Georgia-Florida in the Dome? Great idea. Won’t happen.
The Atlanta Sports Council wants to move the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party indoors. Once every four years, the Georgia Dome would play host to the Georgia-Florida game. It’s a great idea. It’ll never happen.
It’ll never happen for a reason that might sound downright weird to those on the periphery: Georgia fans love going to Jacksonville. Even when the Bulldogs are losing – and they’ve lost to Florida 16 of the past 19 seasons – it’s a bigger event for Georgia folks than for Florida people. Not a bigger game, but a bigger event.
Gator supporters can drive into town on that given Saturday and don’t even require a hotel with its jacked-up rates and two-night minimum. Georgia fans will pay whatever it costs because it’s simply part of being a Georgia fan. Said Jeff Dantzler, who hosts a talk show in Athens: “It’s like a bowl game in the middle of the year.”
When word of the Sports Council’s interest in bidding for the game began to circulate last weekend (via a report in the Atlanta Business Chronicle), there was little discussion on Dantzler’s show. Had there been, he said, “My view would be two huge thumbs-down. That game is such a big thing for Georgia people – going to St. Simons and all. If you wanted to talk about playing it home-and-home, I’d be all for it, but to move it to another neutral site is completely ludicrous.”
Within hours of the Chronicle’s report, Georgia athletics director Damon Evans sought to calm his constituency by saying there were no negotiations ongoing. Gary Stokan, the Council’s president, keeps broaching the notion, but the unfortunate truth is that nothing is apt to change.
“We respect the tradition of the game,” Stokan said. “We’re just trying to do our job … We think this would add to the mystique and the rivalry.”
Given the way the rivalry has turned against their team, you might guess Georgia fans would be ripe for any break in the routine. You’d be wrong. The trek to Jacksonville has become such a part of the UGA experience that the school schedules no classes the Friday before the given Saturday. A day trip to Fulton County wouldn’t quite match the experience of a three- or four-day fall break (with golf at St. Simons, long a Bulldog stronghold, included).
“There are politics and idiosyncrasies that I’m aware of,” Stokan said. “But we’re not asking to move it here every year. Seventy-five percent of the games could say in Jacksonville. We’re asking to play one game in Georgia every four years.”Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.
Me, I’d love it. I hate everything about the Jacksonville experience – the aforementioned hotel rates, the alarming alcoholic intake, the meanness between fans. But I’m a neutral. (Go ahead and laugh, you Gators.) I’ve had my issues with the Sports Council, but this time I’m on Stokan’s side. Which means neither of us has a prayer.
Sixteen times since 1989, the hated Gators have marred a Georgia season. That said, Bulldog backers will give up their autumnal sojourn only when somebody pries a 7-iron from their cold dead fingers. As much as those folks want their team to win, they want their R & R even more.
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316 comments Add your comment
RHM
March 26th, 2009
9:04 am
As a Bulldog, I would hate to see the game go to Alanta. As a golfer and St. Simons resident, I can appreciate less traffic and open tee times.
RxDawg
March 26th, 2009
9:08 am
This is for the most part very true. It’s such a fantastic atmosphere down there. If you have never been, then you really shouldn’t say “It needs to be 1hr from us once in a while, it needs to be at home and home, WAHHHHHHMBULANCE!!!”
Mark Bradley
March 26th, 2009
9:09 am
Thanks, RHM. And you folks out there: See what I mean?
RxDawg
March 26th, 2009
9:09 am
This is a fact: Jacksonville is not why we have lost to UF so much in the past 20 years.
richtfan
March 26th, 2009
9:13 am
jeff dantzler does not speak for the Dawgnation. He is a Dooley-ite through and through and does not understand the meaning of what Coach Richt has EARNED. He has EARNED the right to have this game moved to a home and home or a neutral and neutral site type of setup. This thing, ultimately, is all about the money. How much money Jacksonville is willing to cough up versus how much Atlanta would be able to cough up. Coach Richt wants the game moved due to the travel issue, which IS a big deal to most UGA fans. Jeff Dantzler is not UGA and should have absolutely no say in the decision. Jeff has earned exactly zero when it comes to UGA. He’s just a big fan like most everyone else.
drewdawg
March 26th, 2009
9:13 am
I love going to Jacksonville just as much as any Georgia fan. But I would like to see the result of the game in the Georgia Dome one year. Maybe just once. But again, I love going to Jacksonville.
foxdog
March 26th, 2009
9:14 am
Any UGA fans that don’t want to go to Jacksonville, just give up your tickets and stay home. I don’t think the tickets will go unsold.
