Spotlight: Lonestar and Jacksonville Sharks

Jacksonville can feel like a big city that still runs on personal connections, and that’s the thread tying this whole show together. We kick off with a rapid-fire guide to upcoming Northeast Florida concerts and summer events, including big nights at the St. Augustine Amphitheater and the Florida Theatre, so you can actually plan your next weekend instead of doom-scrolling for ideas.

Then we sit down with Dean Sams, founding member of Lonestar, for a candid look at what longevity really takes. Dean shares how the band started back in 1992, what it’s like to carry ten number one hits into a new era, and why the best nights on the road are the ones where parents bring their kids and everyone sings the same chorus. We also dig into the creative spark behind Iconic Volume One, a tribute project built from a spontaneous soundcheck, plus the thinking behind 10 to 1, where Lone Star re-records their chart-toppers to reflect how the songs have grown onstage.

The second half shifts from music to arena lights at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena with Jacksonville Sharks majority owner Kevin Wezniak, joined by Isabella and Ashley. Kevin walks us through his Navy background, how caring for his dad during dementia led to falling in love with Sharks games, and how that eventually turned into ownership. Ashley and Isabella explain their home care work across Northeast Florida and highlight a VA home care benefit many veterans don’t realize they may qualify for. We also get the inside view of indoor football as an entertainment business: themed nights, a tightly scripted run of show, streaming growth, ticket affordability, and why the experience feels so close you can’t look away.

Subscribe for more local stories, share this with a friend who loves live music or sports, and leave a review telling us what Jacksonville event you want to hit next.

Transcript

Welcome And Local Event Picks

SPEAKER_03 0:01

Welcome to another episode of Live from Jacksonville. I'm your host, Amadeus. We have a couple of really cool guests coming up. So let's jump right into what's happening in the next few weeks in Jacksonville. The St. Augustine Amphitheater, staying busy this summer with Minute Work and guests Toad the West Rocket and Shonen Knife on Friday, July 17th. Dirk Sventley with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder on Saturday, July 18th. Lindsay Sterling on Monday, July 20th, and the Black Keys are at the Amp on Wednesday, July night uh July 29th. The Amp.com for details and tickets. The Thrasher Horn Center has Rodney Atkins performing on Friday, July 17th, and a back to school bash on Saturday, July 25th from 9 a.m. till 11 a.m. Dang, is it back to school time already? Get to thcenter.org for those events. 5jacks Mill has smells like Nirvana, tribute to Nirvana on Saturday, July 25th, and Bob to the Top on Friday, July 31st. This show celebrates 20 years of Hannah Montana, high school musical, camp rock, cheetah girls, and other Disney stars. Go to 5jacks.com for info and tickets on those shows. The Panamega Concert Hall welcomes the fix with the Smitherens on Friday, July 17th. You can get tickets at pvconcerthall.com. And the Florida Theater is staying busy as well this summer with Jacksonville Rock Orchestra performing the music of Green Day on Saturday, July 18th. The Yacht Rock Summer Tour will be at the Florida Theater on Friday, July 24th with Pablo Cruz, Orleans, and David Pack, former lead singer of Ambrosia. And on Sunday, July 26th, Country Music Legends Lone Star will be at the Florida

Lone Star’s Origin Story With Dean

SPEAKER_03 1:46

Theater. I had a chance to catch up with Lone Star founding member Dean Sams a few weeks ago. Did you guys think when you started the band back in 1992 that you'd still be going at it nearly 35 years later?

SPEAKER_02 1:58

When I first put Lone Star together, I mean, I was just trying to do anything except what I was doing, which was running a hundred-pound jackhammer all day long. And and I also weighted tables and I was driving a 24 passenger shuttle van. I was doing all these odd jobs. I wanted to do anything but what I was doing. And uh so it was really just that, just trying to, you know, do something in music that I, you know, which I love to do and try to make a living at it. And man, did that turn into just incredible 34 years of fun so far, and uh as the name of our tour kind of shines the spotlight on it, uh each year just keeps getting better.

SPEAKER_03 2:39

Man, I can so relate. I worked for Publix for almost 13 years, the last six of which I was part-time in radio. And when I got a chance to join the morning show, this was in '96, I did so, and it just keeps getting better.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Yeah, I mean, that's that's the plan, right? You just you kind of muddle around until you figure out what you can do that you love and and uh make a living at it. And we've all kind of you know got a little lucky at it, I guess, somewhere along the way.

