Season Tickets for the Jacksonville Jaguars Breakdown
// May 5th, 2010 // No Comments » // Jaguar History, Pocket Hercules, TealGate, Thanks Wayne Weaver, Tickets, Tony Boselli, Uncategorized
Submitted by Gene Frenette on April 19, 2010 – 11:45pm
The level of desperation has reached the point where the Jaguars and the business community are begging people — almost a step short of bribing — to purchase season tickets.
Actually, they’re offering gift-certificate incentives called Teal Deals, which represent more than $2,000 worth of discounts (mostly 33 percent off for a minimum purchase price at area restaurants), as well as price reductions on automotive needs, jewelry, golf, men’s clothing, pest control and even a pet hotel. That’s right, the Jaguars are playing the dog-and-cat card to entice fans to buy or renew a season ticket before May 31.
It’s all part of a massive campaign, which includes the popular 30-30 plan (30 payments over a 30-month period, with no interest or deposit), to reinvigorate a stagnant football market. Between Team Teal commissioner Tony Boselli stumping across North Florida like a medicine man hawking miracle elixir and Bono’s owner Joe Adeeb assembling businesses to offer incentives on season-ticket purchases, no NFL franchise has ever done more off the field to earn the fans’ business.
The objective is to refill those 20,000-25,000 empty seats that became a fixture at home games in 2009. The first step is to at least pack the general bowl (50,797) to lift the television blackouts, which became like a giant zit on the Jaguars’ forehead.
“People get that it isn’t going to be good for our city if we lose the Jaguars,” Adeeb said. “That’s what’s driven me to do this. I’ve got five grandkids, and I want them to grow up with an NFL team. This thing isn’t finished until all those [9,703] covers come off [in Jacksonville Municipal Stadium].”
A decade ago, nobody could have imagined the Jaguars or the business community having to resort to these tactics. In addition to flexible payment plans and three consecutive years without raising ticket prices, season-ticket buyers are now eligible for gift certificates that include free ice cream and a case of wine.
“It’s a neat deal,” Jaguars senior vice president Tim Connolly said. “Maybe it’ll work. It better work.”
No joke. The 2009 season was the first real sign of the Jaguars becoming an endangered football species. Though the Jaguars were around .500 all season, attendance ranged from 42,000-49,000 for the first six regular-season home games. It was a sobering disconnect for a city that embraced its NFL team throughout the 1990s.
The Jaguars aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, but owner Wayne Weaver has made it clear that the turnstiles must churn at a much greater number than last year or moving eventually becomes the only option. The Jaguars and a lot of civic-minded folks are pitching in to see that never happens.
But at some point, fans must decide whether they really want an NFL team. Or will they only show up in big numbers if it contends for Super Bowls and meets other certain conditions.
Connolly said more Jacksonville businesses will likely step up next year to offer a wider range of Teal Deals.
Given all the seats the Jaguars have to fill, they seem willing to try almost anything to attract season-ticket buyers. Who knows. Maybe Maurice Jones-Drew will come over and pressure-wash your driveway.
gene.frenette@jacksonville.com,
(904) 359-4540
