JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to be England’s team. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to be England’s team. ADVERTISING The NFL and the Jaguars announced Tuesday that the small-market franchise will play one home
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to be England’s team.
The NFL and the Jaguars announced Tuesday that the small-market franchise will play one home game in London for four consecutive seasons beginning in 2013 — a step the team believes will broaden its fan base and take some pressure off locals who have mostly failed to fill the stands in recent years.
“I passionately believe the big growth now is going to come from overseas,” owner Shad Khan said. “We’ve got to go where we can leverage and take advantage of some of those things. You’ve got to fish in ponds where you’ve got fish in there. We’re going to a pond where there are no fishermen.”
The Jaguars will play at historic Wembley Stadium, which has hosted one NFL game annually since 2007.
“We want to create an identity; a bold, ambitious franchise that is aggressive and forward-thinking on the field and away from the field,” Khan said. “We want to be the kind of franchise players want to belong to, sponsors want to be part of, and Jacksonville is proud of. … The key point is to sell Jacksonville to the world. We are a well-kept secret, but after today, that’s not going to be the case.”
By all accounts, the Jaguars are the NFL’s least popular team. They rank at or near the bottom of the league in website hits as well as Twitter and Facebook interactions. Although Jacksonville is the largest city in the continental United States in terms of land mass, it is home to just 1.3 million people — and that includes several surrounding areas; London alone has 8 million people.
Missing the playoffs in 10 of 12 seasons has made attracting fans a problem in Jacksonville. The team used to pack the stands regularly, even though it plays in a stadium built to house large crowds for the annual Florida-Georgia college football game.
But in 2005, the Jaguars decided to cover up nearly 10,000 seats with tarps to reduce capacity and limit television blackouts. Even though the Jaguars haven’t blacked out a home game since 2009, they still have struggled to fill EverBank Field.
Playing an annual game in London will reduce the price on season tickets by 10 percent, possibly making the remaining package a more affordable and enticing option.
Reaction, though, was mixed among the fan base. Some supported the decision and others questioned the team’s motives. After all, if the Jaguars become England’s team and continue to have issues back home, what’s to stop the NFL from moving them across the pond for good?
“You can’t fault them if anyone is mad about this,” kicker Josh Scobee said. “We can only ask for their support in going over there and ask them to watch it on TV.”
The St. Louis Rams had been scheduled to play in London in 2013 and 2014, but they pulled out last week, citing a need to focus on lease negotiations and ease fan discontent.
The Jaguars scooped up the available games — plus some.
“It’s just good for the Jaguar brand,” tight end Marcedes Lewis said. “It’s exciting to go over there and put ourselves on the map worldwide. When I got drafted in 2006, there were some of my family members who didn’t even know who the Jaguars were.”
MJD unhappy with
owner’s comments
Maurice Jones-Drew’s holdout appears far from over.
His agent, Adisa Bakari, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Jacksonville Jaguars running back is upset with owner Shad Khan’s recent public comments about his client’s 27-day holdout.
“Maurice wants to play for an organization that wants him and for an owner who respects him and values what he brings to a team — on the field, in the locker room and in the community,” Bakari said.
ESPN reported that Jones-Drew is open to being traded.
When asked Tuesday whether he would trade Jones-Drew, Khan said he is “not going to get into all the theses and hypotheses.” Khan added that Jones-Drew is “a great player, and we would love for him to be back.”
Last week, however, Khan said MJD’s absence “doesn’t even move the needle” in terms of stress. Khan reiterated his stance Tuesday by saying, “This is not a team about one person.”
His message to Jones-Drew?
“Train’s leaving the station. Run, get on it,” Khan said.
Bakari made it clear that those statements don’t sit well with Jacksonville’s biggest star.
“Obviously, he’s not happy that what started as a very cordial and private conversation is now public and contentious,” Bakari said.
Now, with both sides seemingly digging their heels in as deeply as possibly, it is unclear when or if Jones-Drew will show up in Jacksonville. The Jaguars open the season Sept. 9 at Minnesota.
