Poll: Should Jacksonville seek naming rights deal for Veteran's Memorial Arena?

[jaxjaguar]

There are several NBA teams in the 16-17k capacity range... Our Arenas current capacity for basketball is just over 14k. I would think it wouldn't be too hard to add in an extra 2-3k seats in that huge dead wall behind one of the endzones. That would also put us in line with NHL size arenas. Then again I know nothing about engineering. haha

[thelakelander]

^We just failed to get a D-League team to Lakeland. If the NBA exapnds (they shouldn't, there's already too many teams), there's still several larger underserved markets out there that would be more suitable for the NBA.

[DrQue]

Jacksonville is and always has been a football town more than anything. I do not see there being nearly enough demand for 43 home games.

[JaxVision]

NBA not coming here unless there is an expansion

Once the CBA is agreed upon they are going to expand. Seattle is the front runner for a return team, other cities high on the list are Baltimore, Louisville, Mexico City, Pittsburgh.

[JaxVision]

^We just failed to get a D-League team to Lakeland. If the NBA exapnds (they shouldn't, there's already too many teams), there's still several larger underserved markets out there that would be more suitable for the NBA.

We missed the Dleague to Lakeland because JVMA is larger than almost all DLeague arenas, they want to sell out smaller arenas since it is minor league ball they don't want to make second and third decks covered in tarp. The league also went to Lakeland and not Jax because of proximity to Orl, Lakeland allows the Magic front office to drive down I4 and check out the prospects easier. 

I agree, the NBA won't come to Jax but it would survive here. Jax is changing quickly and the people here need to understand we can be more than just a one team town. There is enough business and people to support more than football. All you need is 17,000 seats to sell, not 72,000 like the NFl. Also, the Giants who are in the laughing stock ABA draw 5,000+ and have reached 8,000, if they can draw that then there is a market for basketball here and the stars of the NBA would bring people out. Wont happen but we can dream.

[thelakelander]

I'm not sure a team would survive at Jax's current size and one here would only eat into the Magic's market base.  Excluding New Orleans, the smallest markets (Oklahoma City and Memphis) are Jax's size but they don't have another major sports franchise to eat into their market share......or another small market NBA team two hours away.

[KenFSU]

An NBA team would be dead in the water in Jacksonville, and would probably drive the Jags out for good measure. We don't have the corporate presence or MSA size to make two big-five sports teams work now, or anytime in the next decade if we're being honest. Sure, an NBA team would sell out when the Cavs or Warriors were in town, but 16,000 on a Tuesday night against the Hornets? Forget about it. Jacksonville isn't huge, there's only so much discretionary income to go around, and if I'm charge, I'm protecting the investment we already have (an NFL team that we realistically fluked into) and not making moves to introduce major competition until our NFL team is deeply stable. Jacksonville's best bet, by a country mile, is to be take care of our existing team, complement it with top tier but affordable minor league teams, and resist the classic 904 trap of focusing on the shiny new thing while allowing the existing things to decay. Our reputation as a city has never been better, and our reputation as a sports town has taken massive strides forward after the LA relocation horrors, the last thing we need to do is take on the NBA before we're ready.

[nemo594]

Didn't Jacksonville host NBA exhibition games the past few years? I know they were weeknight games and exhibitions, but I don't think they drew big crowds.  Not the way to impress anyone looking at expansion or relocation sites. 

[mtraininjax]

After learning that Mayor Curry has the 10th most luxurious salary out of mayors nationwide, The city could use the money, I am sure Mousa got a raise in there too.

[JaxAvondale]

If we are having a pipe dream discussion, an MLB franchise would be much better for the city than an NBA team.

[JaxVision]

If we are having a pipe dream discussion, an MLB franchise would be much better for the city than an NBA team.

Agreed, MLB could've been supported here for sure. It worked out great for Jax and we love the Jags but the city could've gone after baseball in the 90s before TB was awarded a team (they have zero support) and nobody would've been mad about it im sure. However they are not expanding anytime soon, and Florida definitely cant support a third baseball team.

Basketball is different, they are about to expand and the game is fast paced, in and out in 2 - 2 1/2 hours max plus all you need is 17,000 to 18,000 seats not 30,000 like baseball. like you said, pipe dream stuff but this city could afford to dream big, so many people here seem to be minor league dreamers with the exception of a few. We are the "Bold City" so the slogan says, maybe we should take that to heart and make bold moves. Anyways, not the thread to discuss Pipe Dreams, my apologies for the off topic rant.

[KenFSU]

If we are having a pipe dream discussion, an MLB franchise would be much better for the city than an NBA team.

Agreed, MLB could've been supported here for sure. It worked out great for Jax and we love the Jags but the city could've gone after baseball in the 90s before TB was awarded a team (they have zero support) and nobody would've been mad about it im sure. However they are not expanding anytime soon, and Florida definitely cant support a third baseball team.

