Lost in the frenetic pace of Saturday’s cut-down news and rumors was a significant development for our friends in Jacksonville.
Appearing at a Friday luncheon, Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver made a clear and unequivocal commitment to keeping his team in Jacksonville, despite the current struggle to sell tickets to the team’s games.
“Maybe it will take us another 10 or 15 years to get there, maybe
longer, but one thing is for sure: we’re going to get there,” Weaver said.
Weaver also addressed the fact that economic circumstances will make it, as a practical matter, impossible, to sell out the stadium in 2009.
“You know it’s a tough economy, and we get it,” Weaver said. “We
understand it has affected season-ticket holders who just can’t afford
season tickets and are not able to renew them. Not that there’s apathy.
People want to be there, but they’re struggling with lost jobs or
mortgage payments or just basic necessities. I want to be realistic –
we won’t have a full stadium this year. We will not. This economy has
just affected too many families.”
Recently, the Jaguars adopted a partial season-ticket plan that allows fans to buy admission to any three games of their choice, at prices as low as $40 per game.
And some might wonder why the Jags don’t simply keep cutting prices until all of the non-premium seats are sold, allowing the games to be televised locally. The problem is that, as the prices drop, the folks who made the commitment to purchase full-price tickets eventually will become miffed — and they might decide not to renew their season tickets in 2010 in the hopes of eventually buying seats at a drastically reduced price, too.
Still, someone in the organization should have seen this coming, and the price points should have been set in January or February with the goal of selling the place out every week. If the team fails to come up with prices that will result in 10 sellouts in 2010, then perhaps Weaver is paying the folks charged with these matters too much money.
My condolences go out to fans in Jacksonville regarding this news that Weaver has issued a dreaded ‘vote of confidence.’
When did the economy get so robust in Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit etc. that their fans are buying up all of the tickets ? Jacksonville is just doing a lousy job of marketing their team.
To be successful in a place like Florida a team has to win. There are many other things to do in Florida during the winter besides watching football because the weather’s so nice outside. In Cleveland, Buffalo, and Detroit during the winter, it’s usually too harsh outside to do much of anything. It’s a chore just to sit outside in the cold and snow to watch a game live.
Florida has lots better activities and outdoor weather than those other places so people won’t be as eager to sit & watch the games if the team stinks. They’ll just find something else to do.
Winning cures all ills. If the Jags want to continue to make a go of it in Jacksonville, they need to field a consistent winner. Then the people will pay more attention. It’s as simple as that..
Tim Tebow.
Draft him with your #1 pick.
That is you only hope.
The league frowns on average ticket prices that are way below league average because it affects the cut of ticket revenue that visiting teams get from home teams. Also small market teams won’t qualify for the revenue sharing (welfare) from the rich teams if their average ticket price is too low. So there are limits to what Mr. Weaver can do.
This season is the perfect storm for the Jags, ticket selling wise. Brutal economy on top of J-ville already being the lowest average salary earning population in the NFL and one of the least populated as well. Only 15 years of existence so the roots are not there as in places like Green Bay or Detroit or Cleveland. And reallly the most important aspect, because I believe winning is the cure all, is 5 years of Shack Harris causing this year of fan malaise. However, Gene Smith is the Tom Coughlin of GMs, I believe. He will outwork you and outprepare you every second of every day. The Jacksonville Jaguars will be a good football team this year and a great football team in a very short time. The fans will follow.
Bob Irsay, drunk as he usually was, proclaimed the same thing @ BWI Airport after arriving back in town from 1 of his visits to Indianapolis before he moved the Colts out of Baltimore. Weaver has to do & say whatever he has to do to sell tickets for however much longer he holds on in Jacksonville. Bye Bye
I believe we have the cheapest tickets in the league. Jax does not have the companies (jobs) that Cleveland, Buffalo, and Detroit have. And that was before the economic downturn! No job, no money. No money, no ticket sales. Simple as that. No excitement on the field…no fans. We cut all of the solid players for youth…I understand but is the final product gonna put butts in the seats???