by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
If the City can figure a way to transport 12,000 people to Jacksonville, it may get the Army-Navy football game at least once.
The Sports and Entertainment Board is continuing its efforts to lure the 2004 game to Alltel Stadium and is bidding with at least four other cities for it. The deal would involve anywhere from one to four games, which traditionally are played early in December.
But Jacksonville’s geography presents the big problem.
“It’s our responsibility to bring the students from the academies,” said Mike Sullivan, the board’s director. “The other cities in the mix are closer to the schools and transportation isn’t that much of a problem.”
The United States Military Academy is just north of New York City. The United States Naval Academy is in Maryland. Thus, the other cities in the bidding — New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington — have an edge.
If Sullivan can figure a way to get the cadets and midshipmen here, he says he has a good chance.
“They want a $3.2 million guarantee, but that’s against ticket sales and the game is always a sellout,” he said. “In fact, they handle the sales and send us 2,500 tickets for local distribution.”
While it may seem a longshot to take the game away from its traditional northeastern sites, Jacksonville apparently is being encouraged to get in the mix for the usual reason surrounding any December event: weather.
The Army-Navy game is just part of a major military weekend which includes numerous meetings and functions, and there’s usually freezing weather in the Northeast.