This is some header:
“Jacksonville’s $35 million gain comes at expense of Kirby Smart and Georgia”
More of the same in the article from Mike Griffith…
The University of Georgia, meanwhile, gets about $3.2 million every other year (pro-rated $1.6 annually) from Jacksonville to:
• move a designated home game away from Athens
• forfeit its biggest recruiting weekend
• put its players at a travel disadvantage in a rivalry game
Coach Kirby Smart, and some Bulldogs fans and players, don’t think that’s such a great deal…
But most all of the green stays in the state of Florida, and neither team can recruit effectively on game day in Jacksonville.
For some reason, he left out the weather, which was always one of Mark Richt’s greatest hits. The rest of the whining sounds familiar, though.
Funny how his concerns about travel, recruiting and spending money in foreign places don’t temper his admiration of Smart’s scheduling upgrades. All I can figure is that Griffith really doesn’t like traveling to Florida — or he’s a hack pushing somebody’s agenda.
Get The Picture 
I’m guessing the answer is (B), though with the caveat that he may not be pushing any agendas but, instead, is simply writing something because he has a per-day quota of posts that he has to meet.
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Mike Griffith does not appear to be very bright.
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You are correct, sir!
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Pandering to the newbie crowd. I expect mot of them are about as deep as he is. Just another bandwagoner, I suspect he will get off when it is not the flavor of the day. Kirby is the one who puzzles me, he hasn’t made many mistakes but he needs to back off. Even if it is just to squeeze JAX to reach deeper, he is confusing the fans who would not ordinarily support blowing up one of the great traditions in CFB. We are beating the socks of others in recruiting, why tilt the field?
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Does all the money really stay in Florida? I quit staying in J’ville years ago because of the price gouging. I suggest a lot of Georgia money is spent on the Georgia coast which is why I wonder how much more the city will pony up which may ultimately be the real reason the game goes home and home. This has certainly become a tired argument either way. I still don’t understand the rush to give up 40K+ tickets every year.
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I’m gonna keep going to the Cocktail Party while I still can.
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Man.. I’m glad we still have Seth Emerson covering UGA, and I never expected him to be replaced by someone as good as he was…. but this is the best DawgNation could get?
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This has probably been discussed before, but does anyone know why teams aren’t allowed to host recruits at neutral site games?
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My understanding is that NCAA rules allow hosting recruits at neutral site games, but UF & UGA agree not to. It would count as a recruit’s one official visit and therefore neither team could host that recruit on campus for a visit. Also, due to the team’s travel schedule the coaches would have less “face time” with the recruits and families. Finally, and most important to McGarity, those UF tickets are valuable incentives to fans to join Magill or to increase Hartman Fund contributions. UGA sells every ticket to members of those groups. If we hosted 100 recruits and families in Jacksonville that could divert maybe 400-500 tickets from Hartman Fund and Magill Society fans to recruits and families, and McGarity does not want to do that.
Neither UF or UGA see the advantage in unilaterally deciding not to, so both agree not to.
That is what I have read from other sources.
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Playing devil’s advocate: Having it count as an official doesn’t prevent unofficial visits to our campus at all. They can come on unofficial and join those who are on their official visit to Athens.
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Absolutely. The RB from California and the TE from Nevada and their families can pay their own way to Athens if they can afford it and want to do it. May be hard to get them to pay to travel on a specific weekend when the trip to Alabama or Clemson or LSU that weekend is free. But yes, any recruit may visit on his own dime as many times as he wishes.
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Some that come on their own dime who live far away are on an official at a nearby school. Sure. If they come on an official to Athens, they can attend any game of their choosing.
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He’s angling for Claude’s job
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Kirby, why, oh why, do you want to push all of your goodwill chips into the middle of the table on this issue?
I still think this is negotiation for a sweeter deal from Jacksonville.
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No, I think Kirby is single-mindedly focused on maximizing recruiting success & thinks the Jacksonville Game is something he can give up to do that. It’s not about the $$ UGAAA gets, it’s not about the South Georgia people, it’s not about a unique college football tradition, or something special about the rivalry or Georgia football to him. It’s simply about recruiting.
Although, I would think the Jacksonville Game could be leveraged for a recruiting advantage – but I’m sure Kirb Dawg has done the math and for him it’s come up wanting.
