JU business dean to Times-Union: Sharks’ on-the-field success boosts local economy

The Jacksonville Sharks’ success on the field, particularly when it makes it to post-season play as the arena football team has done four consecutive years, is a boon to the local economy, Dr. Don Capener, the Jacksonville University Davis College of Business Dean, said in a Friday, Aug. 9 Florida Times-Union article.

“One of the wonderful things about postseason is that it gives the Sharks an opportunity to bring in a lot of incremental revenues,” including hotel rooms sold to visiting teams’ fans, Capener, who also teaches a sports business class, told the T-U.

“For Jacksonville, it’s not just about the ticket sales; these people [fans] usually spend a couple nights and make a little vacation out of it,” Capener said. “The impact, when we’re talking about thousands of incremental fans, can multiply to hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Capener credited the Sharks’ management for “both engendering appreciation from the fans and developing an economic stake in Jacksonville,” the T-U reported.

Click here to read the entire T-U article.