Welcome to “True to the Teal“. By now you’ve realized our mission- to alleviate the negativity that too often surrounds our Jacksonville Jaguars and to foster a spirit of support, enthusiasm and pride for our team. Each week, we’ll offer personal commentary about this mission and I’d like to start the dialogue with my own experience from this season.
The Jags were pitted against Houston September 27th. I really wanted to watch the game but had to fly out on business that afternoon. I was fortunate enough to catch the first half of the game at JIA and enjoyed watching it with a fellow Jaguars fan that I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time. We were perfect strangers bonded by our common passion.
When I landed, I earnestly sought out the score and was delighted to hear of the win. Even better, the next morning when I opened the USA Today provided by my hotel, I beamed when I saw a picture of a smiling David Garrard with the caption referring to the Jags as the ‘bright spot’ of the Florida NFL teams. It was about time, I thought, that we received some credit and recognition and yes, the Jags had the only winning score in the entire state!
But, my celebration was short-lived as I continued to peruse the page and saw below a story that stated that, despite the win, Jacksonville was and never will be, an elite team in the NFL.
That’s exactly why True to the Teal was formed! Our team takes hits from everywhere- from the sports media, from other teams in the NFL but also from its own fans. It has to stop. We can do our part by being a formidable force to reckon with. When a writer takes on our team, we can fire back. When they criticize the Jaguars, let them take on the team’s ferocious fans as well. Don’t tolerate it. Roar back. Resist the commentary and fight it! Most of all, show respect for our team. Only when the Jaguars get consistent respect from their fans, will they be viewed differently within the league.
Maybe we don’t have a quarterback that makes the covers of the tabloids for dating and publicly breaking up with a celebrity. Maybe our offense doesn’t have the precision and grace of Peyton Manning’s. But our team has grit. They keep coming back week after week in the face of criticism and trying. And. For the past two Sundays, they proved the naysayers wrong. The tide changed.
It’s easy to become enthused about the team after yesterdays’ annhilation of the Titans- boy did that feel good! But, we still have a stadium to fill in order to keep our team profitable and in Jacksonville. It’s up to us, the fans, to replace complacency with zeal, to wipe out negativity with unbridled enthusiasm, to destroy critics with a backlash of support for our team.
Become a part of “True to the Teal”. It’s ok to be disappointed when the team loses; you can be critical of plays, calls, and coaching. But it’s not ok to stop supporting our team. If you do, you may wake up one Sunday with no team at all. Wear your teal with pride. Spread the word. Be proud to be a Jaguars fan. Be proud!
Joanne Gage
True to the Teal
Hey guys, love what your doing, but someone has already beat you to the punch with this concept. OurTeamOurTown on Twitter, has been doing this since the beginning of the season. They have rallies every weekend at Southside and Atlantic blvds. and I have personally seen a group of about 3 guys on the catwalk that spans 95 at University. There are other groups out there doing it too. Same causes, all of them. Trying to sell tickets so the Jags can stay. Maybe you can get with each of those groups and come together in a solid show of support. GO JAGS!
Good stuff !! I agree; the Jags are our team – we need to stand up and let them know we support them and we want the team to stay in Jacksonville. Thank you !! This is Great !!
i am so glad someone started a positive site . ive been going to jags games since i was nine i am 24 years old now , i’ve been there since the begining . this is awsome anything i can do to help let me know
YES! you said it Sista! we need to support this franchise when it’s down because they need us to. they need the support. let’s give it to them.
I’m of the opinion that these writers take shots because they already know we have a good web presence and look for these shots at us, our team, and our city. I think the more effective route would be a “code of silence-” Don’t give these jokers the hits and page views they crave. They’re trolling for Jaguar fans because they know we’ll take the bait. Don’t give them what they want. Instead, if you write negative smack about the city or the team that isn’t related to the product on the field, you’re dead to us. We don’t read you. We don;t click the link to your stories. We don’t write to you.
Hi everyone, I was pleased to recieve your card walking into the stadium on Sunday that informed me of this wonderful movement. I would love to help in any way possible. I would also like to let you know that we can surely use your help at the Champions Club next year. If you are not familiar with us, we are a volunteer group that reports directly to the Jaguars organization that promotes ticket sales and encourages support for the Jags 365 days a year. We’ve been going now for several years and have brought several new fans into the stadium and had a really good time doing it. Go to Jaguars.com/champions club and see what it’s all about. I look forward to being part of true to the teal and supporting the Jags any way I can! GO JAGS!!!!!
Thanks for the comments, gentlemen. Eric, the more groups, the better. I’m sure each has the same overall objective but with small nuances. Part of our mission is to combat the negativity that seems to surround the team. Of course, with two wins under their belt, it’s a bit quieter than in the beginning of the season but we advocate responding to all negative comments with positive ones. I hope you’ll all visit this site regularly as we keep adding content. Also, Eric, we should combine events in the near future. Of course, dividing and conquering is also a good approach!
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