Most recently, after more than 40 years in Seattle, the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City.
The immense heartache felt by fans of a team that relocates to another city may be difficult to fathom for those who have not endured it.
Sonics fans articulate the pain Jaguars fans risk experiencing.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Danger
The Jaguars may plausibly leave Jacksonville.
The Browns left Cleveland. The Sonics left Seattle for Oklahoma City. Los Angeles has lost multiple NFL teams.
The future of the Jaguars is uncertain as long as Los Angeles does not have an NFL franchise. Arguably, it may forever remain uncertain, but returning the team to profitability would mitigate the danger the team faces of relocation.
Regardless, the team's future will certainly be outside of Jacksonville if Jacksonvillians do not fill the stadium with regularity.
The Browns left Cleveland. The Sonics left Seattle for Oklahoma City. Los Angeles has lost multiple NFL teams.
The future of the Jaguars is uncertain as long as Los Angeles does not have an NFL franchise. Arguably, it may forever remain uncertain, but returning the team to profitability would mitigate the danger the team faces of relocation.
Regardless, the team's future will certainly be outside of Jacksonville if Jacksonvillians do not fill the stadium with regularity.
The Cause
The Jacksonville Jaguars is the first and only franchise of a major professional sports league Jacksonville has ever had. Despite a relatively successful history, Jacksonville appears to enjoy only a relatively tenuous hold on the Jaguars.
Specifically, Jacksonvillians have failed to adequately fill the stadium even though the Jaguars offer one of the least expensive tickets in the NFL. For a decade, numerous Jaguars home games have been blacked out on local television as a result of insufficient ticket sales. Others have been televised only after Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver purchased the remaining unsold tickets. In 2008, following one of the team's most successful seasons and in the face of the great, the Jaguars managed to sell out only one home game.
Only Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver's atypical generosity and selfless commitment to the Jacksonville community has prevented the team's relocation already.
Specifically, Jacksonvillians have failed to adequately fill the stadium even though the Jaguars offer one of the least expensive tickets in the NFL. For a decade, numerous Jaguars home games have been blacked out on local television as a result of insufficient ticket sales. Others have been televised only after Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver purchased the remaining unsold tickets. In 2008, following one of the team's most successful seasons and in the face of the great, the Jaguars managed to sell out only one home game.
Only Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver's atypical generosity and selfless commitment to the Jacksonville community has prevented the team's relocation already.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)