Tripper
March 26th, 2009
9:14 am
Neutral. HA! Why, then, do you use the same photo for Gator fans so regularly? Jean Shorts 49, Red “frat dog” Pants 10.
Also, imagine the tailgating underneath an overpass amidst the homeless menace… You don’t see that in Jax.
RHM
March 26th, 2009
9:14 am
Look me up Mark. Golf at Frederica?
Mark Bradley
March 26th, 2009
9:16 am
Thanks for the offer, RHM, but I don’t play golf. Another of my many failings.
chris
March 26th, 2009
9:16 am
Oklahoma does not CRY about going into Texas every year. Grow a pair dogs and get a coach who can win big games.
USMC DAWG
March 26th, 2009
9:19 am
It’s not gonna happen. The J’ville boosters, and City Council are too greedy, and helping stuff Adams and his cronies wallet.
godawg
March 26th, 2009
9:20 am
Nobody wanted to move it when UGA was dominating the series, moving it now sends the wrong message. I do agree that from an economic standpoint it’s not fair that the State of Florida reaps the benefits every year. The ideal solution IMO is to build a suitable multi-purpose venue in Savannah then alternate. Atlanta is just NOT a good site and should not even be considered.
gatorhead1013
March 26th, 2009
9:22 am
uh…how would “hotel rates, alcohol intake and meanness between fans” be any different in ATL? That certainly isn’t a Jacksonville problem.
Dogfan1
March 26th, 2009
9:22 am
Mark, if you are a neutral fan, then what difference does it make to you? And don’t give me the crap about having to cover the game and what an “inconvenience” it is for the Press. That’s your job…they don’t schedule games for your convenience or pleasure. This is a little thing called tradition; ever heard of the Texas-Oklahoma game at the TEXAS State Fair? “RxDawg is correct when saying…playing in Jacksonville is not why we have lost to UF so much in the past 20 years.” The only way the game should be moved is by going to a home and home series.
Steven
March 26th, 2009
9:22 am
i believe choosing an alternate “neutral” site would be a fresh change. i was always a staunch supporter of keeping the game in jacksonville, until i actually had the chance of going. i have been the last three seasons: the first, i noticed the gator:dawg fan count after the game at the landing about 7:1 (ga lost); the next year the ratio was about 3:1 (ga won). last year i did not even try to go there. jacksonville is not a neutral site when there is always at least 2-4 times as many florida fans as ga fans (for obvious geographical reasons) and should not be called one. i think it should alternate every year between jacksonville and atlanta, but that is just me being a wishful dreamer.
Mark Bradley
March 26th, 2009
9:23 am
About the photo above: I agree that the jokes about jean shorts have been way overdone. That said, I can’t look at the picture and not laugh. And it’s dreary outside and I need all the laughs I can get.
Right On Time
March 26th, 2009
9:24 am
I have been going to Jax for the last 16 years and I would be all for a date in the Dome every 4 years. The trip to Jax can be fun win or lose. However, as a Georgian, I would like to see some of that revenue find it’s way to my home state. Let’s see the folks south of here enjoy jacke-up hotel rates and the local authorities targeting them.
Also, I am sick of hearing about the fans and boosters in south Georgia. The boosters there are not any bigger than the big boosters that live 4 hours away from other large schools. Actually, it might be good to “weed out” some of the older fan base. Sanford stadium often has no intimidation factor and is far too quiet. The younger fan base that does not feel they are entitled to be there because of longevity might make a difference. Money will not be an issue either as @8,000 season ticket order forms of boosters that have paid $7,000 plus are returned every year.
I say all of this as a 40 year old alum who has had season tickets for 17 years. I have been to every stadium in the SEC, traveled to bowl games and I was in Phoenix last year. Travel is not the main issue here, neither is the current run florida is on. This state should reap some of the benefits of this game. It is only every 4 years.
I vote to MOVE IT!!!!