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I understand he’s focused on recruiting, but sorry if I don’t buy the line about one more player committing. The Jacksonville game hasn’t impacted recruiting one damn bit.
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Granted that recruiting is important, but Kirby is already recruiting at an insane level. I think keeping it in Jax is worth more than trying to shoehorn in one more recruit. We only get 25/85 anyway. I think that has to be a negotiating posture.
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FWIW, I don’t either. I just think that’s his angle.
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I am hoping you are correct sir.
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Can you imagine how the “natty or bust” tone will elevate if the WLOCP moves? I can hear it now (and I probably would be saying the same thing myself), “You took the Cocktail Party out of Jacksonville because you saw it as a stumbling block for recruiting and for the program. Deliver a national championship or else.”
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That meme won’t hunt any longer. How can you take a negatively proposed future statement as being made by most fans? “Deliver a national championship or else” my ass. What’s the “or else” crap you slather here.
I am one who likes the game in J’ville for two reasons: It has become traditional and the 50-50 fan split is unique when cheering for each college team. I can party at any game. That doesn’t mean that we can’t discuss this as relative to what Kirby wants by interjecting objectivity. I’ll be a happy camper if the game stays in J’ville, but the nonsense proposed here as a discussion is off the path of the way I’ve read most of your well thought out posts.
Now, if some of you have this circled as getting away from it all, including the spouse, I apologize for messing with your secret private life in J’ville.
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Are you in the cookies too early or can you not read, Cojones? I specifically stated this if the Cocktail Party left Jax to give Kirby another recruiting weekend, I could see how the “natty or bust” crowd would take that as another thing to hold against Kirby if he doesn’t deliver a national championship.
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You specifically put yourself into that crowd. I didn’t miss that.
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I would have a higher expectation of Kirby if he got his way on this issue (I haven’t been part of the “natty or bust” crowd for the 26 years I’ve held season tickets or for the 40+ I’ve been a Georgia fan). I think his perspective on this is VERY short-sighted. Where the game is played doesn’t impact me because I haven’t been to Jacksonville since 2000 (yes, I give enough to get tickets).
If Kirby decides to push his goodwill chips into the middle of the table on this issue, he should be held to a higher standard because what he’s saying is that Jacksonville keeps him from the objective of winning a championship.
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Please. Someone stuff a sock in Mike Griffith. Thanks.
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Alex, I’ll take “hack” 25 cents please…..
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Quit picking on him….at least he has quit talking about UT.
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A big part of what makes college football unique is the traditions. My father took me to my first cocktail party in the early 70’s. When I was in college and for many years after (before we all migrated away from the Southeast) we looked forward to getting together in Jax every year. We had friends from both sides (yes we have some gator friends…but keep that quiet) that made it a point to get to that game if no other. We don’t get back as often, but we keep that game circled on the calendar and still get there every few years. Sadly this tradition like so many others seems to be headed to the scrap heap of history. Pretty soon they will want to get rid of the bands to make room for more revenue. If this continues, the uniqueness that is college football will be a thing of the past.
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with climate change and all, the weather is less of an issue now.
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Home and home!
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You arguments are more emotional than anything else Senator. I get it. You really like the game in Jax. I have family there so I enjoy it too. However, a home and home series with an upgraded schedule provides at least a real home game to UGA. The Jax series leaves UGA at a disadvantage in many ways that is not paid back the next year.
Argue your point from a fan perspective. That experience certainly has tremendous value that many administrators are overlooking these days. But it is not whining when the other side points out how the team is disadvantaged by playing in Jax.
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From a non-whining perspective, if the team is disadvantaged by playing in Jax, is it not similarly disadvantaged scheduling these non-conference home-and-home series?
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The home and home gives an advantage to each team and each team gets a similar disadvantage the following year. That evens it out over a couple of years. In Jax, the same is not true. One team has some inherent advantages playing in Jax every year.
However, since we are talking about football as entertainment from the fan perspective, there are some things more important than winning. Being entertained is one of them. Few people are entertained by watching UGA pound little sisters of the poor. Your argument that it is more entertaining, for many fans, to play in Jacksonville is a good one. But to say that things are even on the playing field for each team by playing in Jax isn’t a good argument. Neither is it whining when others point out that there are some inherent advantages for UF by playing in Jax. Bottom line, UGA just has to be good enough to overcome those disadvantages and that has been the case for most of the history of this game.
