Updated Blog

[nerf66]

SG updated his blog.....more bitching about Jacksonville. Sounds like a disaster....except he's at the superbowl - and I guess it's his job to tell us how it could be better. Who would trade a week of work for a week of work at the superbowl? I'd trade even if the superbowl was being held in Lawrence, Kansas.

[Frank the Tank]

I have to admit I'm stunned he's putting Jacksonville behind Milwaukee. That's just silly. With apologies to any Wisconsinites out there I have trouble coming up with a town that would be less interesting than Milwaukee, and Miller Park is horribly overrated just because it's got a retractable roof. Jacksonville's a nice little city that looks like the type of place I wouldn't mind raising a family in. Now I understand that's part of his argument: that it needs to be held in a "party town" rather than one of these "nice cities". I disagree, and I think spreading the Super Bowl wealth is a good thing. Not everyone else views the lack of strip joints and casinos to be a horrible thing. Give Jacksonville some credit already. The infrastructure problems do seem to be signficant, but that isn't enough to call it "a disaster".

I also thought it was kind of funny how he painted the Super Bowl as a reward for a year of hard work for sports journalists. Personally I'd think the Super Bowl should be a reward to those who shell out their own cash to see it. If you're getting paid to be there then it's part of your job, so stop complaining. There's no reason to make sure it's in a city where the visiting press will get the most junket value out of the trip while they're away from their spouses.

[nerf66]

I will agree with you. I've been to "Mill-town" often because I have a buddy who lives there. The people of milwaukee drink to forget which can be mistaken as "Party". Summerfest is a great time....without a doubt. I haven't been to the new stadium so I have no idea. I haven't been to jacksonville, but my parents live in the south and I love it.

It is funny how he painted it as a reward. So silly. You'd think he was laying brick the way he talks about his "job".

And also, how about telling us the stuff about his mom and the wine? Why didn't he just write "It's a little tough to be at this superbowl because I can't find my silver spoon".

THIS JUST IN - The Drudge Report has linked SG's recent blog under "JACKSONVILLE UNPREPARED FOR SUPERBOWL.

[Snake]

Frank I disagree, it's not about casinos or strip joints, it's just that there is an atmosphere around the Super Bowl and it doesn't work in a city like Jacksonville. Yeah the Milwaukee reference was pretty harsh, but it illustrates the point, is there ever going to be a Super Bowl in Milwaukee? If the atmosphere of the Super Bowl became more family oriented and the game was about the fans and parents taking their kids to the game and all of that (which I believe is what it should be) then it could work in Jacksonville, but otherwise it needs to be in a place where there is going to be the parties.

[mister bacon]

Frank I disagree, it's not about casinos or strip joints, it's just that there is an atmosphere around the Super Bowl and it doesn't work in a city like Jacksonville. Yeah the Milwaukee reference was pretty harsh, but it illustrates the point, is there ever going to be a Super Bowl in Milwaukee? If the atmosphere of the Super Bowl became more family oriented and the game was about the fans and parents taking their kids to the game and all of that (which I believe is what it should be) then it could work in Jacksonville, but otherwise it needs to be in a place where there is going to be the parties.

As a city, that place isnt the best place to hold a superbowl. Its very boring, and too spread out as you no doubt know from the blog. They do have the Gator bowl there every year and a friend of mine went this year and told me when she got back that there was no way they would be ready.

[Tecmo Bo]

70,000 People
+
300 Taxi Cabs
----------------------------
Big Mistake

I'm with SG on limiting the cities you hold the SB in. Jacksonville has an inferiority complex to the likes of Miami, Orlando and Tampa for a very good reason, it's because Jacksonville isn't in their class and never will be. It's not even CLOSE to being a world class city. It doesn't have the logistics to handle the event. All the sports writers sound miserable. I've never in my life met anyone who said "I'd love to visit Jacksonville some day." There's nothing there, it's a great big (841 sq miles) city of nothing.

Jacksonville has a population sensity of 952 people per square mile which puts it roughly 194th in the US, behind the likes of Beaumont, ABilene and Waco in TX as well as Huntsville, AL, Springfiled, MA and Topeka, KS. TOPEKA!!!!!!

While New York City is the most populous city in the United States, Juneau, Alaska is the largest city in area. Juneau includes a whopping 3081 square miles (composed of 2,593.6 mi2 of land and 487.6 mi2 of water.) The city is larger than the state of Delaware!

Officially known as the "City and Borough of Juneau," the city consolidated the City of Douglas, the City of Juneau. and the Greater Juneau Borough Juneau in 1970 to be the country's largest city (map).

