Jaguars Owner Shad Khan on Decision to Play International Games: ‘I Think It’s Been Great’
Following the bombshell news last week that the Jacksonville Jaguars would be playing two home games in London instead of Jacksonville in 2020, Jaguars owner Shad Khan has continued to publically expound on the rationale behind playing an international series.
This time, Khan did it on Black News Channel, a Tallahassee-based 24/7 news network that Khan is the majority investor of. In a 12-minute interview with the network that aired Monday, Khan delved into why he thinks playing 25% of his team's 2020 home games in London is necessary, and why playing internationally has strengthed the Jaguars in his eyes.
"I think it's been great", Khan said about his team's international series. "Because Jacksonville, I think is a small market. When I was introduced, for me it was, I’m going to do everything to keep football, NFL football, in Jacksonville. So how do we do that? A logical solution to me was really we want to expand the fan base, and we don’t want to put extra pressure on our fans in Jacksonville to be able to support all the games.”
Khan and the Jaguars' decision to take a second home game to London has been met with backlash from local Jaguars fans, but Khan has remained steadfast in backing the international endeavor. Jacksonville has played one game annually in London every season since 2013, Khan's second season as owner. The agreement to play two home games in London is presently only an agreement for 2020, and the Jaguars' contract with the league to play annual London games ends after the 2020 season.
"We want to play to a full stadium, and yet make it easier for them (fans)," Khan said “Playing games outside the country really turned out great for us. I think our fans have traveled with us. We have a lot of fans outside the U.S. and it’s been a win-win for everybody."
Khan also noted that the London series has helped grow the league's prescence overseas, leading to more teams playing games out of the United States. In 2020, the Jaguars will be the first NFL team to ever play two home games outside of the United States.
"Been great for the league, too," Khan said about international games. "There are other NFL teams now that have followed us in London, so it is great to have a much bigger following of NFL supporters. "
While the London games have likely helped grow the Jaguars' international prescence, there is little evidence to say it has been advantageous to play internationally when it comes to winning football games. Jacksonville is 3-4 in London games, including 26-3, 42-10, and 31-17 losses/