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Such as? Travel time is even and the stands are split. So what’s left to gripe about? The smell of the salt air and paper plants?
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I still don’t get how we are disadvantaged playing there when we hold a significant lead in the overall series, even with Florida’s 15 years of relevancy in the 90’s to mid 00’s. The crowd is split in half and we more often than not stomp them there. Where is the disadvantage?
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The answer is B and the agenda is click-chasing for money. We used to get actual journalism from Seth Emerson over at Dawgnation. Now he’s been replaced by an arrogant Yankee know-it-all, hot-take specialist who insists that we should trash our traditions despite him having zero connection to Georgia football 2 years ago. He doesn’t know s–t about the special community formed around football traditions and tailgating parties, and he couldn’t appreciate it even if it was pointed out to him.
I want journalists to ask hard questions, get access to privileged information, and tell me the significance of said information while leaving me to make conclusions. I don’t need beat writers using their keyboard to tell me how I ought to feel about the situation. Check your opinions at the door Mike, especially when you have no idea what you’re talking about.
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Your last sentence cuts both ways. You should consider shedding your moniker if you can’t tout the Classic City over J’ville for a home game.
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Disagreeing with Cojones = not knowing what you’re talking about.
I bet you think you don’t lose a lot of arguments.
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Boy, you dipped out of your typical path (replying to comments addressed to you) to take up a pretty picayune point being directed at someone else. You seem pretty touchy about a differing opinion lately.
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You’ve put up five comments in this thread in the space of less than 30 minutes, but somebody else is the touchy one. Got it.
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I’m participating in the give and take, not the give alone. I was just wondering since you usually don’t get into a one-on-one opinion.
Btw, knowing how you police for sockpuppetry, do you sometimes give in and participate? Jus’ askin’.
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Ah, the ol’ give and take. You insert yourself into a conversation and that’s “give and take”… anybody else, the rules are different.
After tracking the assholes here, I don’t have time to play with a sockpuppet. Just sayin’.
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I don’t get your angst about my comment, but realize it does takes a bigger asshole to track the rest of us assholes here.
I’m ordering your Christmas Cactus early this year and will try to get it to you by Leil Selichot, September 21, so that you may have a prayer for us assholes.
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You’ve confused angst with a bored interest in seeing how badly you want to have the last word.
And I don’t have to be a bigger asshole. Just big enough.
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Actually the NCCA rule says that unless you play two games at the Neutral site can tickets be given to prospective athletes. The is no “actual” official visits ever allowed at neutral site locations.
1) The best times for visits would be spring games or during summer camps at which the athlete ( or school donor) foots the bill for the admission
2) The time between the end of the college season and before the bowls begin.
These two methods allow more one on one time with position coaches, head coach, school tours with professors or Deans that prospective athletes might be interested in taking. Gain a better glimpse of college life, team persona, etc…… These visits would be canned as a entire or broader spectrum of the school’s advantages or disadvantages from the prospects viewpoint.
3) The actual game day “Official” visit is more hectic, athletes have usually played the night before, possibly if they live close enough to get there early to eat at team breakfast, brief coaching interchanges, side line passes before kickoff, post locker game visit, brief coaches meeting’s because it’s break down film time of game and next Saturday’s opponent.
It’s a great rivalry to be sure, but the 40,000 tickets the Donor’s hold may have as much weight as Kirb’s crutin’ weekend. The sad part of this loss in exchange would be as most here have stated “tailgating”.
As far as tailgating in Athens, the UGA heads had decided this was a pain over 20 years ago. If you think the restrooms in Sanford need work how about public restrooms located in and around parking lots. No wait we cut out parking areas, what is left is pay lots and made parking garages where you can’t cookout or spit without getting a ticket.
You can be sympathetic toward losing the WLOC, but I figure money wins out. Now which makes more money the UGA athletic department when Jacksonville raises the pot of gold to where now I think the figure works out to about 1.6 million a years + I think travel and expenses are put on Jacksonville’s tab. Where if it’s home and home UGA would have plane, hotels and meals cut into a once every other year profits.
Which wins out the 40,000 ticket donors or Jacksonville upping the ante.
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Since Kirby is the one who wants to change for recruiting reasons, I’d suggest that you take your 3 “points” and propose to him how stupid he is about recruiting. Consider that your egotistical post flies in the face of all the recruiting specialists we pay to know how to recruit , timing of such recruiting and many minute details they deal with that you in your wisdom have overlooked. Sheesh!