Bird Dog Tavern
March 26th, 2009
9:24 am
Yeah, let’s move it to ATL. Who doesn’t love tailgating in a sea of concrete, hanging out with the homeless, dealing with MARTA, and then watching a football game indoors? I can’t think of a better game day experience.
ValdostaMike
March 26th, 2009
9:25 am
Please, let us keep this tradition. I am actually not too worried. This is just posturing for a better deal. We have got a new basketball coach to pay for.
Mark Bradley
March 26th, 2009
9:25 am
FYI, I’ve been to Texas-OU in Dallas. Walking down the street the night before the game with the two sets of fans yelling obscenities at one another remains one of the stranger experiences of a fairly odd life. Fellini-esque, I’d say, if Fellini had been a fan of (American) football.
Gayturd Watcher
March 26th, 2009
9:25 am
Nu’Keese Richardson on choosing Vols over Gayturds:
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/mar/25/q-nukeese-richardson/?partner=RSS
Gordon
March 26th, 2009
9:33 am
Most Georgia fans are smart enough to know they have something special with this game and would be crazy to change it in any way. As RxDawg said, the location of the game is not why UGA has struggled in it lately. I’m surprised at those like Dantzler who would even consider changing it to a home and home series. As a Tech fan, I would love to have something similar like playing the Miami game in Orlando every year, but that could never happen because not enough people would go.
Bird Dog Tavern
March 26th, 2009
9:39 am
It’s more of a convenience factor than anything. If Atlanta was in South Georgia, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. I would love for it to be closer too. I live in TN, and it’s a hike, but the game wouldn’t be the same in ATL. Think about the college kids, too. Taking a charter bus from SSI was the best part of my 4 year UGA experience, and I think that would be unfortunate to take that away from the college kids now, even if it was only once every four years. I can’t imagine being a student and having to take a trip to ATL on my fall break. Gross.
misterwax
March 26th, 2009
9:39 am
Although I am not a gator fan or an UGA fan, I would like to see tha game here in Atlanta sometimes… rotate such as Atlanta, gainesville, JAX, Athens and keep it going that way….every 4 years it comes back on the circuit…the rason I say this is because the season opening games of SEC – ACC in the dome are very exciting and add a lot to college football flavor in the deep South… I think JAX could do the same thing in the gator bowl in early Sept. and it would also be very popular… like Miami vs. UT etc..in JAX… would be a great game.
football fan
March 26th, 2009
9:42 am
More football in the Dome? No way!!! I hate to see the Falcons in the Dome. I hate to see college games in the Dome. I hate to see high school games in the Dome. If this game is changed, it needs to be home and home only. If it can not be home and home….just leave it the way it is. I miss the old Fulton County Stadium and the Falcons playing in the elements. Why a dome in the south anyway?
CrimsonRedScarlett
March 26th, 2009
9:43 am
The next expansion of Sanford stadium could change the economics of going to Jacksonville. Many of the smaller donors do not get tickets for the UF game, and would like to see it every other year.
Mark Bradley
March 26th, 2009
9:46 am
I’ve never understood those who don’t like the Dome. I’ve always thought it was a splendid facility. (I thought Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium was somewhat less.)
brewdawg
March 26th, 2009
9:48 am
I first started making the trek to Jacksonville in 2005, so though I’m fairly new to it, I have some observations. The first thing is that what surprised me most was the civility between the two fans. Honestly, for the most part, every time I’ve gone we’ve met some great Florida people. And no matter what, after the game, it’s just some good-natured ribbing and then party as one. I also love the experience at the Landing. What is better than watching a storied football tradition with friend and foe alike as the sun sets on the river? I don’t want the game to move, not to a home and home, and certainly not to the Georgia Dome.
Pago Flyer
March 26th, 2009
9:49 am
The ATL DOME, a great place to tailgate! Hardly……
Ryan
March 26th, 2009
9:52 am
Clearly none of you have ever been to the swamp. Calling Jax a UF home game is absoloutely silly, and the only people that make that claim are people who dont go to Jax. Half the stadium is blue and the other half is red. So what’s your beef? The scenery in Jax is what CFB is all about.
