04/20/24
January 28, 2005
"How did Jacksonville get the Super Bowl?": laments Tony Kornheiser. "Jacksonville has this one great thing, the TPC course with the island green on No. 17. (Which is actually in Ponte Vedra.) And the rest of it can be described with this phrase, 'Welcome to Hooters.'"
Yeah, great article ripping a city that he's admittedly never been to. That's some fine journalism there...
posted by bcb2k2 at 02:31 PM on January 28, 2005
rcade -- being from Jacksonville, can you tell us whether all of the women there wear hot pants?
posted by holden at 02:31 PM on January 28, 2005
Daisy Dukes, but it's not just the women. Mine chafe. I wrote about Kornheiser's rant on my weblog. I was disappointed that laziness prevented him from finding the three best targets of ridicule from Jacksonville: Limp Biskit, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and David Hasselhoff.
posted by rcade at 02:40 PM on January 28, 2005
I would say that of all NFL cities, Jacksonville would be in the top 25% in terms of desirable places to live or visit.
posted by mayerkyl at 03:01 PM on January 28, 2005
OK, here it is. I live in Jacksonville, but I am not from Jacksonville. I am from Southern California. I have been here a little over a year now. Yes, at first I was slightly shocked by the obvious change in lifestyle and culture. Hell, I even wanted to turn around and drive the 2800 miles back west on the 10. That was my first impression. That is what worries me about the Super bowl being here and it's future in Jacksonville. I like Jacksonville. Well, I like Jacksonville "NOW". You see, Jacksonville is a place that grows on you. I can't think of one person that comes here for the first time and says, "This place is f*cking awesome"! It just doesn't happen. It is sad to say, but unless a lot of crazyness happens (the good, fun, party kind)the Super Bowl will not be back. So, if any of my fellow Jacksonvillians want extreme economic growth, more large events, and to not be laughed at when you tell people where you are from, Do something. You have 1 week!
posted by c32675 at 03:10 PM on January 28, 2005
I would say that of all NFL cities, Jacksonville would be in the top 25% in terms of desirable places to live or visit. So, Green Bay is number one...?
posted by chris2sy at 03:12 PM on January 28, 2005
Do something. You have 1 week! Like build enough infrastructure to support a Super Bowl. I hear they are bringing in cruise ships in lieu of hotel rooms. That doesn't really get it done on the "impressing the NFL enough to come back" front. I'll take your challenge mayerkl. 32 teams so I need 8 cities better to live in/visit than Jacksonville. Go! (in no particualr order): Phoenix, San Diego, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, Miami, Houston, New York. 8 easy! I could probably go 20+ deep if you like :)
posted by pivo at 03:22 PM on January 28, 2005
That is true. The cruise ships are coming. I am working with the NFL and am doing my best to make a half assed impression. Better than a bad one. There are things to do and places to go. The ships are actually being brought in not just as floating hotels, but as an option. And in reference to the article......... Yes, Jacksonville does smell. And that smell is coffee. The Maxwell House plant is about 1/2 mile from the stadium. I pretty much live in Down Town Jacksonville. It took a while to get used to that smell.
posted by c32675 at 03:27 PM on January 28, 2005
...oops, looks like I stumbled on the Travel Channel. Switching to sports...now.
