by Bailey White
Staff Writer
With a new arena, baseball park and chairman, the City’s Sports & Entertainment Board is hoping to pump more muscle into Jacksonville’s athletic arm.
Christopher Burns, a partner with the law firm of Brown, Terrell and Hogan, assumed his position this week as the new chairman of the Jacksonville Sports & Entertainment Board
Burns is looking forward to taking advantage of the new sports complex and bringing new kinds of sports to Jacksonville.
“I go to all Jaguars games,” said Burns, an avid cyclist, “but I also like non-traditional spectator sports like track and volleyball.”
Burns is hoping a series of international professional rugby games might be a good way to draw visitors. Though it may seem non-traditional to Jacksonvillians, rugby is a sport that draws huge numbers of loyal fans. The board will be investing $30,000 to bring Pro Rugby events to the City, which may be a smart move considering 8,000 fans traveled to attend the Rugby Challenge Cup, held in Australia last year and is scheduled to be held in Jacksonville in 2004.
“It’s exciting,” said Burns. “Teams will be coming from many other countries to Jacksonville.”
Burns is probably one of the more athletic members of the Jacksonville Bar Association. A tri-athlete and marathon runner, Burns coaches the soccer team of his twin daughters. He has biked across Florida, and he and his wife, Cindy, have taken bicycle tours through France and Italy. In fact, it was athletics that brought him to Florida to practice law from his home in Indiana.
“I played tennis in college and professionally for a while. I thought Rollins College had the best looking tennis courts — right in the middle of campus. I decided I wanted to practice law in Winter Park,” said Burns.
Instead, Burns was lured to Jacksonville by Mahoney, Adams, Milam, Surface and Grimsley, his first place of practice, and the Vanderbilt Law School graduate has been an active member of his community since his arrival in 1985. He has served on the Mayor’s Council on Fitness and Well-Being, the Jacksonville Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee and now the Sports & Entertainment Board.
The Sports & Entertainment Board was established in 1998 as an advisory board to the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. Its general purpose is to bring sports-related events to the city which appeal to a wide section of people and that promote Jacksonville’s economic development. But the board is more than just an advisory committee.
“We do have a budget to work with, so we are able to put into action some of the plans that we come up with,” said Burns.
Traditionally, the board hosts events such as the Florida/Georgia game.
“One of our goals is to bring events to Jacksonville that will attract people from a wide area who will bring a boost to local hotels and restaurants when they come to the city,” said Burns.
The board is also looking for events that locals will find entertaining. In the past, the board has supported events such as the Bob Hayes Invitational Track Meet and football games such as the Orange Blossom Classic and last weekend’s inaugural Willie E. Gary Classic.
The board is willing to help fund new sporting events, such as high school basketball tournaments.
“When we have people approaching us in need of financial assistance in the infantile stages we try to support them in the hope that they’ll eventually develop and help bring money to Jacksonville,” he said.
Mike Sullivan, executive director of the Sports & Entertainment Board, said he is looking forward to the enthusiasm Burns will bring to the board.
“Chris brings new exuberance, which will be very beneficial to the board,” said Sullivan. “He’s excited about new events and wants to get Jacksonville thinking outside of the box for sporting events.”