The Jaguars will make their home debut tonight against the
Rams, creating a media blitz on the team in today's papers. In
this morning's WALL STREET JOURNAL, the Jags' impact on the city
is examined. Under the header "NFL's Arrival Stirs
Jacksonville's Conscience," Roger Thurow writes that the NFL's
arrival "has brought an awareness that the city needs to shed its
remnants of the Old South if it is to truly join the big leagues
beyond football." Thurow: "The city will be under the pressure
of TV blimps and national scrutiny to maintain its winning
streak. First up for the Jaguars: the Houston Oilers. Next up
for Jacksonville: school desegregation" (WALL STREET JOURNAL,
8/18). In this morning's ORLANDO SENTINEL, Mike Zizzo profiles
Jacksonville's "rabid fans," and writes that the city "has found
its identity in professional sports" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 8/18).
This morning's TAMPA TRIBUNE notes that a stadium once known as
"grimy old palace" that hosted the annual Florida-Georgia
football game will be serving Sushi at tonight's game. The
stadium, now known as Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, will be
renamed when the city finds a company to purchase the naming
rights. However, Jags Owner Wayne Weaver says that may take
time. Weaver: "My attitude is we're not -- just for the sake of
raising revenue -- going to sell the name to something that
doesn't make sense" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 8/18).