Mark Bradley
March 26th, 2009
9:52 am
I understand the point, BrewDawg. But what amazes me is that Georgia is 3-14 in that stadium since 1989. You’d think a team that was 3-14 playing anywhere — even on Michael Adams’ front lawn, or Coach Dooley’s garden — would be anxious to change venues. But Bulldog fans clearly are not.
ODawg2002
March 26th, 2009
10:07 am
Sure the GA Dome is closer to Athens, but do we really want to try to match up with the UF speed merchants on artificial turf? No thanks. Keep it in JAX.
dgroy
March 26th, 2009
10:08 am
First, let me begin by saying….”I am not a Bulldog or Gator fan, although I do favor the latter just a tad”. That being said, the tradition is to play the game in JAX. Why are we always so quick to pitch tradition out the window for other alternatives which mean absolutely nothing. A case in point, in the 1940’s, 50’s and later, we in Atlanta had a lot of wonderful high schools with great sports traditions…..what did we allow to happen? Less than a handful are left that you would even recognize the name…..the same with street names…..tradition is being killed all in the name of political correctness. All of you who care, “do not let this happen to one of the great Football Happenings of every year”…..resist change with all your being or it, like a lot of other things will be lost forever.
OZZFEST
March 26th, 2009
10:10 am
Anyone who thinks the game “should be moved” has never actually been to the Gator Bowl complex. There is no other event in college football that comes close to the incredible scene before the game. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Go Dogs.
ATL Dawg
March 26th, 2009
10:10 am
You can count me as one of the fans that do not like going to Jax. I vowed after the 2002 season I would NEVER go back to that hell hole again – and I have NOT and will NOT go back there EVER again! The rest of my fellow Dawgies can go all they want, but for me – NEVER again!
Gators are #1 - ANYWHERE!
March 26th, 2009
10:13 am
As an Florida fan living in Atlanta I would love to see the Gators whip the Bulldogs in the Georgia dome. I relish the thought of all the anxiety, pain and suffering kept nice and fresh here, permeating the entire city. Ha ha ha.
Gooooooooo GATORS!
matt
March 26th, 2009
10:14 am
Mr. Bradley- the reason a lot of dawg fans don’t want to move it is because they go for the party, not the game. Most people wouldn’t go to Knoxville for the weekend without a ticket for the game. Most fans would however go to the Ga/Fla. game without a ticket. It’s sad.
If you want to talk about fairness then you have to either move it to a home/home or a neutral/neutral every year (Ga. Dome/Jacksonville) Every other year you would get to travel for the experience. To say that playing every year in Jacksonville hasn’t had an effect is a little silly. 3-14 since 1989?? Really? UGA doesn’t have a record like that against any other team, in any other situation.
football fan
March 26th, 2009
10:15 am
Hey MB…..I did not say that the Dome was not a great facility….Just that I hate to see football played in a Dome. Needs to be played out doors…The high school championships are a total waste in the dome.
mike addington
March 26th, 2009
10:17 am
I do believe that CMR’s away-game record is pretty good, so don’t blame the losses on that, you whiners. We just need to get some more Junkyard Dawgs and kick some gator butt.
DirtyDawg
March 26th, 2009
10:18 am
It ain’t the stadium, it’s the teams. We won there for years and we’ll win there again…and if we don’t then CMR will never really win us over completely. Like the guy once said, the job of whippin’ Florida in Jacksonville was on the agenda when Coach Richt ‘hired on’, and it’s still on the agenda. He’s done it more than his two predecessors already and I’m confident that he’ll do it plenty again.
Bradley and Dantzler are right, this is more a ‘fun time’ for the Bulldog Nation than it is the Gators, even with the losses. Sure I hated like hell that the Sunday after was an absolute downer when we lost, and, frankly even when we won my Florida friends made sure that it wasn’t all that enjoyable either – trust me, they’re far worse losers than we ever thought about being…then again, maybe I’d gotten too used to it. The point is the trip…the whole experience was what made it. The golf, the dinners in the same restaurants the nights before, the trip to the game on the charter buses, even the leaking toilets in the old Gator Bowl, it was all part of the fun. In fact, the two years that the game was played home and home, the group we always went with – Dogs and Gators – headed down anyway and watched the Athens game on the TV…didn’t miss a beat (including getting our asses kicked).