posted by smithnyiu at 03:29 PM on January 28, 2005
I would not put Jacksonville in the lower tier of league cities, on quality of life issues. We're solidly average, primarily because most places are Too Damn Cold. Every February, when short-sleeve beach weather arrives for good, I can't figure out why anyone lives further north than this. Jacksonville got the Super Bowl because of the cruise ship plan (and probably human sacrifice -- the same technique that brought us an NFL team). We weren't going to get a bowl without the ship plan. The town can't support the number of hotel rooms the league wants; it is an open question whether a spread-out city of one million can support an NFL team. This is a nice place to come for great beaches, year-round golf, college football obsession, ocean sports, and St. Augustine, one of the only cities in the U.S. that can boast five hundred years of history. People who value night life and culture would find it agonizingly dull, and there's a limit to the amount of excitement anyone can find in a town that's known as the insurance capitol of Florida. The only pro team we're ever likely to get is the Jaguars, but we do have the world's largest cocktail party (Florida-Georgia weekend), the World Golf Hall of Fame, and soon the SEC Championship game. As for living here, you'd have trouble finding a cheaper place to own a home within a mile of the beach. My friend in San Diego -- another beach town without a lot of culture or excitement -- is paying double what I did here. Several coaches make their off-season homes on one of the intercoastal islands near where I live -- Bob Stoops, Steve Spurrier, and Lindy Infante. Pro leagues often have their yearly meetings here so they can golf. We also have Orlando and a dozen spring training facilities within three hours' drive. I moved here for family reasons, and I pine for another pro team (or even an NHL franchise). But I wouldn't give it up for any of the cold-weather NFL cities that isn't named Denver.
posted by rcade at 03:43 PM on January 28, 2005
pivo, technically the NY teams play in Jersey, so you owe us one more team. Unless you're really playing the hater.
posted by yerfatma at 03:58 PM on January 28, 2005
Phoenix = Jacksonville with 110 degree summers. I'll pass. Houston = Jacksonville with 105 degree summers, and strip clubs. Push.
posted by Revisited at 04:05 PM on January 28, 2005
Is anyone coming to Jacksonville for the Super Bowl?
posted by rcade at 04:09 PM on January 28, 2005
Another interesting story on how the Superbowl was won by Jacksonville...
posted by DirkDiggler at 04:49 PM on January 28, 2005
Is anyone coming to Jacksonville for the Super Bowl? Apparently. Near the bottom of the post there's a request from a Jacksonville-based reporter who wants to talk to travelling fans.
posted by yerfatma at 06:13 PM on January 28, 2005
I like Lynyrd Skynyrn. I thought Jacksonville was a cool place when I was there during my Nave Years. Of course that was back in 77-79.....I sure much has changed since then. I think the media critics are just getting warmed up to blast Detriot!
posted by daddisamm at 09:28 AM on January 29, 2005
I think the media critics are just getting warmed up to blast Detriot That's a fact. At least in Jacksonville you can go to the beach to nurse your hangover.
posted by DirkDiggler at 10:50 AM on January 29, 2005
The good thing about Detroit is, you can go to Windsor to develop another hangover.
posted by wfrazerjr at 03:06 PM on January 29, 2005
Dirk, that was a good article about J'ville and getting the game. I agree with rcade about the weather thing, though, especially when I talk to people who live in the Upper Midwest or (most of) Canada and accept several feet of snow as normal winter--screw that!!!
posted by billsaysthis at 03:44 PM on January 29, 2005
I am a south florida native, grew up in Illinois (where there was only a snow bowl.) and I live on Amelia Island, 40 minutes north of Jax. We will be overrun with Bowl fans and are damn glad and proud of it. There's more to Jax than meets the eye or the press. Great corporate buildings, cruise ships will become permanent fixtures after this so I don't have to leave out from Ft. Lauderdale anymore to the Bahamas. Yeah Baby...Go EAGLES!
