^Love Nate, but disagree with the premise that Shad Khan is playing hardball with Jacksonville.
Playing hardball would have involved asking for a brand new stadium under threat of relocation.
The Jags proactively recommended a major renovation of the existing facility.
The price tag to add a plethora of improvements to a city-owned facility that are genuinely needed - protection from the elements, heat reduction during early season months, wider concourses, resiliency measures, replacement of irrigation and electrical systems, etc - is $1.3 to $1.4 billion.
Bills stadium is $1.6 billion. Vegas is $2 billion. Nashville is $2.1 billion. Sofi was $5 billion.
Seems like a fairly good price tag for the stadium all things considered.
In terms of fleecing the taxpayer, I don’t know if there’s a city in the league that’s put as little true public money (e.g. not bed taxes or facility fees/ticket surcharges) into their NFL franchise over the last 30 years as Jacksonville has. There are teams who will have built two brand new stadiums by the time ours potentially opens.
Would be it great if Shad Khan altruistically funded the entire project out of pocket? Of course. And yes, other owners have done so, but it hasn’t been out of altruism. It’s because those stadiums are in major top-10 markets on tap for Olympics, Super Bowls, major annual college football games, World Cup matches, and the biggest touring acts in the country. Jacksonville ain’t Los Angeles or New York, where the stadium is going to be a cash cow for a private owner outside of the football season.
But it’s just not realistic to want to remain an NFL city, but scoff at the idea of putting significant public investment behind your stadium and ancillary development that generates local revenue 365 days a year. It’s the new norm in the NFL, for better or worse, and Jax isn’t being singled out or mistreated any more than any other market. Like I said, we’ve probably gotten it better than many.
If you want to argue that we shouldn’t be putting any public money into professional sports and should just let the Jags walk, that’s a different argument that may have validity for many. And if you want to argue that no economic impact study has shown a positive ROI for pro sports, I think we’re missing the entire quality of life element of these facilities and events dating all the way back to the Roman Empire. It’s as much about creating a place where people want to live and stay as it is turning a profit on paper.
Sucks that Jacksonville won’t be eligible for the same state funds as other markets, but that doesn’t change the price tag. Also sucks that we have other underfunded needs as well, but as city, we can’t expect to have both rock bottom taxes and nice things.
I don’t even mind the London game if it’s capped at one. We’ve got an extra home game every other year now anyway, it’s become a bit of a tradition, it drives a lot of local revenue for the team that would otherwise manifest itself in higher ticket prices for local games, and - assuming our city leaders were able to capitalize on the synergy between the two cities beyond over-subsidizing a relocation that would have happened regardless - it is a great opportunity.
We had to know this day was coming. The overall city price tag is in line with what we should have expected if we read the room in other markets, and even the adjacent development is genuinely needed to complement other investment we’ve already made with the Four Seasons, MOSH, Shipyards West, Orleck, Baseball Grounds, etc.
Can’t have our cake and eat it too.
A billion or slightly below to keep the team here through 2050+, massive improve the stadium experience, lure more events, stand up complementary entertainment at the sports complex, ain’t a bad deal at ALL.
