Let’s start off with the best part…the Jaguars new locker room (courtesy of its new owner Shad Kahn) is SWANK AS HELL! I mean truly amazing. Kahn really has some good taste. Let’s get into it.

The main area has a big Jaguars logo on the ceiling. There are also lots of leather chairs. If you’ve ever been to the strip club King of Diamonds in Miami this design will look familiar to you.

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Here is the main view of the locker room. As you can see the Jaguars have made a great switch from bench style lockers and each station has it’s own leather chair. You can see why full back Naufahu Tahi  said it reminded him of a night club.

According to the Jaguars each locker is equipped with LED lights that can be set to any color and an equipment ventilation system that freshens whatever is in the locker. No more stinky gym bags?

The shower room and wet room designs were inspired by European spas.

A better view of the spa look. There’s also a steam room and dry sauna off to the side.

Here’s the pool area. The Jaguars describe this as “two self-contained waterfalls.”

WR Laurent Robinson said that he “feel like a celebrity.” Well Laurent, you are a…nevermind.

There are also 24 HD tvs all around the place from 40-80 inches with a control system that lets them switch channels, post team schedules, motivational phrases and things of that nature. Plus a “first class” sound system.  Thanks to the Jaguars for providing footage of the redesign!

Now, onto the next subject. Kahn made a good decision to reduce the threshold for blackouts; however he also wants the Jaguars to play some home games overseas – in London to be exact. He has filed a request with the league to make that possible. Thus far, he hasn’t heard back but he tells Jacksonville.com that he’s “optimistic.” The real question is why does he want to do this? This country (minus the 1% like Kahn who says his NFL ownership is his smallest business) is in a recession and travel to Europe isn’t cheap. Jacksonville.com asked Kahn about the reason for his plans:

Some of the fans who do attend all the games don’t want to lose a home game for multiple years. What is your message to them?
My message is you’re not going to lose a home game. The home game is just going to be a little further away, across the water, across the pond. When we get to the point where we’re successful in that endeavor, we’ll do everything to accommodate Jacksonville area fans who want to go to that home game in London.

Could you outline your reasons for wanting to make multiple trips?
I think there are a couple of other very, very compelling reasons. I think one, to get the name of Jacksonville, Florida, out there nationally and more important, internationally, for the economic development, the name recognition and for the Jaguars to get the brand recognition out there.

And there are some fans who maybe want to have one less game, I think, because of economic or other reasons. So we’d be able to accommodate them. I think for Jacksonville and the Jaguars this is a good way for enhancing both of those missions. And I think we have a community that is supporting this effort.

If you remember, the first time I was introduced in Jacksonville, somebody asked a question and quite by accident, I ended up talking about this. Since then at a number of events, we’ve talked at length and as I’ve spoken to the fans, business leaders, civic leaders, one on one, I think it is an idea that has a huge amount of support for all the right reasons.

I have two thoughts on this.

Let’s assume that Kahn is planning to keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville (despite all the rumors to the contrary). If he really wants to build brand recognition the best (and possibly ONLY) thing he can do is win. He has to sign a star and start winning some games. Kahn seems to be thinking of NFL ownership and brand building as similar to the way it’s done in corporate America. But those teams that have a following nationally and internationally (Cowboys and Colts, for example) had to win and give cities players to rally around in order to get that following.

My second thought is that this makes me suspicious of his real plans. If Jacksonville is enthusiastic about the Jaguars the only reason I can think of to really want the Jaguars to be a larger brand (besides merchandising) is so that they’re popular prior to moving. This just seems like a plan to make the Jaguars a standalone brand rather than one connected to a middling city. But maybe I’m reading too much into it.

I’m open to other people’s thoughts.