Fans, Jaguars Differ On Reasons For Blackouts Of Team's Games

Jaguars Expected To Be More Than 10,000 Tickets Short For Nearly Every Game This Year

Jaguars CFO & Senior VP/Stadium Operations Bill Prescott reiterated that the team expects all of its home games at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium to be blacked out locally this season due to the "devastating economy," but some fans "wonder if it's really all the economy's fault," according to Adam Aasen of the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. The team's home opener yesterday against the Cardinals was blacked out in the Jacksonville market, and Prescott said that the team is "going to be more than 10,000 tickets short for nearly every game this year." Prescott said, "Even if we made the playoffs last year, we'd still be in the same situation." But Aasen noted other "similarly struggling cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and New Orleans anticipate all their games will be sold out." Jaguars fans said that if the team's ticket prices were "lower, more people would attend, but Prescott said that's not the solution," as the Jaguars have the "third-lowest average ticket price in the NFL" at $57.34. Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton: "We know that this is a football town. Now translating that into ticket sales is the next challenge" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 9/20). In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette writes with the team "struggling to rebuild a disappearing fan base," yesterday's home opener was the Jaguars first chance to "demonstrate they have a product worth paying to see." But the Jaguars in their 31-17 loss responded by "putting themselves in a 28-point hole, further emptying an already one-third empty stadium with nearly three quarters of total mush." Frenette: "It was the kind of game for Jaguars fans that was better off being blacked out" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 9/21).

NO CHANGE FORTHCOMING: In S.F., Gwen Knapp wrote the NFL's blackout rule "may be exasperating, offensive and potentially damaging to teams that become even more invisible after selling out," but the rule has "one great virtue." Knapp: "It works. It has earned its place as a bedrock business principle for the league, and allowed the NFL to be arrogant about withholding its product from the broadest possible local marketplace" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/20).

TIME TO RELOCATE? ESPN Radio’s Mike Greenberg said of a team has half of its games blacked out in any give season, "you've got to do one of two things: you either have to change the rule or you’ve got to move the team." Greenberg: "If the community at this point cannot support the team, then you’ve got to consider moving it to a place that can. ... At this point or at some point, it might make sense” (“Mike & Mike in the Morning,” ESPN2, 9/21).