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September 23, 2009

Decision Time on World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

UPDATE: It looks like the game will stay in Jax. Tim Tucker reports Damon is expected to recommend a six-year contract to the Athletic Board. Damon: "I strongly believe staying in Jacksonville at this time is the most appropriate thing to do." Il Duce is "in full support" of Damon's recommendation. Now all we have to do is win. GATA!

***Original Post***
The AJC reports that the UGA Athletic Board is scheduled to make a decision on the location of the Georgia-Florida game at its meeting today.

The location of the game has been a matter of intense debate among Georgia fans for several months now. PWD persuasively argued in March against moving the game. Go re-read PWD's take, because he nails it.

I am cautiously optimistic that this quadrennial waffling on the part of UGA is just a negotiating tactic for getting a better deal from the City of Jacksonville. Back in June future NCAA President Il Duce said, "[t]here are things we want yet out of the city of Jacksonville that can even the playing field a bit.” Like better coaching and better players over the last two decades? That's hardly Jacksonville's fault, but I digress.


This photo never gets old. Courtesy of Josh Massey.

Georgia has been successful posturing to leave Jax in the past. For example, we currently get $100K more than Florida to defray travel costs. However, I will be deeply disappointed if the Athletic Board votes to move this game out of Jacksonville. Neither of the other options are very appealing. The Georgia Dome is smaller and has the atmosphere of a podiatrist's office, and the notion of bringing those asshats to Athens every other year is repulsive.

It's hard to predict what Adams and his Board values more. By moving the game he gets a belated victory in his war to scrap the WLOCP moniker, but keeping the game in Jax generates UGA about $1 million more every two years. I'm guessing we'll see another 4 year deal to stay in Jacksonville.

When cocktail parties are outlawed, only outlaws will have cocktail parties

48 comments:

PTC DAWG said...

The travel time difference would be easily made up by taking RJ's out of Ben Epps Field. We should do this EVERY year, and for that matter, to every road SEC game.

The last 20 years mean nothing, the last 4 do, many of the same players and Coaches are still at their respective schools. Unlike in many of the Donnan/Goff years, we are taking players/coaches to Jax who have won.

Anonymous said...

I'm hoping it gets moved.

Anonymous said...

I live in south Georgia... It's the closest game for me every year!!!

HawgDawg said...

Home and home is the only way to go. Yeah I know y'all want to travel and get drunk but something has to be done to shake the series up. It is a home game for FU and it is time for a change. We played Auburn in Columbus for years but nobody complains about that. I'd rather have a win than a Landing's hangover.

Anonymous said...

HawgDawg,

I'd rather not puss out, beat FL in J-ville and have a hangover on SSI.

Ben said...

It's got to stay in Jax! Or let's rotate Florida stadiums...Land Shark, Alltel and the Bucs stadium! Holler! Go Dawgs! Git after'em cacti!

Sports Dawg said...

Not one single opinion matters, because it all comes down to the $ sign and the huge digits that follow it!

Anonymous said...

Moving the game to home and home will give GA better flexibility in getting better home schedules for the "way" years with FL. Yes, the OOC home schedule has been decent in recent years, but that is not always the case.

They will still kick our butts in Athens though until we get better coaches and players.

Anonymous said...

"way" above should be "away"

Anonymous said...

For me, it comes down to this:

Atlanta >>>>>>> Jacksonville.

I had a better time partying after last year's SECCG, that the Gators freaking *won*, than I did the last time I was in JAX (a Georgia win in 2004). Split the two, please. Jacksonville is a hole.

Anonymous said...

Is Adams no in contention for NCAA Prez?

Russ Fortson said...

We beat FU for years in Jax. The location means nothing. How can it be a "home" game for either team when the tickets are split 50/50?

Keep the game in Jacksonville.

John Tomasheski said...

It needs to be moved, plain and simple.

This site is becoming way too apologetic. Whether its Martinez, Jacksonville, etc.

It's reflecting the Dawgs' attitude on the field. "Oh well."

Come on.

Dawgnoxious said...

Tomasheski: you make no sense. When has this site ever been apologetic about the Florida game? They beat us consistently because they consistently outplay us and outcoach us. You can move the game to your backyard and you won't change the fact UGA hasn't done what it needs to do to be competitive in this game. Now go look up "apologist."

Anonymous said...

Move the game.........you people can vacation and party somewhere else. It is after all....about Georgia football. Not your little fall get-away.

