for $5 million over 10 years, or $10 million over 20 years. We probably could have made an even sweeter deal had we sold naming rights prior to Super Bowl XXXIX due to all the visibility that the game brought to the sports complex. That's millions we could have already allocated for maintenance of the sports complex, or put toward an amphitheater or soccer stadium.  Love Jacksonville, but the stadium name is indicative of why we continue to lag behind other cities that we should have long since surpassed.

[copperfiend]

We have a real veteran's memorial a few blocks down the street at the site of the old coliseum.

I don't see how a name on a building is meaningful to anyone.

A good example of lack of foresight by this city's leadership. Again.

[Coolyfett]

Members of the Alvin Brown administration are looking to change the name of Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena — and many veterans are outraged.

"How this all came up was the City Council in the meeting last week wanted to know were there other revenue opportunities out there," the city's Sports and Entertainment Executive Director Alan Verlander said.

During that Nov. 12 meeting, the mayor's Chief of Staff, Chris Hand, brought up the idea of supplementing revenue of the downtown sports complex by selling the naming rights of the arena and the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

"These clearly are other revenue opportunities," Verlander said.

full article: http://members.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-11-19/story/veterans-outraged-possibility-selling-jacksonville-veterans-memorial

I never really liked the names for the arena or the old coliseum. Fidelity Arena wound be better.

[mtraininjax]

Remember, the City, under Peyton's regime, had the opportunity to keep their share of the naming rights for the Stadium, and instead gave the revenue to the Jaguars. Since then Weavers have sold the company to a multi-billionaire, do you think the Jags need the revenue now, more than the city?

Come on Mayor Brown, show some backbone instead of giving away the keys of the city to Khan at every photo op!

[Charles Hunter]

Remember, the City, under Peyton's regime, had the opportunity to keep their share of the naming rights for the Stadium, and instead gave the revenue to the Jaguars. Since then Weavers have sold the company to a multi-billionaire, do you think the Jags need the revenue now, more than the city?

Come on Mayor Brown, show some backbone instead of giving away the keys of the city to Khan at every photo op!

+1

I think this is one of the signs of the End Times!  stephendare giving a Plus One to mtraininjax! 

[I-10east]

No disrespect to anyone, but something is telling me that the types of vets who are outraged are the old school Korean War/'Nam type veterans who wear the division/service caps, pressed civilian clothes etc. I willing to bet that a very minuscule portion of new school Operation Enduring Freedom-era vets are hardly outraged over the name of a building.

[copperfiend]

No disrespect to anyone, but something is telling me that the types of vets who are outraged are the old school Korean War/'Nam type veterans who wear the division/service caps, pressed civilian clothes etc. I willing to bet that a very minuscule portion of new school Operation Enduring Freedom-era vets are hardly outraged over the name of a building.

According to the article, two of those that pushed Delaney hardest to not sell naming rights were WWII vets that have since passed away.

[KenFSU]

It's only November and the Veterans Memorial Arena has already set a new attendance record on the year:

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/blog/morning-edition/2014/11/jacksonville-veterans-memorial-arena-breaks.html

It is insane that we continue to leave naming-rights money on the table.

[fieldafm]

It's only November and the Veterans Memorial Arena has already set a new attendance record on the year:

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/blog/morning-edition/2014/11/jacksonville-veterans-memorial-arena-breaks.html

It is insane that we continue to leave naming-rights money on the table.

There is plenty of advertisement being leveraged by the Arena.  There are two large signs outside the arena... one for Tom Bush and one for Hugh Greene (attorneys). Tom Bush actually has cars setup outside the arena at the main entrance and the box office. Frankly, I think the outdoor signs look tacky (especially tacky are the advertisements on the aisles inside the arena)... but regardless of one's personal taste, no one can accuse SMG of not selling advertising wherever they can.

[exnewsman]

With the actual Veteran's Memorial just steps away, don't know why this is an issue. The city needs to sell the rights and then keep their portion of the stadium deal. I love what Shad Khan is doing here, but that 25% is city money and could be recycled back into sports complex maintenance. Plus it won't be long before the money train makes another stop at City Hall looking for more cash for something else to build/buy/upgrade.

Then again, unless its protected, the Mayor will likely try to use it for his pension plan.

[Steve]

Curious what the going rate for something like naming the arena is. It's apples and oranges from the stadium, which has TV viewing (this year) viewing in 13 non-local markets. That has to be great for EverBank. With very few TV events at the Arena, I'd think it would fetch way less.

[KenFSU]

^ Steve, for similarly sized non-NBA/NHL arenas in comparable cities, $500,000 a year tends to be the average.

With its close proximity to an NFL stadium, healthy revenue, and host duties for the 2015 NCAA Tournament, there's no reason we shouldn't be able to sign a 10-year/$5 million agreement with someone.

The Winn-Dixie Center?

CSX Arena?

Publix Coliseum?

Fidelity Center?

Landstar Garden?

Gate Arena?

It's ridiculous that it hasn't already been done, or at the very least explored. Millions left on the table that could have been used for upkeep of the sports complex, the Armada's Baseball Grounds conversion, or even a nice down payment on a soccer specific stadium.