Jaguars donate playoff tickets to refugees, Puerto Rico hurricane victims

Jay Busbee
· Senior writer

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t been to the playoffs in 10 years, but they’re doing it up right. The team will be donating 1,000 tickets to Sunday’s wild-card game against the Buffalo Bills to refugees now living in the Jacksonville area.

Per the team’s website, the Jaguars and owner Shad Khan have donated 500 tickets to refugees from around the world who have settled in northeast Florida. The team worked with a local charity, Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida, to identify refugees displaced from their homes because of political strife or natural disaster. Another 500 tickets will go to Puerto Ricans displaced by the disastrous Hurricane Maria.

The team will provide courtesy transportation and a souvenir, and, along with Delaware North Sportservice, will provide a food and beverage voucher for each attendee.

Beyond that, the team continues to provide low-cost tickets to local military members; the team has distributed 1,500 tickets at a discounted rate of $20 per ticket to active-duty personnel in the area. (Worth noting for the cynical among you: this isn’t a case of the team trying to fill empty seats. The Jaguars sold out all available playoff tickets within minutes.)

“The Jaguars’ first home playoff appearance in very long time is an event that should be shared with as many people as possible, across all spectrums, who call Jacksonville their home,” Khan said in a statement. “Whether it’s a home game in August or January, it’s important for the Jaguars to consistently be good citizens and do the right thing for our community. Hopefully the experience on Sunday will give our guests a well-deserved break from what can be severe challenges in their daily lives, and if we can give them a victory on the field, it will make for a perfect day.”

Great move by the Jaguars. If you don’t already have a playoff favorite for this weekend, Jacksonville’s given you a fine reason to cheer for the Jags.

The Jaguars will be welcoming in some refugees for their first playoff game. (Getty)
The Jaguars will be welcoming in some refugees for their first playoff game. (Getty)

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.