Jacksonville mayor candidates united in support of keeping Georgia-Florida football game
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Politics and government, from the local level to the national stage, seem as divisive and polarized as it's ever been.
Crime, social services, infrastructure, the economy, taxes, education, individual rights and race relations -- the debate on almost every issue is contentious. Each political party believes it is best suited to handle problems. Each blames the other when things go wrong.
But there's one issue in Jacksonville on which both sides of the aisles are united: keeping the Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville, where it's been played on a continuous basis since 1933 (except for 1995 and 1996, when it was in Gainesville and Athens due to the renovation of TIAA Bank Field).
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In the race for Mayor of Jacksonville to replace the term-limited Lenny Curry, preserving the city's role as host for the Gators and the Bulldogs is an issue that all five major candidates are in agreement.
The Times-Union obtained statements or spoke with city councilwoman LeAnna Cumber, Jax Chamber CEO Daniel Davis, former First Coast news anchor Donna Deegan, city councilman Al Ferraro and Florida State Senator Audrey Gibson. They not only supported keeping the game in Jacksonville but did so with enthusiasm.
"For all of the candidates to see how important this game is for Jacksonville makes me feel very good," Curry said.
Some might say it would be political suicide to come out against an event that brings an estimated economic impact of $33 million per year, according to Visit Jacksonville. Deegan said as much in her statement, when she said, "it is a no-brainer to keep it here going forward."
"Of course, I support keeping the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville," she said. "The game has been a rich and fun tradition in our city for the past almost 90 years."
Davis pointed out the revenue to the city as another reason to support the game if he were elected mayor.
“The annual Florida-Georgia game is a time-honored tradition for both schools and our city," Davis said in his statement. "With an estimated $700,000 in revenue and a $30 million economic impact on the local economy, I am and will be a champion ensuring this Fall game remains in Jacksonville for years to come.”
Georgia-Florida, and more
Other candidates said more events need to be drawn to the city, such as a series of Florida State games that included 2007 against Alabama when the stadium attendance record was broken, and a Navy vs. Notre Dame game in 2016.
“As Mayor, I will work to ensure the historic match between the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs continues to be held in our great city for years to come," Cumber said in her statement. "The economic impact on the city is significant and I will actively recruit new events that contribute to a more vibrant downtown.”
Gibson said as mayor she also would work to bring other games, perhaps a return of an annual HBCU game such as the Oct. 15 game between Bethune-Cookman and Jackson State.
"The [Georgia-Florida] game is a plus, a revenue generator and I support the game being here," she said. "I also believe we have some other opportunities. We used to do an HBCU game every year. We need to have those conversations with Florida A&M and other schools, and not just have African-Americans support the game. It's a unity thing."
Gibson said a dollar value can't be placed on the national TV exposure for Georgia-Florida.
"It's an opportunity for Jacksonville to shine," she said. "There's nothing but positives about this game."
Ferraro said people who aren't football fans understand the need to keep the game in Jacksonville.
"Absolutely, it's important," he said. "A lot of revenue comes in, a lot of people come in to stay. It's real important for our city and I think everybody would see that, even if they don't like football. The economic push is incredible. I see it growing bigger and better."
Championing the Georgia-Florida game not only crosses party lines but school loyalties. None of the major candidates for mayor went to either Florida or Georgia, and Gibson and Deegan graduated from Florida State.
Curry, a Florida graduate, said it's further evidence of how the city rallies around the game.
"It unifies the community," he said.
UGA coach Kirby Smart in favor of moving game
So, if keeping the game in Jacksonville is such a "no-brainer," why is it an issue?
For one thing, there are those outside the First Coast who are advocating for the game to rotate at the respective campus stadiums on an alternate-year basis, or to let other neutral cities such as Atlanta host the game.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart has been vocal on several occasions about taking the game out of Jacksonville, mainly because in the past neither team was able to use the game to host potential recruits, as they can do for home game weekends.
"I'm competing against [coaches] all across the SEC who host recruits at their biggest games," Smart said last summer during the SEC's Media Days. "When Auburn plays at Alabama, guess where the recruits are? When LSU and Alabama play, that's where the biggest recruits want to go. It's an opportunity for us to bring these kids, who fly in from all over the country -- what game do they want to come see Georgia play? They'd like to see Georgia play Florida, but they can't do that."
Billy Napier, in his first year as the Florida coach, said he wanted to participate in the game before drawing any conclusions.