Largemouth Dawg said...

Leave it in Jax. If you don't want to travel, then don't. Half the fun of going to games outside of Athens/GA is that the real fans make the trip. And I still see no problem with having a "fall getaway" in relation to GA football. And remember, its not even a getaway for the large contingency of Georgia faithful in South Georgia. For them, it may be the best chance they have to see the Dawgs. Its always been in Jacksonville, and it always needs to stay in Jacksonville

Anonymous said...

"It is after all....about Georgia football."

And for that very reason....it will stay in Jax. It's all about the mighty $$$.

John Tomasheski said...

Dawgnoxious -

You're a dick, and a big reason people hate UGA fans.

Nice site man. Keep the apologies coming.

John Tomasheski said...

Man now that I read it, that was harsh.

My apologies for the post. Feel free to delete it.

Will said...

I'm not really sure if no one else on here remembers, but the last time we played the game home and home, we got crushed. Moving it won't make a lick of difference. Might as well complain about the weather.

opsomath said...

All I want to do is say how awesome the Mike Adams + gator tail pic is. Carry on.

EmotionalFescue said...

With the addition of the College Football Hall of Fame to Atlanta and the guys over at Chick-fil-a putting big money into the Chick-fil-a Kickoff and Bowl game, I fear they might throw a lot of money at both schools to play the game in Atlanta.

I agree with the article. I don't want Gator fans in Athens any more than I want to visit Gainesville.

Paul said...

I've always held that any rumblings from Athens regarding Jacksonville is a negotiating tactic to get more out of Jax.

If UGA can net more money playing in Jacksonville than by hosting a home game, then you can bet the current administration is going to keep the game in Jax. The dollars are much more important than the perception that people *gasp* imbibe at football games!

Once you factor in that we do a pretty good job of making ourselves look like a bunch of sloppy drunks (or, in my case, a condescending fatass) for a night game, what difference does doing it at The Landing really make?

On the competitive side, I don't think location matters. I do think, though, that if UGA officially wants the game moved we are definitely the bed-wetters we played like in last year's game.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to post off-topic, but I was just wondering what my viewing options are for the game this weekend if I don't have ESPNU. Is it streamed online or anything?

Anonymous said...

Nevermind that last comment. I found the previous thread where everyone discussed it. Sorry again. Go Dawgs.

Anonymous said...

Last 5 meetings

Fla- 3
Uga-2

Florida beat us when joe t 3 was starting in aide of injured dj shockley(we wouldve won that game with shock-- final score was 14-7 I think-- we wouldve scored more w shock)

And last year when they were mad as hell with a national championship team vs all the injuries we had..

My point is over the past 5 years there hasn't been that much difference, sure last year we got blown out, but they were a much superior team..

Its been fairly even over the last half a decade.. Keep the game in jax, I enjoy the trip to saint simons and brogans on friday night then jaxonville on saturday. For those who have not been its one of the best expierences in all of college football.. Without jax the game isn't nearly as relevant nationally.. And I think we owe it to the savannah and the rest of south ga fans who make the drive to athens all too often to leave it in jax..

And never underestimate how fun it is to make fun of the gayturds..

Some gayturd jumped in my face last year and was screaming about how awesome percy harvin was.. This was my response. "Oh yeah. TEBOW has herpes!" Fun times

Will said...

The last Anon. has a very good point.
If, perhaps after the Ghost of Erk possesses his body and mind, we can play better on D by this year's matchup, and pull of what would be a pretty huge upset, it'd be 3-3 over the last six years. And Tebow would leave as the first Gator QB in a long time with a 2-2 record against UGA (and 1-2 as a starter).
How sweet would that be?

Anonymous said...

Selfish ass Georgia fans. Face it, the ones who want to keep this game in Jax are the ones who love their little 4-day drinking party. I contend you people don't give a sh*t about the outcome of the game as long as you get to have a good time. Well screw you, go drink and be obnoxious somewhere else, this is about football, not about YOU.

Is the location of the game the reason we lose? No.
Is it an unnecessary advantage to the Gators? Yes.

Swallow your pride and use some logic.

And also, if we can all agree that the main reason UF wins is due to a psychological advantage, then wouldn't a game in Athens at least somewhat help in that regard? Don't home games help improve confidence? Maybe this small advantage to US will give us the boost we need to win this game, instead of giving THEM a small advantage every year. Does that make sense or am I crazy?

