Lamar Thames

I see where former Florida Times-Union publisher Carl Cannon is trying to revive the fortunes of the Jaguars, the pro football team that he helped bring to Jacksonville in the early 1990s.

Good for him. I hope it works. I would hate to see the Jaguars move to another city. It may take longer than anyone anticipates at this time, however, to solidify the fan base and ensure that doesn’t happen.

There are a myriad reasons why it will be a monumental effort. Here are just a few in my humble opinion:

1. It’s the economy, stupid! A lot of Jaguar fans have been hit hard by the economic slowdown and that has struck a tremendous blow to the ticket-buying public, despite what some of the so-called financial experts say. The true-blue Jaguar fans are middle-management types and blue-collar workers, groups that have been especially impacted by the economy. I know because I am one of them. My wife and I were season-ticket holder from the very start — until this year. Without a job and our retirement nest egg in shambles, it has been hard for us to justify spending upwards of a grand per year to continue supporting the Jags. And I know we are not alone. An acquaintance of mine has gone through five different jobs in the last two years and is currently unemployed. No more Jags tickets for him either.

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