Will Playing In London Help The Jacksonville Jaguars?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have set their sights on growing their fan base by playing four home games in London, starting with the 2013 season. With the Jaguars’ popularity as the primary benefactor, owner Shad Khan also hopes to promote the city of Jacksonville. Once a bustling shipping port, the Jacksonville waterways have experienced steep declines in profit with the economical downturn. Even if the Jaguars don’t win all, or even half, of their games in London, potential business dealings will put Jacksonville in a better place to support its developing football team.

In a recent ESPN interview, Shad Khan stated, "If somebody builds a container port, if somebody makes an investment out of Germany or England or Netherlands and they chose Jacksonville, that would be a huge return from my viewpoint. You could have people come here -- we've got beautiful golf, weather -- instead of vacationing in Miami or some place and they come up here and watch a game or two. That would be a huge return for me." No one is expecting Jacksonville to become the next South Beach and have players take their talents to Northeast Florida shores solely to soak up the sun. However, international attention will propel the Jaguars into marketable atmospheres that have been otherwise untapped.

Sure, local fans will be missing one home game a year for four years. Season ticket holders will argue they paid a certain amount of money for a certain amount of games. The truth is, NFL fans are everywhere. I can’t say how many Jaguars’ fans are wandering London, but I can say I’ve seen London fans grab the opportunity to wear jerseys from every team in the league when the London games are televised.

Luckily, by committing to multiple years in London, the Jaguars have a chance to break the stigma of international games being pushed off on teams who are blacked out in their own market or indefinitely struggling with losing records. Back in 2007, the New York Giants played in London with a record of 10-6 and went on to win the Super Bowl. If the Jaguars can significantly improve as a team, better teams will seek to challenge them on a field that does not hold a true home team advantage.

Let’s say the Jaguars don’t become a feared contender within the next four years. The worst possible outcome would be the Jaguars gained playing experience on the road and learned some British slang. Just kidding about that last part. Head coach Mike Mularkey has already been to a London game with the Dolphins in 2007, enabling the Jaguars to have an idea of what to expect.

Jaguars’ fans can rest assured Shad Khan is willing to try any and all methods to boost fandom. Be it London games or bringing in mentor quarterbacks, Khan is addressing the internal issues as well as strategically placing the Jaguars in a beneficial marketing position. All the fans need are more 80 yard, game winning touchdowns from Blaine Gabbert, scoring runs from Maurice Jones-Drew, and steady ground from the defense.