It’s one thing to release drawings of what a new or renovated stadium will look like. It’s another thing to, you know, build it.
The Jaguars have done the easy thing, publishing “conceptual designs for the Stadium of the Future.” Now, they simply need to find a giant pool of money in the present to pay for it.
Wednesday’s announcement is simply the sound and fury signifying nothing. It’s all meaningless unless we know who’s footing the bill.
It won’t be paid for solely by the Jaguars. They’ll want public money. And today’s unveiling of the stadium design is calculated to generate political support for free money.
A new mayor will take office on July 1. That’s when the real work will start. The Jaguars hope that today’s announcement will lay the foundation for a strong commitment by the public powers-that-be to pay for most or all of the new venue.
Indeed, the team will host over the next two weeks events throughout the community aimed spreading the word about -- and building support for -- the eventual request the team will make for a massive amount of taxpayer money.
Then there’s the question of where the Jaguars will play while the new building is being built. The outgoing mayor has said it will require alternative arrangements for at least two seasons.
Regardless, this is clearly what the team wants. And there’s no reason for the team to ever explain what the “or else” would be. Not when they currently play at least one game per year in Or Else City.