Tomorrow marks the five-year anniversary of Jaguars Owner Shahid Khan agreeing to buy the team from Wayne and Delores Weaver, and despite a league-worst 16-59 record during that time, Khan "believes the Jaguars are heading in the right direction on the business side and on-field success isn’t far away," according to Ryan O'Halloran of the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. Khan said, "It has flown by and it’s obviously been a phenomenal experience." He said with the construction of a new practice facility and amphitheater, along with "some of the other stuff we’re doing -- for us, I feel very good." Khan: "The key component we have to work on, obviously, are the wins." O'Halloran noted the Jaguars’ image has "changed" around the NFL because of Khan, as "instead of tarps, television blackouts and relocation, the topics are the stadium improvements and Khan’s impact on the community and league." At the league level, Khan has also "become more involved after he became comfortable opining on the issues." During last spring’s league meeting, Khan was Chair of the NFL Business Ventures Committee and was part of four other committees -- Health and Safety, Finance, Investment and the NFL Foundation. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, "He has had an impact on all of those committees. (Chairing the Business Ventures Committee) is a testament to the way he has been embraced by the other owners." O'Halloran noted Khan prior to each home game "traditionally meets the opposing team’s owner" at EverBank Field and "inevitably, both begin pointing toward each end zone to the projects that have been completed." Khan: "It’s an aspirational stadium now. Every owner we have here can’t believe it’s the same stadium. They ask, ‘Wow, how did this happen?’ We have ideas they can use if they start from scratch" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 11/27).
PUTTING ROOTS IN RIVER CITY: In Jacksonville, David Bauerlein reported Khan’s "investments in Jacksonville have gone well beyond" the more than $750M he paid for the Jaguars. The five-year tally of his other spending is about $100M, "mostly on the city-owned stadium and various construction improvements connected to the football side of the operation." He has also "emerged as a force" in Jacksonville's political scene. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry: "The impact that he can have and will have is exponential from what we’ve seen so far." Bauerlein noted Khan has "operated in the midrange of NFL owners when it comes to public profile." He "rarely makes speeches to civic groups" in Jacksonville. However, economic development group JAXUSA Exec VP Jerry Mallot said that Khan "stands ready when asked to meet with any businesses being recruited by JAX Chamber." Mallot: "He’s interested, he’s asking questions, he’s a great salesman." Jacksonville City Council member Bill Gulliford added, "He comes across, I don’t want to say guarded in his comments, but he’s very thoughtful in his comments. He thinks before he jumps. But he’s very, very gracious. He’s a very nice individual to be around.” One investment that Khan has not made in Jacksonville is "buying a house." Khan often will stay on his yacht when he travels to the city, and he said, "I have a home in Jacksonville that comes in every so often and is docked on the banks of the St. Johns River." Khan's son, Jaguars Senior VP/Football Administration & Technology Tony Khan, lives in Jacksonville. But Shad Khan’s business "makes him a man on the move, traveling more than half the year." He has attended every Jaguars home game and said that he has spent "increasing amounts of time" in Jacksonville since '11 (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 11/26).
MAKING GOOD ON HIS INVESTMENT: The TIMES-UNION's Chambers Williams cited sports marketing experts as saying that Khan is "doing great financially in his ownership of the team." The team's value this year is $1.95B, a 153% increase from its estimate when Khan bought it. Jacksonville Univ. sports finance specialist Don Capener said, "A lot of people talk about the lack of on-field performance, but I’ve seen excellent performance in equity gains over the past five years." Williams noted the other "component of success is the growth of local revenue, which is generated primarily from ticket sales and sponsorships." Khan outlined initiatives the team has "undertaken during his ownership to become financially successful." He said, "We have a long way to go but have made remarkable progress from where we were in 2011 when I first arrived. We were near the bottom in local revenue at that time and since then we have improved quite a bit. Our challenge was to stabilize the Jaguars. That is happening." Williams noted the "biggest driver of local revenue is the average ticket price, something the Jaguars have been able to increase through the addition of 'premium products'" that in '15 improved to 10% of total ticket revenue. Meanwhile, the team's annual game in London has been a "significant factor in bringing the Jaguars’ revenues out of the cellar" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 11/26).