Leave the location alone, just kick some Gator booty for a change and all will be right with the world, and ‘The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party’ (and Michael Adams can kiss my Bulldog butt if he doesn’t care for the title. It was around long before he came along and it’ll be around long after he’s gone back to Tennessee, or wherever he calls home.
Bird Dog Tavern
March 26th, 2009
10:19 am
Location has nothing to do with outcome. Period. We dominated Florida for a spell in JAX (1971 – 1983) and nobody wanted to move it then. Now we’re losing, so it must not be neutral anymore. How convenient.
Mark Bradley
March 26th, 2009
10:20 am
Understood, Football Fan. And maybe it’s just me, being a paid observer and all, but I’m a major fan of indoor events. Why be cold (or hot, or wet) when it’s 72 degrees underneath the Dome?
TMoorecansuckit
March 26th, 2009
10:21 am
If you want to go get drunk in Jacksonville, it is there the other 364 days each year. You don’t need a game for your excuse. Move it to the Dome.
Dean
March 26th, 2009
10:22 am
I think the game should stay in Jax if only to offer the economic boom to South Georgia and to make one game easier for south Georgia fans to get to. However, like Mark, I’m not impressed with the Jax experience. The rooms stink, the traffic is terrible, the police are zero help and the fans (particularly UF fans) are downright reprehensible when drunk. The dirve back sucks, much more when we lose but it still stinks even when we win.
Mark Bradley
March 26th, 2009
10:23 am
I just checked the above poll — if you haven’t voted, please do — and was a bit surprised, especially from the tenor of these comments. Fifty-five percent of the 210 who have responded favor moving the game to the Dome once ever four years. Perhaps that would constitute a silent majority.
Bird Dog Tavern
March 26th, 2009
10:24 am
Dean,
Do you really think Gator fans will be less reprehensible in Atlanta? Doubt it.
R. Gunn
March 26th, 2009
10:25 am
I’ve been saying for years that it should be JAX/ATL alternating thing. Why should Florida get all the $$. Jacksonvile is NOT a “nuetral” location however the tix are divided.
Maybe the Atlanta game wouldn’t be as big for tourism but maybe it would. I gone to JAX almost every year since 1976. I’ve attacked it from every conceivealble angle – JAX, Amelia Island, St. Simons, Ponte Vedra. I’m frankly tired of it and would welcome a change. Not saying ditch the Jacksonvile site, just mix it up a little. Seriously.
Right On Time
March 26th, 2009
10:25 am
Ryan:
Granted the swamp is a true home advantage.
However, Spurrier disagrees with you as far as the advantage in Jax and he has been there a few times.
OZZ:
You and others keep insisting those that want a rotation have never been to the game. You are wrong. It is just a different opinion.
Tailgating took a hit for me when the little church that used to cook ribs and greens closed. That was some good eats.
DOGZILLA
March 26th, 2009
10:25 am
I haven’t missed a game in Jax since 1989, and I am sick of going. It’s always an away game, as six hours there and back can be nothing else. The people who like going there every year are either wealthy (St. Simon’s) or college kids (The Landing). The other 80% of Dog fans would prefer a home-and-home or Atlanta every other year. We shell out a lot of bucks to Jacksonville. It gets old if you’re not drunk, win or lose.
Dean
March 26th, 2009
10:27 am
I actually have enjoyed every other SEC site I’ve been to. Knoxville, Oxford, Lexington, Tuscaloosa and Auburn are great cities to go to on gameday and in my opinion more fun that Jax. But, maybe I’m just more of a fan of college towns.
Mark Bradley
March 26th, 2009
10:27 am
I believe I remember that church. Tried to park there once.
mike addington
March 26th, 2009
10:27 am
Mark, now I know why you’re so much better at basketball coverage, you’re a whimp who likes the indoors. All in fun, my man. You’ve been a favorite of mine for years——-for BASKETBALL
Dean
March 26th, 2009
10:29 am
Your right bird dog. There’s already enough of them around as is.
Mark Bradley
March 26th, 2009
10:29 am
I am a wimp. I do prefer the indoors. There, I’ve said it.
Whychange
March 26th, 2009
10:30 am
Whychange the immature,slobbering,puking,beer spilling morons from Jax to Atl? We don’t want either of the idiots!!!
