Miami win cuts into Jags' turf

Well, let's see why there are not as many Jags fans as Dolphin fans:

The Dolphins are a storied team in a major market. Jacksonville is the 2nd smallest market in the NFL that has only been around for 14 seasons. Those of us that grew up in the area grew up on Dolphin games. Sure there were the Bucs, too, but they never really got a great deal of support until they became a better team. And even at that, Bucs and Dolphins fans could co-exist because the conferences they played in were aired on seperate networks, so you would never be blacked out by the other team.

When the Jags came in, it was decided that Central Florida would be considered Jags territory for telivised games on NBC (and remember at the time NBC was officially out of Daytona). For Dolphin fans this was a cause for concern because NBC was the contracted network for the AFC games which Miami and Jacksonville were in. At first the NFL did a smart thing by scheduling Miami and Jacksonville at different times. But it seems someone in the NFL front offices forgot that there were Dolphin fans before there were Jags fans and tried to artificially create a fanbase in Orlando (or they figured Orlando was too small a market to really attempt a fix).

My point is this: I was a Dolphins fan growing up in Central Florida my whole life. Just because the NFL puts a team two hours north of me and does not make an effort to reschedule games to allow to two to coincide, I will not be a bandwagon jumper and root for Jax simply because they have won more games over the past few years.

Bring on the Phins.....
Who cares about the team that is vanilla and fails to take themselves out of third gear. At least the Dolphins are exciting to watch, win or lose.

I care aqbout The Jags.Just thought I'd let you know.

Go Gators.

We live only 85 miles from Jacksonville(Ormond Beach) but I must confess when I venture out to the sports bars in town that the jags arent on too many peoples mind. The Jags are a bunch of thugs and people are excited about how the Fins have turned it around. Its a no-brainer for me. I'll take the Dolphins any day

I agree with poster number 1. Don't try to take my love for the sport and ram a new favorite team down my throat. The NFL has made fools of the Jags by making,,, or should I say tried making me like them. By taking away my fish and giving me the Jags instead. All they have down is given me a bunch of new favorite teams. Number 1 is and always will be the fish! Then it's anyone who is playing the Jags. NFL! You did this! So suffer,, If you will!

I don't get it. You are a central florida paper that covers the Jags, Bucs and Dolphins. Why are you complaining about doing your job?

The only reason you criticize the Jags is because Orlando has NFL envy and you stink!

Greg

Delusionile wrote:

Go Gators.

We are discussing the NFL, the real football league, not kiddie football!

The first comment pretty much sums it up for me. I actually used to root for the 'newbie' Jags as long as they were not playing Miami. Eventually, I realized I was missing out on my Dolphons games, even huge conference rivalries, because of the 'radius rule'. I get the fact that the Orlando based networks broadcast up to (north of) Daytona and therefore they are technically inside the mandated radius to air the Jacksonville games. Over the years there seems to have been no attempt at arranging schedules to show both team's games in this market. As a result, I have grown to resent the team and will not watch them. According to this article, I'm not alone. Ironically, if this really was orchestrated by the NFL to create an instant fan base for Jacksonville, rather than let it develop organically, it seems to have backfired.

Chris4gators wrote:

Bring on the Phins.....
Who cares about the team that is vanilla and fails to take themselves out of third gear. At least the Dolphins are exciting to watch, win or lose.

You can't be serious? Chad Pennington is exciting to watch? 25 five yard passes a game is exciting?

Regarding the article, there is a simple answer, the Sentinel is a ridiculously bad rag and no self respecting NFL fan would consult it for news. I am a die hard Jag fan and can honestly say I have never once looked to this paper for Jaguar news. Enjoy covering the Fins and getting those oh so desired comments that you are begging for.

When Jacksonville got a team, we lost our viewing rights for Dolphin's games and its been horrible! It still pisses me off when I have to go to a sports bar to watch a Dolphins/Jets game, because the stupid Jags are on TV. Please, please, please get some better Dolphin's coverage! Orlando was Dolphins country way before the Jaguars were around.

I grew up in Tampa Bay, and I really couldn't care less about the Jags. I'm a little surprised that the NFL doesn't schedule the Jags to play the Bucs or Dolphins in the regular season. I might watch one Jags game per year if that happened.

I have been thinking the same thing for ages.

The Dolphins have a lot of fans here, but for some reason the NFL sees Orlando as a primary Jags market. It's just not the case.

I'd much rather see more in-depth coverage of the Dolphins than Jags coverage.

Well, this is my history.....born in Miami (so Dolphin fan by birth?), moved to NY when I was 2, grew up loving Joe Namath and the Jets and throwing snowballs at OJ at Shea, moved to England and fell in love with soccer and forgot about American football for 5 years, moved back to the states and South FL just in time to be a Fins fan during the Marino years, then moved to Orlando for 16 years and went to the Magic's first game in the Orena in 89 and was hooked so neglected football, and now living in North FL and have a neighbor with great Jags season tickets so guess who I like now?? I guess I am a fair weather fan but even at 2-3, I'm sticking with the Jags.

Go Bucs, Go Dolphins, Go Jags. I root for all you guys.

Steve wrote:

<quoted text>
I am a die hard Jag fan and can honestly say I have never once looked to this paper for Jaguar news.

Until today, right Steve? Interesting...

I have been a Jacksonville football fan since back in the days that Robert Irsay was going to bring the Colts to Jacksonville, followed by the Jacksonville Bulls and finally the Jaguars. I watch the Fins, the Bucs and the Jags and by the way UF, FSU, and UCF, and will root for any of them that make it to the playoffs. Just keep the coverage fair, unbiased and as equal as possible. Since the NFL/Television arrangments will not be influenced by the Sentinel's readers it would seem to be in the Sentinel's best interest to report to the broadest audience possible.

The Jaguars are not Orlando's football team... they never have been and never will be. This is a Dolphin's town and has been since I was a kid. Just because we are geographically closer to Jacksonville than Miami some bozo designated us a Jaguar town, we did not agree with that then and we do not agree with that now. Just look at the television ratings, Jacksonville games rate less than an infomercial in this town, but we are still forced to watch them. Thank god for DirecTV so I do not have to watch a bunch of losers from the north every week.

I do not care, can you do something about getting them off my dolphins channel.