SPEAKER_03 3:06

Absolutely. And they say that if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life, and that's been my experience, I'm sure, for you and Michael and uh and Keach as well.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

Yeah, and and me, Michael, Keach, and Drew, we're we're having the time of our lives for sure.

SPEAKER_03 3:19

Dean, most artists are lucky to have one or two number one hits in their careers. Lone Starts had ten, plus an additional dozen or other shows that that charted. What's that like for you guys when you get to go on road and play these amazing songs?

SPEAKER_02 3:32

Well, I think the best part of it is um, you know, doing songs that, you know, so many people either grew up to or were, you know, our age at the time the songs were becoming hits. It's fun to see uh when there are people that are our age that they bring their kids to the shows and they're bringing their kids to the shows and and they're singing every word. I mean, that tells us that we did something right, and um it just makes this whole experience just

How Iconic Volume One Happened

SPEAKER_02 4:01

so fun.

SPEAKER_03 4:01

Ahead of the interview, I was uh informed about the Iconic Volume One CD, which I am embarrassed to t say I didn't know about, but thank goodness because I listened to it a la uh last couple days and I absolutely love that. I know it came out a few years ago, but can you talk about that how that album came to be?

SPEAKER_02 4:18

Yeah, Iconic Volume One really started as we were at Soundcheck one day, uh, you know, where we get in early uh to the shows and we're testing all of our equipment, making sure everything's working like it's supposed to. And Drew uh was just checking his guitar and his mic, and he started singing Time After Time by Cindy Lopper. And next thing you know, Michael chimes in, starts playing along, and then Keith starts playing on the drums, and you know, we just start building blocking it, and by the end of the song everybody's playing and singing harmony, and it was just very impromptu, and that uh that sparked a conversation. Man, wouldn't that be cool if we had a whole record of just iconic songs and iconic artists like Cindy Lopper and time after time, and uh so then we decided, you know, how cool it would be to make a tribute record to iconic women in music. And it wouldn't matter the genre, just they had to be iconic female artists and they had to have iconic songs, and that's exactly what this record is, and have us put our own spin on it, you know, and um and so the record still very much sounds like Lone Star, but just with these iconic women's songs.

SPEAKER_03 5:27

Yeah, that's what I loved about when I listened to it. Like Drew's cadence is a little different from the original versions, but you guys are covering Pink and Adele, and You Make Love and Fun by Fleawood Mac was a great choice. I'm a kind of a much bigger fan of Christine McVeigh even than Stevie, although I love Stevie, but that is such a great song for you guys to cover.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

Yeah, that once again, it was it was a labor of love to get to sing these iconic songs and put our own spin on it without, you know, totally, you know, going away from the original. But it it it was it was a a great challenge, uh, but one that we accepted. I'm so proud I got to produce this record on us. It's actually the seventh album on Lone Star that I've uh seventh album in a row on Lone Star that I've got to produce. And and I think the the proof is in the end result. Uh for the folks that haven't had a chance to uh hear it, go to wherever you like to download music or stream music. Just type in uh Lone Star Iconic Volume One. It is pretty special. And we're hard at work in the studio on Iconic Volume Two that uh I think people are gonna just be blown away with.

SPEAKER_03 6:36

Well, you answered my next question, which was will there be a volume two? So I'm excited to hear that there's gonna

Re-Recording Ten Number One Hits

SPEAKER_03 6:42

be. And speaking of albums you've produced, can we talk about the 2023 album 10 to 1? This is a brilliant idea to re-record your 10 number one hits. How did that project come about?

SPEAKER_02 6:53

Well, you know how most artists, when they have what they call a greatest hits record, really all the record labels do is take the original recordings from whatever album they were on. They're all on different albums, right? And then they just take those original recordings, put them in one package on a record and call it a new record, but it's really not. It's just the same recordings pulled from different recordings and put on a record. And um we always felt like that was kind of cheating the fans, and if you're you're gonna put out something, really put out something that's new to them. And so 10 to 1 is just that. We've been super blessed in our career to have 10 number one songs, so 10 to 1 does the name. Over the years, we've slightly altered an intro or a solo, added a solo section or you know, a breakdown section or something different, and we just kind of wanted to reflect the growth of the songs over the years, and and instead of just having the original record that everybody's heard a million times, we wanted to give them something new to listen to, kind of how we approach these songs today, and that's how that came about.

SPEAKER_03 8:00

That's one of the things I love about live music versus albums. Like you hear the song a little differently live, so I love the thought of re-recording them for where you are now uh in your career and your in your musical influences and all those things. I think

Why Country Music Keeps Changing

SPEAKER_03 8:16

it's a great idea. By the way, are there any current artists that influence you in country music or even in other genres?