Around The SEC East - 3/26/09 | MrSEC.com
March 26th, 2009
10:30 am
[...] Journal-Constitution doesn’t believe the annual Georgia-Florida football game will ever be moved from Jacksonville to Atlanta… because Dawg fans like Jacksonville.UGA: A third of the way through spring practice, Georgia [...]
swimdawg68
March 26th, 2009
10:34 am
I am an old Dawg who loves attending the game in Jax. The last time I missed a game in Jax I was in Vietnam. The entire experience, golf in St. Simons, the Crab Trap eating establishment, tailgating at the stadium (tailgating at the Ga. Dome stinks), the UGA pep ralley and BBQ before the game on the St. Johns River can’t be topped.
In the years with Dooley, (he never lost two in a row to the “water lizards”), no one ever talked about moving the game. The lizards have had our number in recent years but that has been about players making plays and coaches coaching not the location of the game.
Count me as an old dawg who loves tradition and hopes the game remains in Jax. I look forward to that weekend every year. So far, that is one tradition Adams has not changed, if he tries, we might ship him back up north.
doodoobailey
March 26th, 2009
10:34 am
Mark, stop being a wimp and crying about the warm or cold climates of outdoor games.
I love going to Jax every year, but last year I was the DD and I do have to say, it sucks when your not drunk.
Dean
March 26th, 2009
10:35 am
If the wealthy are the majority that can get to the game anymore then they should just move the game to some far away neutral place since they can afford to fly there. How about Lambeau Field?
DawgMOver44
March 26th, 2009
10:38 am
HOME AND HOME. ALAMBAMA HAD THE BIG GAME IN BIRMINGHAM, AUBURN WISED UP AND MADE IT A HOME AND HOME SERIES. SMART MOVE! UGA SHOULD FOLLOW DO THE SAME. HOME AND HOME SERIES. WHO CARES ABOUT JACKSONVILLE! KEEP THE $ IN STATE EVERY OTHER YR…..HOME AND HOME!
Mark Bradley
March 26th, 2009
10:38 am
Let me just say something here: As places go, Jacksonville, Fla., is OK. It’s not Birmingham, Ala., which is the worst, or Austin, Texas, which is the best. It’s not Palm Beach, which is nice, or Daytona, which is less so. It’s somewhere in the middle. But as far as scenic settings go … heck, Tempe was twice as pretty (and even warmer).
Kent
March 26th, 2009
10:40 am
Why is it no one is complaining about not playing in the swamp? typical UGA, lets play where it increases our chances to win. Just like the schedule every year. UGA has only crossed the Mississippi for a bowl game once! Look at UT they open the season playing Cal, UCLA, etc,, where as UGA plays the likes of a DIVII school to insure a win !
Kent
March 26th, 2009
10:41 am
Oh Yes, UGA played the less than mighty ASU last season !
Island Dawg
March 26th, 2009
10:41 am
Anybody who has ever seen the beach at SSI on the GA-FL Friday would ever suggest moving this to ghettoland. Take out your tampon and just come check it out.
wartdog
March 26th, 2009
10:42 am
Going to Jacksonville every year is one ting we can all count on…Its the beach at the end of october… it is a vacation! Yes we hate losing, but its not because of the local… we already have the SEC championship favor if you go by those rules!
Dorsey Hill
March 26th, 2009
10:44 am
One of the great experiences of going to school at Georgia is the annual trek to Jax. (We did win one of them!!!) I wouldn’t deny that to the current and future Georgia students even though as I get older the harder it is to justify the time and expense of going. Just think how much fun Gator students would have road tripping up to Atlanta. Isn’t denying them that happiness sufficient justification for keeping the game in Jax? It seems to me that it should be.
Rabun Dawg
March 26th, 2009
10:45 am
“It matters not where you play the game, it’s the final score that counts.” Yes, the quote was changed a bit, but the venue has nothing to do with our losing all these years! The stadium is split 50/50, no home crowd advantage there, the Gators have just been better. Playing indoors in the South in the fall, tailgating downtown Atlanta, less seating capacity for all, no thanks! And even though most of the residents of St. Simons are inconvienced that weekend with people, traffic, etc., etc., major bucks are fed to the community in what would otherwise probably be a down time with regards to tourists.Keep the game in Jax, and start winning Dawgs!! Tradition still matters in some quarters!!