You can now continue with your "NO IT'S TRADITION! WE'RE TOUGH, STUBBORN, INSECURE GEORGIA FANS WITH TOO MUCH PRIDE TO "RUN AWAY" FROM A FIGHT!

I guess losing to UF consistently is OK with you guys. But GOD FORBID they should think we're scared of them. We certainly can't have that!

The Watch Dawg said...

Why of some of you act like it's about winning or losing? Jacksonville is a hole. It's an awful city that is under-equipped to handle our game every year.

SEC championship game atmospheres are always amazing in the dome, so that line about a podiatrists office is crap.

Count me among the fans that will be overjoyed if they move the game.

Anonymous said...

I may be a little biased being a Jax native, but if you would rather tailgate in an dreary downtown in what is basically a homeless encampment urban wasteland than on the sunny banks of the St. Johns, you are an idiot. The only argument here is competitive advantage, which may or may net be valid itself. The "atmosphere" in Atl is non-existent. Jax lacks the "cultural" attractions of Atl (Oooh world of Coke is aw3some!!), but for Chrissakes go to the beach, go to St Simons, play some golf etc. Anyone who questions the gameday atmosphere of WLOCP has either never been or is hanging out with the wrong crowd, because there is none better as far as I've seen.

Anonymous said...

Will someone please explain the logic behind Florida having an "advantage" with the game in Jacksonville?

Tickets are sold down the middle, GA FLIES 2hrs on private planes, FL DRIVES 2-3hrs on Buses, they all stay in hotels...and last I checked Altell stadium is 100 yards long, has 2 endzones, and even has 2 goal posts.

For the tits that want the game moved, zip it, you have no argument.

Its not a matter of WHERE its played but a matter of HOW its played!

Anonymous said...

this is the same anon that pointed out the record over the past 5 years..

responding to anon 1:32:

number 1, how can you say that the fans who go to jax dont care about the game, im a college student who has been the last 2 years and have spent alot of money(alot to me, being broke and in college) to go to ssi and jax, to tailgate yes, but also to be a georgia fan.. if you think we dont care about the outcome of the game maybe you shouldve been in the stadium 2 years ago when not a sole left the stadium for 30 minutes after the game because we were all standing there basking in the joy of victory. or maybe you shouldve seen every exit off 95 between jax and ssi packed with georgia fans high fiving each other and singing glory to ole georgia..

Or maybe you should have seen how somber the georgia fans are after a beating like what we took last year.. but of course you havent been to the game have you..

number 2: Uhhhh in case you havent checked lately Mark Richts record away from home is a better than at home.. so that argument is dumb.

number 3: playing in jax gives georgia a stronger presence in the state of florida as far as recruiting goes. Just ask Bama- clemson- and va tech how much the chick fil a chick off game has helped them in recruiting georgia players..

do you want to give florida a boost in recruiting when going after georgia players?

btw sorry for any spelling and/or grammer mistakes, im on campus between classes and trying to type this quickly

Anonymous said...

It's a psychological advantage, numnut. Think about it. Like you says, it's not the location. It's also not about about the talent on the field. Florida is not THAT much more talented overall, not enough to win 16 of the last 19. So by that logic, what's the factor that's influencing these outcomes?

It has to be psychological. And guess what? A psychological advantage can't be changed overnight. If UGA is intimidated like they have been the majority of the last 20 years, then Georgia can't just show up this year and go "Hey just let's not be intimated this year!!"
It can't happen. A catalyst is needed for this kind of change. I think a home game in Athens might just be that catalyst we need.

Anonymous said...

your right, georgia cant just show up and say, "hey, lets get motivated as hell for this game, lets all dance in the endzone after the first touchdown we score. and show florida we arnt going to back down from them. and win this game" your right, thats never gonna happen

Anonymous said...

@ anon 2:07

You claim to care about Georgia. If moving this game to a home/home schedule would mean in UGA winning more games, would you go for it? If you care about Georgia, then you should say yes.
What I'm talking about is those who want the game to stay in Jax solely because of tradition. What's that tradition? A weekend of partying. They look beyond helping the team and consider their fabulous weekend more important.

Guess what? I have been to the game, probably more times than you have. And guess what else? I attended UF (currently a UGA Grad student) so I've gotten both perspectives. For the record, I support both schools, and I root for UGA in the Jax game.