“I think the big thing is I want to experience the game first, right,” Napier said during SEC Media Days. “I’d like to see that game in Jacksonville, experience that game before I have an opinion on that."
Napier didn't comfort the advocates of keeping the game in Jacksonville when he followed that statement up with being open to the idea of moving it.
"There’s a lot of credibility to both [sides]," he said. "The home-and-home obviously would be fantastic, but there’s also some tradition there, there’s a rivalry there. Time will tell. I agree. That’s above my pay grade, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity to participate in the game.”
However, Napier's boss didn't seem to leave a window open even a crack on the possibility of moving the game.
“There’s a lot of tradition there,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said at the SEC spring meetings in Destin. “The Gators feel very strongly about that. We’ve been there for decades. I think it’s served both schools really well. I’d like to see it continue.”
But Atlanta interests are also making noise. Gary Stokan, president of the Peach Bowl, told the Athens Banner-Herald last summer that Atlanta wants to host the two teams at Mercedez-Benz Stadium and proposed rotating the game among the campus stadiums, Atlanta and Jacksonville.
During a news conference last week, Smart softened his tone somewhat but still isn't giving up on his contention that it's a recruiting disadvantage for the Bulldogs.
“When it comes down to it, there’s a very, very basic element of everything comes back to, number one money and number two, recruiting and getting good players,” Smart said. “I firmly believe that we’ll be able to sign better players by having it as a home-and-home because we’ll have more opportunities to get them to campus."
But then he tried to claim he's put the issue out of his mind.
“I’m not fighting the fight for anything,” Smart said. “I’m worried about our team and us playing well and how we block and tackle of what plays we call it how we play special teams. That’s just not a priority for me, where that game is right now.”
Curry said he's not going to criticize Smart for his stance -- only to point out that the university presidents, athletic directors and boosters are solidly behind keeping the game in Jacksonville.
"Football coaches have a job to do, and who am I to judge what [Smart] believes is an advantage or disadvantage," Curry said. "But I think everyone else understands the importance of keeping the game here."
Game is in Jacksonville through 2025
The game is a priority in Jacksonville for the parties that sign contracts. The city council passed an extension with Florida's University Athletic Association and the University of Georgia Athletic Association last year that keeps the game in Jacksonville through at least 2023, with the schools holding an option for 2024 and 2025.
Each team gets a guarantee of $1.25 million this year and in 2023, plus splits an estimated $3.3 million in ticket sales, for a total of $2.9 million per year.
Plus, the city pays Georgia $350,000 per year for travel expenses and $60,000 per year for Florida.
Having the Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville, over a two-year cycle, means each team realizes about $3.3 million more in revenue than if the game was rotated.
The two schools issued a joint statement on Monday that seemed to indicate other options were open:
"The annual game between our two universities is an important tradition. At this time, both programs are focused on our current seasons.
"Typically both schools begin conversations regarding future games in the series as the last contracted game nears. We anticipate following that timeline. When those discussions take place, we will consider a multitude of factors, including tradition, finances, future SEC scheduling models with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, and what is best for both schools' football programs overall."
Lenny Curry rebuilt relationships
It appears the next mayor needs to make a strong sales pitch as Curry said he had to after he was elected in 2015 when he called both athletic directors almost as soon after the votes were counted.
"The relationship was strained and the day after I got elected I called both ADs to begin building that relationship, of how important it was to keep the game here," Curry said. "It was a breakdown in communications. We started rebuilding from that perspective. We got a new contract, and got another one [in 2019]."
And more than money, Georgia-Florida is a tradition after nine decades. For many Jacksonville citizens, the weekend of the game more or less marks the arrival of fall and the start of the holiday season.
Gibson wishes the unity the city and its leaders display about Georgia-Florida could spill over into other areas.
"The city council is not the [Florida] Legislature or Congress and the mayor is not the governor or the president," she said. "There's too much negativity in our city, but football if only that one day or that one weekend brings up together. We have to live here with each other the rest of the year."
Ferraro agreed there needs to be more times the city is unified.
"People want to see things happening in our city where we come together," he said. "We're all tired of the divisiveness."
Curry offered some advice for his successor.
"You can't take this game for granted," he said. "You have to be on top of it. Stay in communication with both schools and let them know how much we appreciate having this game and their fans."
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story had the wrong spelling for LeAnna Cumber.
Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida-Georgia game staying in Jacksonville crosses political divide