SPEAKER_02 8:22

I'm a I'm a fan of so many artists, you know, and people talk about how country music has dramatically changed uh, you know, over the last several years. Well, so many interviewers asked the question, I guess, looking for uh, you know, something negative uh to say about what's going on in music. And quite honestly, we were a big part of the change. Uh, you know, when a maze came out, um, everybody was not everybody, but a good number of people, traditionalists, were saying that we were killing country music. There was even a song written about us called Murder on Music Rose. And uh, you know, but if if you look over the history of country music, it has always been involving. I mean, there was a there was a time when um even you know Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard and Wayland Jennings, they were considered outlaws and changing, you know, what are y'all doing to country music? You're you're ruining it. And now them and Johnny Cash, you know, they are you know the icons of country music. So it's always been evolving. And I'm not gonna say it's better, I'm not gonna say it's worse, I'm just gonna say it's evolving, and I'm just proud of anybody that can have success at it. And for me, there's a there's a lot of great music, like from a band standpoint. I love Old Dominion. I think what they're doing is great. They're a great band, they're great songwriters and players. They put it all out there, you know, uh on all the records, and I I really love what they're doing.

SPEAKER_03 9:49

Dean, I agree with you a hundred percent, and I love the way you you you know vocalized what you were saying. I was in top forty radio when Amazed came out, and I was so happy to be playing that. And now working in country, we have songs by Lady Antebellum and uh Morgan Wallen and Ella Langley that are being played on top 40, and I'm happy because it brings more people into country that maybe hadn't thought about it before. So I love the way the genre evolves, it ebbs and flows and and kind of goes with trends, and I'm a big fan of all genres, but I just really like where country is right now. I love jelly roll, I love shabozy, I just think and uh like you said, Old Dominion, they're amazing.

SPEAKER_02 10:29

Yeah, there's just you know, there's room for everybody. And guess what? This whole uh uh free will, free choice. I mean, if you don't like what you're hearing on radio, change to another station. If you don't like what you're streaming as it's coming through your phone, change it. So, you know, we have choices and I and I think we we need to be open to that musically and everything everything that has to do with life. I mean, we we have to be open to other things that are out there and you you get to decide if you if it's for you or not. But uh, you know, let's let's let people do what they do.

SPEAKER_03 11:04

I love common sense according to Dean Sams.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

It's the lowest common denominator is me. So there you go.

SPEAKER_03 11:12

Well then I'm in the same boat with

Florida Theater Show Preview Tease

SPEAKER_03 11:14

you. Dean Sam's Lone Star is coming to the Florida Theater on Sunday, July 26th. Tickets are available at Floridatheater.com. I thank you so much for your time this morning. I know how busy you guys are and can be. So thank you for taking a few minutes to talk to us about the show and the music, and we look forward to seeing you here in Jacksonville.

SPEAKER_02 11:33

Yeah, and I want to tell your listeners, I mean, uh, this show is the best one. I know it sounds like a sales pitch. It's the best show we've put out on the road. All ten of our number ones, some surprises that I'm not gonna spill what they are, but musically that the crowd's gonna love. Um they're gonna, they're literally, we're gonna take them on this musical journey all the way from 1995 when we had our first single out to Keel Talking uh through modern day where we are today. And we're gonna take you on a musical journey that uh you're gonna walk out of there feeling uh really good and having a big smile on your face because that's the experience that keeps getting better.

SPEAKER_03 12:12

Well, just between me and you, might we be hearing some Cindy Lauper or Fleawood Mac?

SPEAKER_02 12:16

I I can't I can't I can't tell you. You know, but but I can tell you that you will hear something off the iconic record. I can tell you that.

SPEAKER_03 12:25

Awesome. I cannot wait. Thanks again for your time this morning, man, and and for teasing us for the show.

SPEAKER_02 12:31

You got it. We'll be seeing you soon.

SPEAKER_03 12:33

And

Meet The Jacksonville Sharks Owners

SPEAKER_03 12:34

finally, ViStar Veterans Memorial Arena is home to the Jacksonville Sharks indoor football team. I met one of the team's owner last year at a concert and formed a friendship with him and his wife, who invited me to a game. I became such a fan and had so much fun. And even though there are only two games left this season, I wanted them to share their story with you guys. Joining me right now are Kevin and Isabella Wesniak, and Isabelle's daughter Ashley is here, and you are the majority owner of the Jacksonville Sharks. That's correct. Before we even talk about Sharks, I want to talk about your military history because Jacksonville is such a military town, and when I first learned that you were in the Navy, I wanted to hear all about that.

