J-ville market
The Jacksonville Jaguars are taking the drastic measure of selling half-season ticket packages. Fans have a choice of two blocks of five games. This is a real rarity in the NFL and is a major statement on the weakness of the Jacksonville market. As of about a month ago, estimates were that the team had sold about 35,000 of 50,000 non-premium season-ticket packages. It's simply hard in Florida to duplicate the passion for pro football that exists in the Northeastern's former steel towns. Miami has had blacked out playoff games. The Dolphins have good support overall because the market is so big, but they Dolphin fans are much more front-runners than Buffalo fans. Give Miami a decade like Buffalo has had and the stadium would be half empty. In addition, the spectre of college football is so much bigger. Jacksonville is a college football town. The Florida Gators have the pulse of the community. Go to any Florida sports bar on a Saturday and it's crazy how passionate the fans are. The Gators can score in the fourth quarter to go up, 55-7, over Cupcake U, and the crowd roars like it's a playoff game. Not so for the Jaguars, even though their record of success is pretty good. The big thing the Jags have going for them, I think, is owner Wayne Weaver still is committed to the community. If he ever exits the equation, the franchise would be prime for relocation.
--Mark Gaughan
