^Similiar note on "sports" and media coverage.
AEW has got to be one of the most underreported local stories of the last year and a half.
We've got a hugely successful live television program eminating weekly in primetime from Daily's Place (with socially distanced crowds of up to 1,000 for big events) and I don't know if anyone in the local media even realizes it.
It's one of the highest rated shows in the key demos out there, even beating the NBA playoffs some nights, and TNT just gave them a nearly $200 million extension of their television deal.
You watch the show, and they namedrop Jacksonville about a hundred times every episode. Daily's hit the jackpot with the naming rights deal, as Daily's Place legitimately has gained national recognition because of the AEW program with the 18-44 crowd.
I think the most interesting part of the story is actually Tony Khan, and comparing his handling of AEW to Shad Khan's handling of the Jags. Guy is clearly very passionate and hands on with the product. He's out doing the media rounds. He's making himself available. And he's talking about how he literally loses sleep and makes major changes if AEW loses a night on cable to the competition. And, unlike his Dad at times, I've never once heard Tony talk about Jacksonville through a pinched nose. Every show opens with "Welcome to Jacksonville, home of the Jags." He talks really positively in the media about Jacksonville as AEW's homebase. His company is constantly doing fundraisers for local gun violence, women's shelters, etc.
Just seems like a good dude. If the Jags end up in Tony's hands one day, I think people would really like him (assuming we turn things around on the field, obviously).
There seems to be a lot of Jags (and Fulham) fans who cite Tony Khan's interest in his wrestling company to be at the expense of the other roles he has with those teams.
Although I totally agree AEW has been a success story for Jacksonville that we hear little about. Are they using the stadium for office space/operations?
