Can Tebow Boost Ticket Sales in Jacksonville?

Throughout the history of Jacksonville's franchise, selling tickets has been a major problem.

This year is no different, as the Jaguars are still well short of the numbers necessary to keep their home games from being blacked out.

That got me thinking: What could Jacksonville do to boost ticket sales?

The one thing that popped into my mind was drafting Tim Tebow.

Jacksonville is certainly an NFL town, but there is a strong Gator contingency in the River City. I have been to a number of Jaguar games during my time in the area, and every time a Gator alumnus is introduced before the game, you can see a number of fans doing the Gator Chomp.

Perhaps no Florida player will ever be more popular that Tebow. Putting my personal bias aside, I really think that he could go down as one of the best college football players ever, especially if he wins another Heisman Trophy as a senior or makes it back to the national championship game.

There are a number of FSU and UGA fans who also pull for the Jaguars and obviously aren't big fans of Tebow.

But unlike polarizing players like Deion Sanders and Dennis Rodman, who only endear themselves to the fans of the team they play for, I think fans all over the world can respect what Tebow is about. Seminole and Bulldog fans might get tired of hearing about him all the time, but I don't think the majority of them feel hatred toward the Florida QB.

If the Jaguars make the playoffs in 2009, then this is a moot point. Winning always draws the masses. But it's important to be able to win on a consistent basis, which is something Jacksonville hasn't been able to accomplish.

If the Jaguars struggle in 2009, which I think is the more plausible scenario, then they should definitely take a chance at Tebow in the first day of the draft. I honestly don't know how his game will translate to the NFL (although new QB coach Scott Loeffler should help in that regard), but with his personality and strong character, he could be the face of the franchise for years to come.