TEC
March 26th, 2009
10:45 am
So, if the game will not be played in Atlanta, why talk about it? No new ideas on how to stir up debate, so Mark debates fantasy.
Dean
March 26th, 2009
10:45 am
Uhmmm, we don’t get to pick where the Bowl games are played. That’s actually up to the individual bowl’s committee. Solid post Kent!
TEC
March 26th, 2009
10:46 am
No wonder news papers are going out of business.
richtfan
March 26th, 2009
10:46 am
for all of you supposed Dawg fans touting the “tradition”, let me inform you of something. Traditions are started because of a CHANGE made in the past. It wasn’t always a tradition to play this game out of our state. At one point it was played home and home. If you’re so hung up on tradition, let’s make a new tradition and play it at a truly neutral site instead of catering to Jax and the Turds.
Dean
March 26th, 2009
10:47 am
I think that most people would agree that location has very little to do with winning or losing. I think that only factors in when one team travels across multiple time zones. But even then it’s a bit weak.
Island Dawg
March 26th, 2009
10:48 am
Kent, UGA is not allowed to play Div II schools per NCAA regulations. It’s called I-AA and nearly every I-A school plays one per year. Also the UGA-GSU “rivalry” is great for the South GA fans and is always a full house. Too bad Tech won’t man up and do the same.
UGADawg83
March 26th, 2009
10:53 am
Hey Mark-
Lets push for something that is a real possibility-playing the UGA-GT game at the Dome in the years it is scheduled for Atlanta. 20,000 more seats would make it a sweet deal.
Dean
March 26th, 2009
10:53 am
I would do anything to get to Austin, Tx if the game were played there. It makes absolutely no sense, but it would be nuetral and alot more fun.
Bird Dog Tavern
March 26th, 2009
10:54 am
Rabun Dawg,
Couldn’t agree more. Keep it in Jax or home/home. It’s not the location that makes us suck. Football in the dome blows. Go Dawgs!
Island Dawg
March 26th, 2009
10:56 am
‘83, that is a GREAT idea. Plus, think of how crappy he weather can be that time of year. I mean if you gotta be in downtown ATL it may as well be at the Dome.
Casey
March 26th, 2009
10:57 am
I would like to see the game move to Atlanta every other year because there is a serious inequity in how much UGA fans have to spend to go to the game versus how much money Florida fans have to spend. And here’s an interesting story for you: A friend and I walked around downtown Jacksonville the day of the game once and it was totally dead. No one around. Atlanta is a much much much better venue for the game when it comes to having other things to do during the weekend. All Jacksonville has is the landing, which is pretty pitiful.
TP
March 26th, 2009
10:58 am
The University of Georgia athletic administration should do what Auburn did to end Alabama’s “perceived near home field advantage” in Birmingham. Play the game in Athens when you are the home team in the series.
Bryan G.
March 26th, 2009
10:58 am
Here’s the difference, Mark: Real UGA fans and Alums want to keep it in Jacksonville (generally).
The Wal-Mart UGA fans who treat UGA like it’s a pro team want to move the game.
I’m an alum and can’t think of a single alum I talk to that wants the game out of Jacksonville. I know there are some out there, but they are few and far between.
Casey
March 26th, 2009
10:58 am
I’ll also say that I’m totally comfortable with making the game a home and home. Having the game in Athens and having more UGA fans there every other year is a good idea in my opinion.
matt
March 26th, 2009
10:59 am
Here’s a thought. Take a poll of your season ticket holders. Include it in their season ticket package. “Would you like to see the UGA/Fla game
Played at Ga. Dome/Jacksonville, Home/Home, Stay as is”. All traditions aren’t good ones. Just because that’s the way it’s always been doesn’t mean that’s the way it always should be.
luckydawg
March 26th, 2009
11:04 am
It has to be played within the state of Florida, because most Gator fans are not allowed to cross state lines.
SC Dawg
March 26th, 2009
11:04 am
As I’ve posted under another blog, Jacksonville’s stadium holds 84,000 for big time events while Georgia Dome holds around 71,000. That means there would be 5000 to 6500 fans on each side who would not get tickets if the game was moved to Atlanta.