Basketball is different, they are about to expand and the game is fast paced, in and out in 2 - 2 1/2 hours max plus all you need is 17,000 to 18,000 seats not 30,000 like baseball. like you said, pipe dream stuff but this city could afford to dream big, so many people here seem to be minor league dreamers with the exception of a few. We are the "Bold City" so the slogan says, maybe we should take that to heart and make bold moves. Anyways, not the thread to discuss Pipe Dreams, my apologies for the off topic rant.

Nothing to apologize for, off-topic rants often turn into the best discussions

Totally agree with you on the MLB. I could think of nothing better than major league baseball in Jacksonville, in a beautiful riverfront park, but realistically it would probably be the hardest sport to support.

[KenFSU]

For the sake of a more informed conversation, I just pulled the actual numbers for the big-five sports league.

Here's what 2016 averages look like across the board in terms of attendance, ticket prices, and overall cost of going to a game.



With these numbers in mind, we can calculate what kind of annual local financial obligation is necessary to support a franchise in one of the big five leagues.

Here are what those numbers look like.



For context, here are what actual 2016 Jacksonville Jaguars metrics look like, which amount to roughly 19% below league average.



Finally, the metric that best ties the local obligation necessary for each league together is probably cost per capita.

In other words, for a professional sports franchise to be successful in Jacksonville (CSA size = 1,573,606), how many tickets does each citizen have to purchase, on average, each year, and how much must each citizen, on average, spend:



Based on these numbers, we see that the average Jacksonville citizen is spending $40 a year at Jaguars games, and roughly one out of every three locals is buying a ticket, or has a ticket bought for them, each season. For an NBA team to do well in Jacksonville, the numbers would be closer to $60 per person, with one out of every two people in the city buying a ticket at some point each year. With the Jaguars already in the city, and already commanding $63,000,000 in discretionary income, I don't see a universe where Jacksonville can take on another $90,000,000 in obligation for an NBA team without cannibalizing and potentially killing both franchises.

At a relatively modest $24 million a year, MLS is clearly the smartest play for Jacksonville in the next decade. If I'm in charge, I'm making the necessary steps in that direction with an eye on the Jaguars stadium lease expiring in 2029. Best case scenario, the Jaguars stay in the city long-term and the city grows enough in the coming decade that both teams can successfully coexist. But if the Jaguars leave, you have sustainable a major league franchise queued up to take their place. And if the NFL remains and MLS doesn't pan out, the numbers seem to suggest that the NHL would be a much safer long-term play than the NBA.

[Noone]

I'd sell out to the highest bidder. I don't care what the name would be. For as broke as we claim to be, we're quick to shoot down ways to add revenue.

Unity Arena!
Visit Jacksonville!

[Tacachale]

For the sake of a more informed conversation, I just pulled the actual numbers for the big-five sports league.

Here's what 2016 averages look like across the board in terms of attendance, ticket prices, and overall cost of going to a game.



With these numbers in mind, we can calculate what kind of annual local financial obligation is necessary to support a franchise in one of the big five leagues.

Here are what those numbers look like.



For context, here are what actual 2016 Jacksonville Jaguars metrics look like, which amount to roughly 19% below league average.



Finally, the metric that best ties the local obligation necessary for each league together is probably cost per capita.

In other words, for a professional sports franchise to be successful in Jacksonville (CSA size = 1,573,606), how many tickets does each citizen have to purchase, on average, each year, and how much must each citizen, on average, spend:



Based on these numbers, we see that the average Jacksonville citizen is spending $40 a year at Jaguars games, and roughly one out of every three locals is buying a ticket, or has a ticket bought for them, each season. For an NBA team to do well in Jacksonville, the numbers would be closer to $60 per person, with one out of every two people in the city buying a ticket at some point each year. With the Jaguars already in the city, and already commanding $63,000,000 in discretionary income, I don't see a universe where Jacksonville can take on another $90,000,000 in obligation for an NBA team without cannibalizing and potentially killing both franchises.

At a relatively modest $24 million a year, MLS is clearly the smartest play for Jacksonville in the next decade. If I'm in charge, I'm making the necessary steps in that direction with an eye on the Jaguars stadium lease expiring in 2029. Best case scenario, the Jaguars stay in the city long-term and the city grows enough in the coming decade that both teams can successfully coexist. But if the Jaguars leave, you have sustainable a major league franchise queued up to take their place. And if the NFL remains and MLS doesn't pan out, the numbers seem to suggest that the NHL would be a much safer long-term play than the NBA.

There's also this report from two years ago on cities' total personal income and how that comes down on sports. Essentially, there's not enough money in Jax to support an NBA (or MLB or NHL) team on top of the Jags. Even without the Jags, we'd never be able to support a MLB team, either in the money, or in the number of people who'd have to go to the games for it to be profitable. However, so far as personal income goes at least, we'd be well positioned for a MLS team along with the Jags.

http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/news/2015/04/09/sportmain.html

On the other hand, MLS is getting more and more expensive and there are a number of bigger cities who'd probably be a better or more proven fit (more cities than the number of expansion slots that'll be coming along anytime soon). We'd be easily the smallest MLS market.