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The recruiting argument is really lame. I almost fell on the floor laughing the first time I read Kirby stating that.
I thought he was smarter than that….
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As a home and home this is no longer your biggest recruiting weekend. It’s just another game. Move it out of Jacksonville and the game ceases to be special. We will no longer command the CBS 3:30 time slot either.
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Why wouldn’t CBS (in your mind’s eye) not televise the Ga/FU game? It’s to their ad income advantage to show this rivalry game known throughout the US.
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Cojones, I’m not saying they won’t televise it. I’m saying it loses it’s status as a marquee game. You can be sure if we bail Jacksonville will find other team(s) to play the game. And let’s say another big game is scheduled that day. Guess which game gets the 3:30 time slot? UGA/FL ends up at 7:00 or even Noon.
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I’m saying that the place doesn’t matter, it’s the teams the tv audience wants to see.
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I disagree. The fact that the WLOCP has been taking place in Jacksonville for so long is it’s primary appeal, not only for many, many fans but for TV too. On campus, it loses most of what makes it unique. On campus, GA/FL is no longer a destination game. It may still be important but it’s not unlike any other game. There are lots of important games. There is only one that takes place in Jacksonville.
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Imagine this. The WLOCP from a Tennessee fan’s perspective.
Or just ask a Tennessee fan how he feels about the WLOCP .
Regardless of what he says he will have a pissed -off jealous look on his face.
It’s good publicity for Georgia (and Florida).
Now suppose Georgia backs out of the tradition and
Florida makes a deal with Tennessee to play in JAX every year and
every year we have to watch and hear the buildup to the WLOCP between the two biggest East rivals of UGA.
All of a sudden, Tennessee is in the most hyped SECE game of the year.
From a recruiting perspective, who do you think that hurts? And it gives TN a big footprint in FL where they really need to recruit.
That probably wouldn’t happen but it could.
Heck, if Tennessee was willing to play a game in Bristol, they’d surely jump at the prestige of the WLOCP.
But my point is to realize what we have. A very special, very hyped yearly event. And it keeps you out of Gainesville every other year.
Better to hang in there and enjoy the tradition.
It’s good publicity for Georgia.
(Again, I’m not saying anything of this nature would happen. I doubt Mullens want’s to give Tennessee that big advantage into the State..but it IS what Georgia has now)
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True that. If we bail, someone else fills the void. Georgia/Florida becomes just another game.
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The Tennessee/FU rivalry doesn’t approach the Ga/FU rivalry in historical perspective. It will continue to be that big rivalry when played home and home. Everyone can party to their heart’s content at neutral sites and J’ville continues to be a neutral site of tradition only.
CBS televises Ga games other than at WLOCP.
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He was talking to the local radio dorks on 690 The Ump this morning and belly-achin’ that Athens is missing out on $35 Million that could be “spent to fix the Greenways.” It’s obvious this donkey will ride out the story for what he can. More than likely, Senator, you’re driving a lot of traffic his way by calling out the dude’s hackery, lol.
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The math is misleading. Most Georgia fans who travel to a home game in Athens don’t spend like Georgia fans going to Jax.
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Exactly right … I may not spend a dime in Athens for a home game if I bring all of my own tailgating supplies, don’t eat at a restaurant, don’t buy any Georgia apparel/swag, make it through the game without buying concessions, and have my gas tank filled before I leave. The only money I may spend is for a parking spot if I don’t already have a reserved parking space.
Coming from Atlanta, I damn sure am not going to stay in a hotel or other accommodations from Thursday to Sunday.
That argument is so lame.
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The argument also doesn’t take into account what gets spent in South Georgia that weekend. I guess Griffith believes Athens is more deserving of our money.
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He really went down that road in the interview but over the radio, it’s really just some rant from somebody that just “wants” the series Home and Home and any reasoning otherwise doesn’t matter to him (just like any other little corporate media shill).
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Maybe he hates that they make him drive to Jacksonville on game day.
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Maybe he’s just an idiot from 10rc who doesn’t understand the Georgia-Florida game and is using this as clickbait.
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What would Kirby do if a 5-star tells him I really can’t wait to play in that Jacksonville game so I’m coming to Georgia?
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