For 64 years the Gator Bowl Association has been organizing the Gator Bowl, the Pigskin Classic and other neutral site football games in Jacksonville. Some of those games were well attended — last year’s Florida State-Alabama game set a record for the stadium — and some weren’t. Regardless, the games have drawn football fans to town, filled hotels and generated millions of dollars.
Recently, the GBA and President Rick Catlett have come under fire for asking the City for $430,000 to help cover the costs of guaranteed ticket shortfalls to the first three Dr Pepper ACC Championship games. Catlett says the funding isn’t a “bailout” but rather the City making good on what it promised if he pursued the game in years three and four. That funding is now in the form of legislation that has drawn plenty of negative attention. Wednesday morning, Catlett sat down with Mike Sharkey of the Daily Record to explain how we got here.
A little history first.
The ticket sale guarantee to the ACC for the first two games — Florida State vs.Va. Tech in 2005 and Wake Forest vs. Ga. Tech in 2006 — was $5.9 million. Each year, there was a shortfall: $429,064 in ‘05 and $1.89 million the next year. In January of 2007, Catlett told the City the GBA could only pledge $500,000 towards the ticket sale guarantee for the December 2007 game. According to Catlett, Mayor John Peyton and then-City Council President Michael Corrigan expressed their desire to keep the game in Jacksonville and “pledged legislation to cover any additional shortfall” beyond the GBA’s $500,000 commitment and $250,000 from the Tourist Development Council. In October 2007, the Council passed legislation that would cover a shortfall up to $500,000. In December 2007, Va. Tech and Boston College played in the third ACC title game in Jacksonville. The ACC reduced its guaranteed ticket sales amount by half a million dollars, but actual ticket sales left the GBA with a shortfall of nearly $2 million.
Last month, Peyton and the GBA agreed to request that the Council approve the $430,000 with the GBA agreeing to pay $289,000.
What happens if the legislation fails?
If the City of Jacksonville does not receive approval to pay the $430,000, the Gator Bowl Association would be forced to pay that amount and in doing so would put the Association in financial jeopardy of continuing its New Year’s Day bowl game. If we have a bad Gator Bowl game this year, more than likely there will be no Gator Bowl next year. That’s not a threat. We are a not-for-profit and we like to have at least 50 percent of the cost of a game in reserve for the next game. We’ll pay, even if it has to be on a schedule. We will fulfill our obligation to the ACC.
Where does the GBA’s $289,000 come from?
That’s the profit from the 2008 Gator Bowl game.
Is the ACC willing to meet in the middle?
The reason they won’t meet in the middle is they lowered the guaranteed ticket sale requirement for the 2007 game.
What kind of economic impact did the game have on Jacksonville those three years?
(According to figures provided by Catlett, the direct economic impact of the three games was $27.7 million.) Without the game, these are all zeroes. That’s what we are all about — economic impact. If you look at all three games and at the benefits, it’s an investment ratio of 25:1. The Georgia-Florida game costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to put on and the city gets millions and millions of dollars. I was always told that 25:1 was a helluva investment ratio. You win some, you lose some. But, we have a pretty good track record.
What was the effect of the games on the local hotels?
(Catlett has figures showing hotel occupancy for the Friday and Saturday night of all three games. The Florida State-Va. Tech had the greatest impact and the numbers declined each year thereafter. However, he’s quick to point out that overall, hotel occupancy for those two nights is up over the course of three years.) In some cases, they are still 60 to 70 to 80 percent ahead. Hotels are still up from the years before the game. It has been a huge success for the city. It hasn’t been an SEC championship blockbuster like we thought it would be. But, it’s still pretty dramatic. I think the Gator Bowl Association is an economic driver and we have done it over the years with private dollars.
If the Council vote was tomorrow, what would happen?
It wouldn’t pass. People have jumped to conclusions because they think we are asking for a bailout. We asked for help before the third year and the City agreed. No one knew what the number (dollar amount) was going to be. The City still agreed and all we are asking them to do is fulfill the agreement.
The next two ACC title games are in Tampa and the following two are in Charlotte. Will you consider going after the game when the Charlotte contract runs out?
If we had a better partnership with the ACC and got help promoting and advertising and pushing the game, yes. We got virtually none of that, but they have done a lot for Tampa. If we had those same ticket prices — Tampa’s cheapest ticket is $25, ours was $65 — we would have sold more tickets.
How will this affect your ability to attract more neutral site games like last year’s FSU-Alabama game and this year’s FSU-Colorado game?
We are in the situation now where we don’t have the resources to do it without some underwriting. FSU-Alabama are not coming unless they can make more money than they do at a home game. They made $2.2 million each to play here. They make about $1.5 million for a home game.
What’s your deadline to pay the ACC?
There is no deadline. They have been wonderful about that. If we have to pay the whole thing, we have talked about installments. It’s OK with them if the City makes installment payments.
Does the current nationwide economic situation affect the perception of the legislation?
The economy creates some controversy over this. Again, it’s not a bailout. It’s the fulfillment of a responsibility.
Do you ever look at some of the legislation that’s passed and what it funds and wonder?
I believe personally the City of Jacksonville should be involved in quality of life. The City should work with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and build parking lots for ball fields. I also believe they should be involved in trying to get major sports events. It’s also OK to spend millions of dollars in the Sports Complex so you can have a place for those events. That is the role of government today. It wasn’t 100 years ago, but it certainly has become today.
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