Juneau is a perfect example of an "overbounded" city, which refers to a city that has boundaries that extend far beyond its developed area (certainly the glaciers and ice fields in the city won't be developed soon.)

Jacksonville, Florida is the largest in the contiguous 48 states at 841 square miles. Jacksonville includes all of Duval County, Florida with the exception of the beach communities (Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach) and Baldwin.

[Frank the Tank]

You're correct that Jacksonville lacks the infrastructure of a Vegas, New Orleans, Miami, etc. However to say it has nothing is grossly inaccurate. I really liked it when I've been there in part because it wasn't overbuilt. Maybe you're all right that an event like a Super Bowl should be in a place where there's so much to do that it creates a sensory overload, but I think Jacksonville is being unfairly maligned. The last thing on earth I want to listen to is a bunch of sports writers complaining that they may actually need to get in a car and take a five minute drive before they can choose from a dozen different places to eat.

I think it's the worse than Milwaukee comment that still bugs me the most. That snipe right there made it hard for me to think that the SG was doing anything more than senseless whining.

[bringbackthewhalers]

THIS JUST IN - The Drudge Report has linked SG's recent blog under "JACKSONVILLE UNPREPARED FOR SUPERBOWL.

I almost had a heart attack this afternoon when I clicked on that and saw that it went to Simmons. If I made a list of 10 things I never expected to see in my life a Drudge Report link to SG would have to crack the top 7.

[Magic Hour]

Take it from somebody who has been to the Gator Bowl the past two years that Jacksonville sucks....

The first year I went there were a ton of people there, but it sucked because there is no central place. Simmons is right-The Landing sucks. The food, atmosphere everything.

This year before I went down there I was interested to see if they did anything for the Super Bowl..They hadnt. I knew it was going to be a disaster.

[mister bacon]

You're correct that Jacksonville lacks the infrastructure of a Vegas, New Orleans, Miami, etc. However to say it has nothing is grossly inaccurate. I really liked it when I've been there in part because it wasn't overbuilt. Maybe you're all right that an event like a Super Bowl should be in a place where there's so much to do that it creates a sensory overload, but I think Jacksonville is being unfairly maligned. The last thing on earth I want to listen to is a bunch of sports writers complaining that they may actually need to get in a car and take a five minute drive before they can choose from a dozen different places to eat.

I think it's the worse than Milwaukee comment that still bugs me the most. That snipe right there made it hard for me to think that the SG was doing anything more than senseless whining.

Yes but think about HOW MANY cars there are to RENT there.. see, THATS the problem, not the effort to get there but the means to get there. Something you can't really change all that much.

[TecmoBo]

Take it from somebody who has been to the Gator Bowl the past two years that Jacksonville sucks....

The first year I went there were a ton of people there, but it sucked because there is no central place. Simmons is right-The Landing sucks. The food, atmosphere everything.

This year before I went down there I was interested to see if they did anything for the Super Bowl..They hadnt. I knew it was going to be a disaster.

I went to the Gator Bowl a year ago to check out my Terps-- and the one thing Jacksonville had going for it was 2 words - Open Containers!!!!! other than that, the Landing was pretty weak

[Mark Prior's Calves]

Unless your a person who actually attends the Superbowl, does it matter where the game is held?

[Tecmo Bo]

Maybe you're all right that an event like a Super Bowl should be in a place where there's so much to do that it creates a sensory overload

I'm not complaining about a lack of sensory overload, I'm talking (as a lot of the writers are) about the fact that there are reportedly something like 300 cabs and only 15,000 hotels in a city of 841 square miles (the entire state of Rhode Island is 1214 sq miles). I'm talking about the fact that Jacksonville lacks the infrastructure and support services to host a Superbowl. Jacksonville hosting the SB is like Springfield hosting the Olympics (in the Simpsons), they even have a monorail.
A frickin monorail!!!

[TheFlyingWasp]

Ok, I'm a little bitter about the Milwaukee comments in this thread. I was surprised to see him put Jacksonville between the Mill Town, but come on, this a great city in the summer. Summerfest is a blast, it's on Lake Michigan so you can take part in a lakeshore scene as good as Chicago's (I live in Chicago now, but lived in Milwaukee for ten years). There are non-stop festivals from June until the end of August, you can easily get anywhere, traffic isn't crazy and the stadium isn't THAT bad. On a hot and humid 80 degree day in Milwaukee, nothing's better than tailgating outside before a Brewer game.

No, it won't EVER host a Super Bowl, EVER, but it should get some props. You could argue Milwaukee as being a poor man's Chicago. It's got the authentic food, great beer and a lakeside location. Go Brew!