Navy Life Then Jacksonville Roots

SPEAKER_04 13:15

All right, so uh way way back, sit the way back machine, about 1980, I was on a ship called the USS Edward McDonnell, F F-1043, Warrior of the Sea. Uh, but we were we came out of the shipyards in Bath, Maine, changed home port to Mayport, Florida. That was my first ship. I was a young sailor, got off the ship, I said, It's March, it's not snowing, it's not cold. And after that, I would always tell my detailer, I'll go anywhere south of I-10 and east of I-95.

SPEAKER_03 13:42

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_04 13:42

But I wound up over 21 years. I wound up being on three ships in Mayport. I had shore duty at NAS Jacks. I retired, I was the ground electronics officer in NAS Jackson. I retired and stayed in the area. I just fell in love with the area. So after I retired from the Navy, I uh worked for Otis Elevator Company for a while, and that had its ups and downs. You know, oh my god. Is it gonna be dad jokes all day? Well, you know, at the end of the day, you get the shaft. I'm gonna have to cut you off. But uh I I worked for them for a while and thought about starting my own business, and I I opened up a business called Press for Time. It was a franchise pickup, it basically is a pickup and delivery service for dry cleaning, but we advertise mobile dry cleaning, shoe repair, and all that. Took off really well, did did well for the first 10, 11 months, and then summer came, and I didn't realize in Jacksonville all these businesses go business casual and nobody's dry cleaning, polo shirts and chinos. And press for time is such a great name. Yeah, it was a great concept. A great concept. A lot of windshield time in the Jacksonville area just because we're such a spread out city here. But uh I was having fun doing it. I wound up selling the business, and uh I was gonna stay retired. You know, I've been retired from the Navy, I can be retired now, you know. I'm golfing every day, and I'm golfing with people that were older than my parents. I said, I just can't do this. And eventually I wound up working for the Army. I worked for the Army National Guard down in St. Augustine for about eight years. Oh, wow, okay. And that was fun. And that kind of leads into how I got involved with the sharks. My

Dementia, Family, And Buying The Team

SPEAKER_04 15:15

dad had gotten sick and he came to live with me, and he had dementia that was brought on by some kind of seizure. And he just, you know, he couldn't remember what he had for breakfast yesterday. He couldn't have remember dinner. He lived in the moment, he loved it, and he used to love going to ball games and theater and stuff. So I started taking him to the Sharks games. It was right right when the Sharks started, back in uh 2010, 2011. And we were going to a lot of the games, and I got to meet the the original owners were a couple of guys. One of them is still with us. Steve Curran is uh my partner, he runs the team for us, and uh had some marketing ideas for him, got involved, more involved, and a couple of my other partners came in and we became the majority owners.

SPEAKER_03 15:56

For some reason, I would have assumed that you were there from the very beginning and like it was all your baby, but you came in a little bit later.

SPEAKER_04 16:02

A little bit later. So, so in Jacksonville, we used to have the Jacksville Tomcats, right? Which was a fun game to go watch. So I was familiar with the sport, familiar with the game. And uh when I was looking for things to do with my dad to keep him busy and occupied, I remembered how much I enjoyed that. So that was the the Sharks' first season was 2010. I was a season ticket holder in 2011. We went to the arena bowl with Aaron Garcia, who was our quarterback, who just got we just started the Sharks Ring of Honor, and he was the first player inducted last night. Oh, that's cool. Good ceremony. So Aaron Garcia was there, A. G. was there, and the guests were uh Jimmy Smith from the Jaguars and Artist Gilmore. I love Artist Gilmore. And I've known him for a number of years. When I had Press for Time, I met him at a lot of Chamber of Commerce functions.

SPEAKER_03 16:46

He's such a gentleman. I did a uh a barbecue championship with him where we were both like judges, and I met him for the first time, and he's such literally a giant. He's a huge man, and it's also his personality is so giant. He's such a just an amazing man.

SPEAKER_04 16:59

He's a nice guy. He's a very nice man.

SPEAKER_03 17:01

I had gone to my first sharks game. It's been several years, but I went as a social event. Uh-huh. Not really to watch the game or to pay attention. I'm more of a concert and music guy. Um, but when I met you guys at a concert, it makes perfect sense. The Happy Together tour. That's right. And uh you guys invited me to a game, and uh gosh, being on the field with you guys and being in the suite and on that level, and I was focused on the game, not like socializing with my friends, and I just fell in love with it. It's so much fun.

