by Glenn Tschimpke
Staff Writer
Time is running out for the Jacksonville Dixie Blues.
After the upstart women’s tackle football team went from scrappy contenders to wild card wonders in their inaugural year, a Women’s World Bowl berth caught them off guard and about 3,000 miles and $20,000 short.
If they make it to the game, they have a chance to be world champions of women’s football. If they don’t, they forfeit and the crown defaults to the California Quake. The 39-member team appealed to City Council to help fund their trip to San Diego to play in the game Feb. 24, but was denied at Tuesday night’s meeting.
“I felt like it was a slap in the face to not even be heard,” said Jan Spence, director of marketing and media relations for the Dixie Blues. “It was frustrating.”
The bill, introduced by Council member Jerry Holland, would have given the team $18,760 from special Council reserve funds. Written into the language of the bill was a clause that if the Dixie Blues received any compensation for their trip (television coverage, prize money, etc.), they would pay the City back before they paid themselves. Normally, financial requests from City Council are sent through subcommittees before the full Council hears them. Because of time constraints, Holland’s bill was given emergency status. While Council members did not outright vote to deny the Dixie Blues the money, they did vote not to accept the emergency bill. Ironically, Council voted 10 to 9 in favor of hearing the bill, but Council rules dictate a two-thirds majority for emergency bills — at least 13 votes in favor.
An outspoken “no” vote came from Council vice president Suzanne Jenkins. Despite overwhelming public support flooding Council phone lines and e-mails in favor of providing the money, Jenkins helped kill the bill.
“I’ve been saying all along, let’s take the politics out of it,” she said. “This was going to fund 80 percent of their trip.”
Jenkins said she didn’t like the fact that the City would be footing most of the bill, while the Dixie Blues managed to raise a small amount. She did, however, offer to help raise the money through private channels and had raised $5,500 as of Wednesday afternoon. Spence said the team had raised $2,600 on their own, bringing their total to $8,100, about $15,000 shy of their total estimated expenses for the trip. Jenkins urged other Council members to use their own connections to appeal for donations.
Holland had argued for the last week about gender equity in supporting sports teams saying men’s sports are traditionally favored. Some Council members had a difficult time giving cash to support what could be considered someone’s hobby. Spence counters that it is more than a hobby and hints that women’s sports have traditionally taken a back seat to their male counterparts.
“In 1980, when the men’s hockey team won the gold medal in the Olympics, everyone was so proud,” she said. “Less than 20 years later, the women’s team won the gold medal. You didn’t hear as much about it. I see it as the same.”
Council member Jim Overton offered his reason why he voted no.
“These requests we get from time to time are very difficult,” he said. “You don’t know which ones are deserving and which are not. Obviously, you can’t give money to everyone. It’s hard to know how to respond to a request like that. Once you’ve given money to one group, you have to give it to everyone. It’s a compelling request since they’re up for the national championship and it’s important to the city.
“On one hand, it’s hard to say we’re going to charge homeowners property taxes and then with our sole discretion, we’ll say we’re going to give money to this group so they can go to the national championship. I don’t want my tax money going to that. I want it to go towards sewers and roads and things like that. That’s not what tax money is for.”
Spence and the Blues refuse to stay blue about their predicament.
“I’m hoping now that we’ve got some visibility now that we’ve made it to the top,” she said. “We hope to get more corporate sponsors. We’re optimistic — we’re not quitters.”