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

[Shwaz]

It's possible that both of those teams could move there... but Wayne Weaver is the most desperate. Even the teams that need new stadiums are selling more tickets than us and producing more revenue where they're at.

[copperfiend]

He has a stadium lease.

[Joe]

Check out the slew of bad press slamming Jacksonville as a NFL town, all written in the last 24 hours :

NFL has no business being in Jacksonville

I think this is a fair article. It's not slamming Jax at all. It's just arguing the case that - as a matter of cold, hard demographics - Jacksonville is too small to sell-out NFL games during a recession (or with a bad team). So far, the facts support his argument. When 20,000-30,000 people just stop showing up, tired cliches of "let's support our team!" are totally irrelevant. It has nothing to do with local pride, and everything to do with macroeconomic forces too big for one company to overcome.

Now, it's a completely separate issue whether the lack of sell-outs is justification to move the team. But that's not up to any sportswriter, or any Jacksonville fan. That's up to Wayne Weaver and what he decides to do with his business.

So far, Weaver has been 100% explicit that he's staying in Jax. So this is all probably a non-issue.

[BridgeTroll]

Unfortunately for Wayne... he will be answering this question many times this year...

[reednavy]

What makes people think that L.A. won't do again what they did in the past, even if it is a new stadium?

IMO, they don't deserve it as they had their chances, and lost them.

[coredumped]

I don't understand why people don't support the jags. Sure, we're not the best in the NFL, but we're not too expensive either. Tickets start at $40. $40 for a whole day out isn't bad. You certainly can't go to any theme park for close to that.

I wish the NFL would go by tickets SOLD and not seats remaining. We're not that bad if you count how many we sell:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/attendance?year=2008

That's the real problem.

[futurejax]

games to watch.  Now that is taking advantage of the market.  And LA has proven they are not a pro football town.  Why did the Raiders and Rams leave?  Fool me once, twice, thrice...  Jax clearly has issues with the Jags but I think Goodell will give them a couple years to straighten out.  I DO NOT THINK 46K at games will be allowed to go on indefinitely.  The team has to turn around and the people who love the Jags and NFL football have to realize if they want the Jags to stay they have to support them.  Just because the NFL doesn't move a team to LA doesn't mean it can't go to Portland, Salt Lake City, etc.  Jax has population growth going for it and is still an up and coming city but the economy, team's fortunes and lack of excitement have created a perfect storm. 

[Joe]

Generally, I'd agree coredumped. Jacksonville has held up extremely well in the absolute number of tickets sold. Last year Jax had a 65,000 average, for 19 out of 32, despite being the 29th or 30th smallest market.  

HOWEVER, this year is supposedly different. Jax only got 46,000 for their first home game. If that trend holds up, Jax will be 32 out of 32 in every conceivable attendance category, whether percentage, actual, revenue, etc.

[Jason]

During the Fox Sports pre-game show on week 1, there was an interview done with a guy from the NFL who stated that the Rams had the best chance of being moved because they were actually for sale and nearing the end of their contract anyways.  He also said the the most likely city to pick them up would be London, not LA.  Apparently, London has been chomping at the bit for more exibition games and a team.  The Brits must really be diggin on some REAL "football". 

[reednavy]

London? That'd be a f*cked up schedule and would drain the players everytime they have to go on the road. If you can call crossing The Pond a road game.

[fsujax]

The Jags aren't going anywhere. I am so tired of hearing it. Just buy freakin tickets and go people! It's thats simple. Even when we lose, its still fun being at the stadium, eating, drinking and being with your friends.

[David]

I think this is a fair article. It's not slamming Jax at all. It's just arguing the case that - as a matter of cold, hard demographics - Jacksonville is too small to sell-out NFL games during a recession (or with a bad team). So far, the facts support his argument

I agree with the point it's making about our relatively small size, but the headline "NFL has no business in Jacksonville" doesn't paint us in the best light. It's not exactly a feel good story ya know? BT nailed it I think, it's a bit premature to say the NFL doesn't belong here.

[Captain Zissou]

I don't understand why people don't support the jags. Sure, we're not the best in the NFL, but we're not too expensive either. Tickets start at $40. $40 for a whole day out isn't bad. You certainly can't go to any theme park for close to that.

$40 for a full day is inaccurate, and a theme park comparison doesn't work.  $40 base ticket price, food, drinks, and one family member put your cost at $100, unless you make your kid, wife, girlfriend, whoever buy their own. 

When was the last time you went to a theme park?  This season, I agree with you.  I am only going to 2 games because that's all I can afford. In a regular season(read: good economy), they want you to shell out for 3,4, or even 7 games.  A theme park is a once a year type of thing, not 7 times in 5 months. 

For this season, I say Yes, treat it like a trip to a theme park.  Buy tickets to one or two games and buy them before Thursday, if only to try and avert the stigma that goes with a blacked out game.  For the long term viability of the team, this strategy won't hold up.

[Wacca Pilatka]

It's soothing to read great, sensible, measured points all over this thread, which is a great relief compared to the constant hysteria of the Jaguar board.

As Joe and Coredumped said, 46k per game can't continue but we have done much better before.  And we're also in a much better lease situation than, e.g., Minnesota or St. Louis or San Diego.  It's my understanding that the NFL has made it more difficult to approve a move after the Browns to Baltimore incident; there must be three years in a row of losses (please correct me if I'm wrong).  This year is obviously going to be a money loser as Wayne already admitted; let's hope we can get it turned around.  Improved performance on the field will help, but of course this team is incorporating a lot of new, inexperienced players and it's going to take some time for several units to jell, most notably the offensive line.  I expect to see a strong finish to the season but we may take some more lumps early.

[copperfiend]

So, would it be a bad thing if the Jaguars went out west?  Jacksonville seems to be fairly fond of Football, but LA seems like it would be even fonder.

Not really. Most people in LA don't care. Any team in LA would be fourth banana after the Lakers, Dodgers and Angels.