SPEAKER_04 17:32

It is a fast action-packed sport. Yeah. I remember when I when I first saw it, you know, I grew up in New England. Minor league hockey was the big thing. You know, the Springfield Indians and the Springfield Kings were around. And I remember going to the Tomcats the first time. I called my dad. My dad was living in Sarasota. I said, Dad, you gotta take mom up to Tampa and see Tampa Bay play. What is this? It's Arena football. What's that? I said, Dad, it's minor league hockey for rednecks.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

That's fine.

SPEAKER_04 17:58

It was such a great sport. So he he enjoyed it, he loved it, and uh, you know, uh he passed away about 10 years ago, and we still go. Isabella, you know, and I got together and got married, and she's become one of my team sponsors, too. Yeah, so let's talk about Isabella.

Home Care Mission And VA Benefits

SPEAKER_04 18:14

Let's talk about your business.

SPEAKER_03 18:15

What's it called again?

SPEAKER_01 18:16

HS Home Care. And tell us about that. So, Ashley, why don't you come closer? You can tell everybody all about it. This is Isabella's daughter, Ashley.

SPEAKER_03 18:24

Tell us about the home care business.

SPEAKER_00 18:26

So we are a family-owned uh local operated. We take care of seniors all over uh the Northeast Florida area. So we cover Clay County, Duval County, St. John's, and uh we just started Flagler County this year.

SPEAKER_03 18:37

Oh wow. So you're really, really growing.

SPEAKER_00 18:40

Yeah, absolutely. So and our mission is to kind of keep the, you know, kind of like Kevin's dad, keep their loved ones at home, take care of them, um, you know, be with them in their last moments and do what we can to keep them around as long as possible.

SPEAKER_03 18:52

It's funny, and radio uh it's such a I w I don't want to say dying industry, but it really kind of is. And most of us that are in it are older. There's not a lot of young people in radio anymore, and most of us are at a point where our parents are getting to that stage. As a matter of fact, two people that work here have parents that are going through that right now. So more and more I'm understanding the importance of what you guys do, Isabella. And actually it's it's an amazing I I feel like it takes an angel to take on that kind of uh task.

SPEAKER_00 19:22

It really does, because I mean it's rewarding in one end just to kind of see that you can be with people at and help them through their last stages of life, but at the end of the day, too, it's very sad to see what some families go through and how difficult it is too, especially with dementia and Alzheimer's. It's very, very hard for families.

SPEAKER_03 19:37

It's a it's a really rough time. So thank you guys for what you all do. And I love seeing your banner up there at the games.

SPEAKER_01 19:43

Thank you. I have to mention one more thing, especially since Kevin was in the military before. We have a VA contract. So a lot of veterans don't know about this service, but it's actually free for them as long as they qualify for VA service.

SPEAKER_03 19:54

Wow, I'm so glad you mentioned that. We just did an event this past Friday at Five Star Veterans Center, um which is it's right up the road here, which is a VA service center. And um I should hook you up with those guys. They they probably would love to know that.

SPEAKER_04 20:08

So it's pretty good. It's a VA benefit. You know, I'm a hundred percent disabled veteran myself. I didn't even know about it. Uh my dad was a veteran. I wish I had known about it when I was taking care of him, because if you're eligible for VA benefits, which pretty much anybody who has been in the military 90 days or more and has an honorable discharge, you're eligible for VA benefits. Wow. So you have to do is register, but then you have to go through the VA health care system to get a prescription for the home health. It's easy to do. It's just time consuming. And you know, it's the VA. You're getting a bureaucracy. Yeah. So but uh any any veteran is eligible for it. Any honorably discharged veteran, anybody who is eligible for veterans' benefits.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

That is so cool to know. Thank you for sharing that.

SPEAKER_01 20:48

Yeah, and not only that, we also help people that are less fortunate. So we have contracts with Council on Aging and Aging True, Indoval, Clay, and St. John's and the flagler as well.

SPEAKER_04 20:58

That's amazing. They're funded by Elder Source, which is a state organization.

SPEAKER_03 21:02

Okay. Speaking of um veterans, I noticed I think it was the last game I was at. You guys actually go into the into the crowd and and give away free stuff to veterans, right?

