Jacksonville Jaguars: London’s Team?

The Jacksonville Jaguars return to London for the second consecutive year in 2014, part of a four-year pact that will see the Jags play one game per season across the pond through 2016. Obviously, the NFL’s least popular team is doing its best to market itself to a new audience, which is good business.

But should the Jags and their fans take offense to the notion that their club is being marketed to fans overseas as “London’s Team”?

From a screenshot of an email sent from NFLUK.com to fans, via Reddit:

london1

This is really just a somewhat catchy punchline for sales purposes, but they are on to something. Let’s be real: If you’ve agreed to play one “home” game in London four years in a row, you’ve opened yourself up to this.

And it’s not as though anyone is trying to claim that the Jaguars are no longer Jacksonville’s team. While, yes, eventually there may be a concern that the UK will steal the Jags entirely, the reality right now is that increased popularity in England is actually quite beneficial to a franchise that is in dire need of more fans.

In February, Jaguars president Mark Lamping told Jaguars.com LIVE (via Pro Football Talk) that the team had gone from the 31st most popular squad in England to the ninth in only a one-year span.

Technically, the Dallas Cowboys are also Oklahoma’s Team, New Mexico’s Team and even most of Carolina’s Team. That’s not a bad thing.

What I’m saying, Jaguars fans, is you should own it.

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com (covering Super Bowls XLIV, XLV and XLVI), a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Bloguin, but his day gig has him covering all things NFC East for Bleacher Report.

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