It seems like any time someone mentions relocation in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars are the first team that jumps to mind. There is a laundry list of reasons that the Jagaurs won’t be relocating in the near future, but that doesn’t deter most sports analysts from peggin them as the team that finds itself in Los Angeles.
Over the past two seasons, the Jaguars have successfully avoided blackouts. Contrary to popular belief, a team does not have to sell out its stadium to avoid a blackout. The Jaguars, for example, have not sold out their stadium over for years. To avoid a blackout, an NFL team must sell out its general bowl seating, something the Jaguars have done, often in the hours leading up to the blackout deadline.
The hope around Jacksonville is that they won’t have to ask for 24 hour extensions on the blackout deadline in 2012, and early returns from Senior Vice President of Sales Macky Weaver are very positive.
Weaver told Jaguars.com Senior Writer John Oehser the Jaguars are “a couple months ahead” of their 2011 season ticket pace. Weaver went on to describe the team as “cautiously optimistic” that they can reach their season ticket sales goal which is very aggressive considering the Jaguars’ past ticket selling struggles.
There are a number of reasons that we can point to that may be boosting Jacksonville’s ticket sales. There’s certainly optimism from the team and its fans that may be reaching beyond just the city of Jacksonville. Paul Kuharsky recently said that he thought the Jaguars could surprise a lot of people by uprooting the Titans as the AFC South’s 2nd best team.
We could also point to the recent regime change in Jacksonville. Late last year, it was announced that long time owner Wayne Weaver had sold the team to Shahid Khan. Khan has reiterated time after time that he’s committed to making NFL football work in Jacksonville. The Jaguars also have a brand new set of offensive coaches that includes new head coach Mike Mularkey.
At this time of the year, there’s optimism in nearly every NFL camp. The Jaguars are feeling good about their team, and they now have more reason than ever to feel optimistic about their team’s chances of staying rooted in Jacksonville. Sure, ticket sales in 2012 won’t ensure the team’s long term occupation of Everbank Field in Jacksonville, but it’s a start. Many teams are having trouble selling tickets and getting fans in seats. At least one of those teams is making measurable headway.
