Georgia-Florida game moving to Atlanta? World’s Largest Cocktail Party mulls moving up I-75
UGA fans tailgate during the "World's Largest Cocktail Party," aka the Georgia-Florida game, in the RV parking lot outside Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
Tradition defines the Georgia-Florida game as technically being played on neutral turf – “neutral” being Jacksonville and Jacksonville being in Florida.
“No, there are no talks going on,” Evans said Friday. “Gary Stokan of the Atlanta Sports Council has expressed interest in and approached us about moving the game to Atlanta. That’s the extent of it. I wouldn’t call it talks.”
“We’re not asking to move half the games or all of the games to Atlanta,” Stokan said. “We respect tradition. We’re just looking for one of the four.”
Georgia’s contract to play Florida in Jacksonville — a location that has long rankled Dogs fans — expires next year.
“Obviously, we have heard of these kind of discussions before,” Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley said. “We have been strong proponents of keeping the game in Jacksonville and that has not changed.”
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? Should the Georgia-Florida game call the Dome home every four years or is the annual trip to Jax just too much of a tradition to alter in any way, shape or form? Economically speaking, how much of a boost to the metro economy would this be? Would you be as inclined to go to the game in Atlanta?
Related story: Evans dismisses talks of moving Ga.-Fla. to Atlanta
Photos: ATL vs. JAX: Who’d be the better Ga-Fla host? Vote for the better city!
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365 comments Add your comment
Welsh Gator
March 25th, 2009
9:49 am
It will never be played in the Dome. Hahahahaha. Maybe it will just go to home and home, which would be better anyways.
gatordawg
March 26th, 2009
7:26 am
I am all for a neutral site, but how can Jacksonville be called a neutral site when it is still in the state of Florida? Spare me about the distance “how the crow flys” from each school’s campus. Come on! How is it fair that the state of Florida gets all of the economic boost from this game? How is this fair? It should alternate from Jacksonville to Atlanta EVERY year. THAT would be fair. This once every four years crap is BS. BTW, I remember when Florida wanted to change it. We owned them big time until Spurrier. Either way, do what makes the most common sense. Alternate each year from state to state at a neutral site.
Grant
March 26th, 2009
9:05 am
Why Jax or ATL? Why not home and home? What do we owe both cities? Let’s play this game in Athens and Gainesville like other big schools do…
LocoBurro
March 26th, 2009
1:05 pm
It would be nice if a large stadium were built in Valdosta, GA that could host the game evey other year. That would keep the game close to the Georgia/Florida Border and would allow the state of Georgia to bring in revenue every other year. The stadium could also serve as Home field for the Valdosta State Blazers and allow them to move up from Division II. It would be nice to have another Division 1A school in Georgia and it be in South Georgia. The Valdosta/Lowndes game could be played in the stadium as well as some state playoff games and other events. Why should Atlanta and North Georgia have all the fun? Let’s build something in good ole South Georgia for a change.
LocoBurro
March 26th, 2009
1:08 pm
We can use some of Obama’s stimulas money to build the stadium.
SouthBendDawg
March 26th, 2009
2:35 pm
Home and Home! It would be good for both schools and fans.
e-money
March 27th, 2009
1:28 pm
i think it should be a trade off. Every four years it should alternate back and forth, either that or simply play the game at a truly neutral site, like maybe tuscaloosa or auburn.
wartdog
March 27th, 2009
6:46 pm
Waaa Waaa Waaa! Its in Jacksonville and thats where it will stay! For those who don’t like us invading their beloved St. Simons, shut up! You live in a resort town on the beach that advertises to tourists! As for Jacksonville being an advatage to the Gators… Its time the Dawgs start manning up and winning some games! They don’t have any more tix than we do. Besides I look forward to the annual trip!
davejaxgator
April 2nd, 2009
7:19 pm
I started going to the GA-FL game when I was 10 years old, my birthday is that week in November, and Steve Spurrier was the FL QB. Vince Dooley WAS Georgia and his teams kicked FL’s ass and tore their hearts out for 25 years. Never heard anything about playing in ATL then. Now some want to change the venue, hoping it will make a difference in game score. Maybe, maybe not. Best plan for GA: get more players, better players and keep Richt coaching. Half the stadium is red/black, half is orange and blue. When one whole side jumps up to cheer their team, the other side HAS to sit down. I’ve been to many college footbal games and never seen anything like it. I always hate having to sit down and watch GA crow. But that is part of the spectacle of THE GAME. All of us, GA and FL alike, would be foolish to let that get away from us. Go Gator(oops, make that one Corrine Brown cheer – how embarrassing). Even Bulldogs know how that cheer goes !!!
GatorsRule
April 17th, 2009
1:21 pm
“No true bacon boy” (or whatever your name is. If you are a “no true bacon boy” then what are you, a meathead?). Let me get this straight. Tide kicked Fla’s butt for most of the game? Do they get points for that? I think Gators won. And, my personal favorite, Dawgs would have won if they “had gotten a few breaks” against Fla. in ‘08. Yeah, you’re right, that 45-10 butt whippin’ was much closer than the score indicated. A few more breaks, and the Gators would have won 65-10!!! Either you didn’t see the game or were too drunk to watch, trying to soothe your hurt feelings with a few spirits. “Need I mention Ole Miss.” Please do, if it wasn’t for that loss we would not have turned it around and been in Miami in January as opposed to, where were you guys, Tampa, Orlando? One loss by one point. GA: 3 losses by….didn’t even win the Georgia State Championship in 08!! Ouch!!! Geeks from Techville put it on you guys! Snicker, snicker! About the Fla.-Ga. game, Gators don’t care!! Put it on a barge in the middle of the freakin’ Atlantic. We’ll still show up and kick your butt 9 out of 10 years anyway!!!!!
TroyU
May 15th, 2009
11:59 am
A similar situation existed in Ala/Aub being played at Birmingham(the Iron Bowl) every year. Auburn finally wised up and started playing at Auburn and Tuscaloosa every other year. Georgia is not beholden to the city of Jacksonville for anything. When will UG wake up and realize that the money by Jacksonville is an illusion? One more win, pretty much guaranteed, every other year, (at Athens) will enable UGA to up their BCS bowls and the money will be the same. Plus, the prestige in having a better record will give more recruits, and everything else that goes with it.
Spud
May 20th, 2009
8:59 pm
it wont make a diffrence, the gators will still kick that dawg ass
WAKULLA
May 20th, 2009
9:17 pm
As a Florida State Seminole fan…I couldn’t care less where it’s played! But hey..tradition matters. It doesn’t seem fair to uga to play it year in and year out in Jax though…but the “Dome” isn’t a very good choice. Maybe Gainesville / Athens?
The CWS is held in Omaha (of all places) EVERY year…THAT makes no sense either.
But… GO SEMINOLES!!
Georgia fans always crying about something
May 22nd, 2009
7:39 pm
When Georgia was beating Florida all the time nobody complained. no the leghumpers can’t be the Gators but once every 5 or 6 years want the game moved. u georgia hicks kill me. boo hoo. Mark Richt made a stupid remark on how hot it was in Jax. say what? Maybe 10 degrees or less warmer. Hey Mark Richt did you complain about the hot weather while you were at Florida State? Dumb ass. Georgia fans can keep your hypocrite coach.
jimbokins
May 23rd, 2009
1:40 pm
Really… who cares where these two football factories choose to play? No matter where they play, the average IQ of their players and fans will quality that city for federal disaster relief.