You should know that in Gainesville, they laugh at UGA for playing this game in Jacksonville. The general consensus is that UGA is intimidated when playing UF. Florida fans fully acknowledge that UGA has a decent team that should not lose to them as many times as they do. UF has gotten in the Dawgs' heads.

I say mix it up. A game in Athens might squash this intimidation and let the Dawgs play to their potential more often.

Anonymous said...

@Anon 2:15

Your failed attempt at wit has just proven my point. The jumping in the endzone was a catalyst. It was just what they needed to gain confidence and play loose.

Doesn't that prove that it's an intimidation factor? Are we going to have to pull a stunt like that everywhere in order to get a win? How bout just get rid of the intimidation altogether instead of resorting to gimmicks.

Play a game in Athens.

Anonymous said...

correction: that should say "everytime" instead of everywhere

Anonymous said...

if we would win more then yes, but who is to say we would? the game has been in jax since 1933 and georgia has a winning record.. you can say 16 of the last 19 if you want, but like i said before we're 2-3 in the past 5.. its not as automatic as it was in the past.. but remember that before florida's run georgia has a similar run where we dominated them..

also for much of the last 2 decades florida has dominated alot of teams.. not just us.

home and home would be alright, but this is how i look at it, the swamp is in the top 5 of toughest places to play. sanford hasnt been that intimadating recently..

so i would dare to say that 7 out of 10 times we played fla in the swamp it'll come out as a loss, and every time we played at sanford it would be a toss up at best. so we're still looking at a losing record.. my buddy is on the team right now, and the teams opinion is its just like a bowl game. the stadium is split 50-50..

yes the florida fans out number the ga fans in the landings. but players dont have to deal with that.

yes the distance is skewed in floridas favor, but travel time isnt that much different, hop on a plane and fly down, be there in a hour and a half..

the players are used to traveling, they go to lake lanier and back every home game. so they are used to being on a bus for a hour and getting off at the stadium..

i want whatever is best for the dawgs. but i dont know that home and home would make alot of difference..

plus per ajc i just saw that damon has recommended the game stay is jax, mike adams has his back on it too..

Anonymous said...

psychological?...extremly WEAK excuse...Mark Wohlers, hire coaches that can coach, recruit players that can play!

So Florida was PSYCHED out during the '80s? No, we had a better team with better coaching.

Anonymous said...

Does he strongly recommend directional kicks?

Anonymous said...

Probably, because we know he doesn't recommend directional THROWS...drum, drum, symbol!

Anonymous said...

Oh well.......
Damon: "I strongly believe staying in Jacksonville at this time is the most appropriate thing to do."

I guess they will be 20 out of 25.
1 win for us thrown in just to be nice.

Hobnail_Boot said...

Awesome. Let's wait until we've got a losing record to UF before moving the game.

I'll always be dumbfounded by the number of UGA fans who see this as a "man enough" issue. This ain't pre-1990, folks. That sleeping giant down there isn't going back to sleep.

But hey, The Landing sure is fun.

Russ Fortson said...

I watched Georgia beat a #1 ranked Florida team in Jacksonville. Georgia beat Florida when Spurrior was the Heisman winner in Jacksonville. I saw Georgia beat Florida with the OMGBestestplayerevah!!11!! Tebow in Jacksonville. The site means nothing for competitive advantage, except for the number of recruits we get out of North FL/South GA. Move it to Atlanta, or home and home, and we'll lose that advantage.

The only 'apologists' I see here are the people looking to make apologies for why we've lost to FL in the 90's and early 00's. Maybe it was the fact they had a pretty good coach (who's a prick), while we had a couple of duds.

Anonymous said...

Georgia has just as much talent as Florida this year and with few exceptions we have most years. The problem lies with the coaching but also because Jacksonville is home field advantage for Florida. If you have two teams close to being evenly matched, home field advantage can tip the scale in an opponents favor.

Anonymous said...

I hope UGA loses all six games in this contract. We deserve it for stupidly agreeing to this yet again. Maybe then they'll take the game back to home/home.

Anonymous said...

Hooray! The stupidity continues! Don't let a tradition get in the way of getting the most important game on the schedule played at home or near home every other year. I'd rather get an excuse to party at the Landing then to even the playing field.

PTC DAWG said...

To the fan hoping we lose all 6 games of this contract, PLEASE find another team to root for. You're not worthy of UGA.

 
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