Island Dawg
March 26th, 2009
11:06 am
Bryan, only those who have never been to Athens on a weekday if at all would want this moved. I agree completely with your Wal-Mart/ Sidewalk hypothesis. I ahve another: The size of the “G” on your truck’s rear window is inversely proportional to the likelihood of having a UGA diploma on your office wall. Rubes.
mark
March 26th, 2009
11:07 am
Bryan- since you don’t know any alum that would want to move the game I’m suggesting you get out more. I’m with Matt. Take a vote of the season ticket holders.
Dean
March 26th, 2009
11:08 am
I’m a UGA alum and feel that it’s better to leave it as is. But Brian’s post reeks of smugness. “Wall-Mart fans”, please take the self rightousness somewhere else.
Rabun Dawg
March 26th, 2009
11:11 am
richtfan, just asking, where might that truly neutral sight be? Surely not give the revenue to another state? I think many still do not think the Georgia Dome is the right venue, and the Fla. fans would probably think that venue would favor UGA, which I doubt it would any more than Jax favors them. Now, if Atlanta had a large outdoor stadium, then maybe a go, but the Dome, bad fall experience! Atlanta is not Minneapolis or Detroit, and even the Packers play outdoors!
Brandon
March 26th, 2009
11:14 am
It is not fair for UGA to play in Florida every year. This game is an advantage for Florida. This game is a home game for Florida! Let’s play at the dome every other year.
Bird Dog Tavern
March 26th, 2009
11:16 am
Island Dawg,
Love your bumper sticker analogy.
Dean
March 26th, 2009
11:18 am
The idea of a dome stadium for Atlanta was a takcy, 80’s whim. The Gator Bowl is great once you sit down and pray you never have to get up. The traffic into the game is terrible, the entrances are inneficient, the restrooms are a mess and the vendors stink. I don’t know how the Jaguars manage to be a profit driven NFL team.
GATORZONE
March 26th, 2009
11:18 am
Change it to a Home and home so the Georgia fans will stop whining about the unfair “advantage” that the Gators have by playing it in Florida.
Results will still be the same!
Bird Dog Tavern
March 26th, 2009
11:20 am
The game itself has no ‘advantage.’ Last time I checked it was 50/50 in terms of ticket sales. Everyone’s just b*tching because of the drive.
jake
March 26th, 2009
11:23 am
We should quit labeling it “Neutral” if it is played in either state. Alabama/Clemson game played in GA would be considered neutral. It needs to be home and home!!
lfp6
March 26th, 2009
11:24 am
If there is an alternating ‘neutral’ site, I would be ok with The Dome for one year, then back to Jacksonville the next; or just having straight ‘home and home’ games.
But if that isnt gonna pan, then I say leave it be.
Rob
March 26th, 2009
11:27 am
The only people voting yes are Tech fans and people who have never experienced Georgia-Florida. It’s about tradition & the event.
How on earth would you rather tailgate under bridges and at Underground Atlanta instead of along the St. John’s River?
Give me St. Simmons or Amelia Island on Thursday and Friday before the game and then the short drive to Jacksonville
PTC DAWG
March 26th, 2009
11:27 am
I know for a FACT that UGA has played in more than 1 bowl game west of the Mississippi.
Now a question for the Gator…how many times has FU played a regular season game versus an OOC team out of the State of Florida?
1 2 3 4 5…Gator Fan don’t take no jive…Go Gator…
Island Dawg
March 26th, 2009
11:30 am
BDT, thanks and you are so right. That stadium is absolute 50/50. The reason there are more UF fans in Jax on Friday is because all the UGA fans are on St Simons. Why in the world would you want to be there with all the jorts instead of 2 minutes from the beach here with the true Bulldog faithful. Like I said, take Friday off, come down to SSI and I assure you the scene of 5K Uga students and fans is unreal.
Name (required)
March 26th, 2009
11:30 am
No way. The Dome is a horrible football venue. Football, especially college, was made to be played outdoors.
I don’t understand the “home game” comments either. The stadium is a usually 50/50 mix. Even though Jax is a pretty dirty city with terrible accomodations, it’s always fun for that weekend. (and probably ONLY that weekend)