Football in Jacksonville

Much has been written of late about the state of affairs of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and the inability of the franchise to sell enough tickets to avoid TV blackout for the local market.

Some think that it’s a symptom of a mediocre team with no superstar, other say the economy has negatively affected the ability of some to purchase tickets and others think that an expansion franchise in Jacksonville was a mistake from the start.   I tend to side with those that fail to see Jacksonville, FL as a market with the ability to support an NFL franchise.

Though Jacksonville is in Florida’s largest city, per the Florida League of Cities, it does not have the business community that Miami and Tampa offer.  And when you look at the region of Northern Florida you find a mix of Georgia, Florida State and U of Florida supports.  Therefore, despite being the only professional game in town, they have battled a blue collar fan base and had to battle established collegiate entities for share of mind and share of discretionary dollar.

How does it all end?   Though it is has turned into one of the worst economy’s in recent memory, the state of California and the city of Los Angeles may come to the rescue.   Governor Schwarzenegger ask for and received approval to build a new football stadium in Los Angeles County.  www.losangelesfootballstadium.com

Whether there is interest enough from the citizens of Los Angeles may be debated, it cannot be debated that the Los Angeles market has the numbers of citizens and the sizable corporate community that the current home of the Jaguars does not.