Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan doesn't want the Super Bowl in Jacksonville, even with all the new facilities, amenities, and improvements being added to EverBank Field and the surrounding areas. And even though the Super Bowl is commonly thought to be a strong driver of local revenue wherever it goes, it's not for every city.
So when a reporter asked Jaguars owner Shad Khan if he'd try to get the Super Bowl in Jacksonville again, he shut it down pretty quickly.
"Here in Jacksonville? Absolutely not. What it takes to get a Super Bowl, I think, is setting Jacksonville up for failure," Khan said after the State of the Franchise event. "I think with time and money, energy is much better served on something else. For example, what they’re going through in Miami. A big renovation with the Dolphins would be a great venue for a Super Bowl. I’d love to see Florida get Super Bowls, but I think Tampa and Miami are much better suited for that. The requirements now for hotel rooms and some of the other infrastructure amenities we don’t have here so let’s not kid ourselves."
But that doesn't mean he's not open to the idea of having other NFL-related high-profile events come to Jacksonville.
"I think we can have other NFL events here that we’d be well-suited for especially if we get a development south of here. The Draft would be something inspirational for us and this amphitheater. I am just talking the top of my head now. We want NFL involvement here but the Super Bowl is not one of them."
Bringing in certain events, like the NFL Draft, would allow the city to show itself off and benefit from increased tourism without the burden of high costs up front like hotel rooms, tourist accommodations, and more that would only be used for the event itself and in the long run cost more than they're worth.