And who am I pulling for in today's Super Bowl XXXIX? Jacksonville, that's who!
Here's to hoping that the closest "big city" to us in South Georgia can pull it off today.
Critics have been bashing the NFL's decision to stage Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville — the smallest market ever to get the big game — for more than four years now. And for four years, the city has been prepping for its moment in the spotlight.
Citizens know that a lot is riding on this game, most importantly civic pride. So they've thrown themselves into the effort to make the city a winner. Jacksonville's corporations donated $12 million in sponsorships to the Super Bowl Host Committee, more than twice what any other city's businesses have ever contributed. Residents set records as well: 9,500 will don red volunteer jackets by week's end.
(2-4-05 ajc.)
There isn't a town or resort within 75 miles, or more, that isn't sharing in the football bonanza — St. Augustine, Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Ponte Vedra Beach, Middleburg, to name a few. As far away as St. Simons Island and Sea Island, 90 miles to the north, not a room nor a rental car was to be had.
The consensus among veterans of the Super Bowl press is that Jacksonville is being rushed into the scene several years ahead of its time. "There aren't enough hotels, restaurants or other essential facilities to accommodate a Super Bowl surge," ESPN's John Tierney said. "They need 15 more years."
(2-6-05 ajc.)
It is never easy to stage the Super Bowl , an event that brings traffic, housing and other logistical headaches to host cities each year. But Jacksonville, which sealed the deal with the NFL 10 months before the 9/11 terror attacks, couldn't have anticipated the special security gnarls its water-based revelry would face.
The meandering St. Johns River, which cuts through the center of town, makes this year's event more complicated than most. A raft of special Coast Guard-imposed security measures, in place to deter terrorists, adds "another layer of things you have to deal with," says Peter Rummell, co-chairman of Jacksonville's Super Bowl host committee.
Ironically, water was a centerpiece of efforts to bring the Super Bowl to town. NFL owners were wooed with promotional packets containing spyglasses and the slogan "Chart your course for Jacksonville." Organizers floated the cruise-ship idea as a way of creating a one-of-a-kind atmosphere for fans and corporate sponsors alike. The boat brigade also served a more practical purpose: Jacksonville was about 3,000 hotel rooms short of the 17,500 "quality" rooms that the NFL requires.
(1-31-05 wsj.)
Critics have been bashing the NFL's decision to stage Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville — the smallest market ever to get the big game — for more than four years now. And for four years, the city has been prepping for its moment in the spotlight.
Citizens know that a lot is riding on this game, most importantly civic pride. So they've thrown themselves into the effort to make the city a winner. Jacksonville's corporations donated $12 million in sponsorships to the Super Bowl Host Committee, more than twice what any other city's businesses have ever contributed. Residents set records as well: 9,500 will don red volunteer jackets by week's end.
(2-4-05 ajc.)
There isn't a town or resort within 75 miles, or more, that isn't sharing in the football bonanza — St. Augustine, Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Ponte Vedra Beach, Middleburg, to name a few. As far away as St. Simons Island and Sea Island, 90 miles to the north, not a room nor a rental car was to be had.
The consensus among veterans of the Super Bowl press is that Jacksonville is being rushed into the scene several years ahead of its time. "There aren't enough hotels, restaurants or other essential facilities to accommodate a Super Bowl surge," ESPN's John Tierney said. "They need 15 more years."
(2-6-05 ajc.)
It is never easy to stage the Super Bowl , an event that brings traffic, housing and other logistical headaches to host cities each year. But Jacksonville, which sealed the deal with the NFL 10 months before the 9/11 terror attacks, couldn't have anticipated the special security gnarls its water-based revelry would face.
The meandering St. Johns River, which cuts through the center of town, makes this year's event more complicated than most. A raft of special Coast Guard-imposed security measures, in place to deter terrorists, adds "another layer of things you have to deal with," says Peter Rummell, co-chairman of Jacksonville's Super Bowl host committee.
Ironically, water was a centerpiece of efforts to bring the Super Bowl to town. NFL owners were wooed with promotional packets containing spyglasses and the slogan "Chart your course for Jacksonville." Organizers floated the cruise-ship idea as a way of creating a one-of-a-kind atmosphere for fans and corporate sponsors alike. The boat brigade also served a more practical purpose: Jacksonville was about 3,000 hotel rooms short of the 17,500 "quality" rooms that the NFL requires.
(1-31-05 wsj.)
posted by Sid Cottingham | 9:12 AM
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