posted by theshrew at 06:02 PM on January 29, 2005
Greetings, I read the posts on Jacksonville with some interest, as I headed the competing effort to bring the 2005 Super Bowl to Oakland. When Jacksonville was awarded the game in November 2000, I was informed that they had over 17,000 hotel rooms under the NFL contract, which binds Jacksonville area hotels to set rates and room blocks, all under NFL control. Well, I recently was informed by the NFL that of the 17,000 rooms Jacksonville promised the league, they only had contracts for the 3,500 on the cruise ships -- that's it. I also learned that Jacksonville never had NFL contracts for 17,000 rooms - just letters of support. Oakland's bid had almost 8,000 rooms under contract and a letter from the San Mateo County CVB pledging 12,500 rooms, plus agreements to provide over 1,000 buses, limos, and taxis. So, contrary to popular belief, Oakland's bid was much better. The Super Bowl should be in Oakland. Thanks, Zennie Zennie Abraham Chairman and CEO Sports Business Simulations "Learn To Run" 510-444-4037 (0) 510-387-9809 (c) 510-291-3131 (fax) http://www.sbs-world.com http://www.sbstickets.com
posted by zennie at 12:39 AM on January 31, 2005
Pivo, I can't give you Pheonix (Desert), Houston (Cow Town with no beach), Chicago or NY (Frickin' Freezing) as places I'd rather live than Jax. Sorry, I live in Michigan and the weather here is ridiculouos. Jacksonville is downright tropical compared to anything north of Kentucky.
posted by mayerkyl at 08:39 AM on January 31, 2005
Zennie what's the big friggin deal about how many rooms, buses, limo's etc...How 'bout Jax is an awesome town, with awesome people, awesome entertainment, awesome river (1 of only 2 that run S.to N. I might add.) And an awesome attitude of gratfulness to be hosting the Superbowl. Quit your damn whining, sit back in your barkalounger on game day sipping your chardonay. Madden ain't coaching anymore!!!!
posted by theshrew at 11:20 AM on January 31, 2005
Shrew, you're the one who needs to chill because that comment is much more interesting and informative than your cheerleading--though I have no complaint with your first comment. The post is explicitly titled "How did Jacksonville get the Super Bowl?" and so zennie is perfectly on target by exposing some insider "how" data and in fact the type most of us would leave to read more frequently.
posted by billsaysthis at 01:31 PM on January 31, 2005
I, for one, would like to see river orientation determine the Super Bowl venue more often.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 01:38 PM on January 31, 2005
Come on theshrew, zennie wasn't impugning Jacksonville as a city at all. He was just pointing out that there aren't the proper amount of amenities required to handle a sudden influx of that many people. Us Hurricanes fans would love to have the NHL All-Star game here in Raleigh (shut up, it would sell out in minutes), but we also realize that we don't have the necessary amount of first class hotels that an event like this requires. The Draft in Raleigh went perfectly fine, but the Draft ain't the size of an All-Star game.
posted by NoMich at 02:11 PM on January 31, 2005
Just a quick note about the river thing. I moved to Jacksonville in 1989, and heard this growing up. Before that I lived in Radford, VA and heard the same thing except instead of the St John's River, it was the New River (both said the Nile was the other one). A river flows downhill to the nearest body of water, theres tons of rivers that flow away from the equator, just thought I'd throw that in there.
posted by hadrian at 08:34 AM on February 01, 2005
When the Superbowl game to Tampa in the 80s (the first time), there was not much to do here. There were strip clubs and warm weather. That's about it. The Super Bowl pretty much brings its own party. Detroit sounds ridiculous in February though. I would like to find out what they had to do to convince them to hold the Super Bowl there.
posted by bperk at 09:42 AM on February 01, 2005
I don't mean to "dis" Jacksonville; I'm glad for them.
posted by zennie at 11:37 PM on February 01, 2005
as the media hype trundles fwd and I see BSG complaining about Jacksonville - I've decided that I couldn't care less about where the super bowl is. I'm not there, I watch it on TV. The complaining about it being in Jackonsville would rationally be confined to the 100,000 (?) people that are going to be in town for the event. I guess it is like an NFL conference and you obviously want to put it in a nice spot so attendees can enjoy themselves but for the guy at home on his sofa all that matters is the game is on the field. i don't care what it outside the stadium. but you put enough media in a place for two weeks they don't have enough to do so the game isn't enough of a story. not to discount the whole big money/business angle of hosting a super bowl. it's big. but i don't see how it matters to the 80 million people watching it on TV in North America on sunday.
posted by gspm at 11:02 AM on February 03, 2005
Almost posted this. All I can say is I'm grateful someone like Tony still exists.