SPEAKER_04 21:12

So my lovely wife loves making people happy. And we one of our sponsors is Sanati's Bakery out at the beaches, and they provide us a box of cookies, and Isabella takes the extra cookies and goes up to the military section and hands them out to the family. So it's about 30 smiles every game. That's so cool.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

It's not just a military section. It's just somebody speaks to me for whatever reason. You know how when you go to a concert and they give you a rose, they choose you, like it makes you feel special for a second. So it gives me endorphins to see somebody smile because they could be sad, they could be happy, they could be little, they could be disabled, they could be anything, you know, and and they smile and they go, Wow, you chose me to give me this cookie for no reason except that they spoke to me. Those cookies are amazing.

SPEAKER_03 21:55

I grew up at at at Mayport. Um and so I was a Navy brat. And so I I've known Sanatis since the very, very beginning. As a matter of fact, I used to work at Publix with a kid who worked in the bakery that was a a Sanati. So yeah, I've I've known that family for a long, long time. I'll tell you guys a story that you don't know about. The last game I was at, I was hanging out with you guys, and a friend of mine was up in the stands. I think he was in the military area, and he said, Oh, I see you down there hanging out with Kevin, and I'm like, You guys are superstars with these fans. Like you guys are the superstars. It's my wife.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

No, no, I think Kevin just makes it very personal by experience because you know we go out there early to the games. We greet fans, we go around, we say hi to everybody.

SPEAKER_03 22:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

So people feel like they can approach us, they can ask us questions, and uh and they like it that we've been around for so long and that we make it affordable for everybody to go to the game. It's not as crazy expensive as you know, going to the game.

SPEAKER_03 22:51

Yeah, I learned from you guys the tickets started just fifteen dollars. Is that right? That is so affordable and it's so much fun.

SPEAKER_04 22:58

We do a fail, I don't I don't know if we did it this year, but we usually do a family four pack. We get four tickets, four hot dogs, four drinks. For I think it was forty bucks. It was ridiculously inexpensive.

SPEAKER_03 23:07

Yeah, there's different little uh the chum packages, yeah, which uh which I learned about. Um as a result of you, thank you very much for offering to give both of our stations tickets to give away on the air. So we're letting more and more people know about these.

SPEAKER_04 23:19

Absolutely. Get them out to the games, get them B season ticket holders.

SPEAKER_01 23:22

And don't forget, too, they make they do great events, they do host uh cheer camps or dance camps, they host uh football camps, um different things like that for kids. So the organization is wonderful, and the players are amazing because no matter how old they are, how tall or short or big they are, they get on the on their knees to speak to the kids, you know, they give them high five. I mean, it's such a wonderful experience.

SPEAKER_03 23:48

I I've been there and I and I can attest to what you're saying is true.

Game Day Themes Plus Broadcast Growth

SPEAKER_03 23:52

Let's talk about the game day itself, the whole game day experience for the fans. How do you guys put on the show you put on?

SPEAKER_04 23:58

So we come up, we we brainstorm ideas. You know, first we want to come up with a theme. For example, our next home game, I believe, is Hawaiian night. Right, on July 18th. Against the Iowa Barnstormers, Warner's old theme. But anyway, we're so we come up, we come we decide what theme is gonna be, and then we try to find uh activities and games and things that relate to the theme. And then we have our standard ones. You know, we have a a sponsor who wants to do the uprights, you know, kick the uh kick the field goal, stuff like that. We do those every game. Every time there's a break in the action or something happening in the fans on the field. That's all planned. It's very tightly scripted. Now, especially uh this year, we are the league is in a broadcast deal with uh Yahoo Sports Network and overnight.com, which is a screen service. And in fact, the last rated game that where the ratings came out, it was our game against the Green Bay Blizzard. 460,000 viewers. Wow. The previous record was 220. It was one of our games, but it was bigger than the Go Sharks.

unknown 25:05

Go Sharks.

SPEAKER_04 25:06

So we're just hoping that you know that as it's picking up, it's being seen by more and more people. It's great for sponsorships, it's great for the getting the fans in the arena and getting excited about it.

SPEAKER_03 25:16

Have you seen the the result of this popularity on your away games as well? Like are you are you seeing Sharks fans in other cities?

SPEAKER_04 25:23

Well, um not like we used to. You know, it used to be a lot easier. We had I'm gonna say drivable games in Orlando, which we still have. We have a team in Orlando, we had a team in Tampa, we had a team in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Columbus, Georgia. So it was a lot more travel for the fans. When we moved to the indoor football league from the National Arena League, majority of those teams are in Arizona, California, Idaho, uh Indiana.

SPEAKER_03 25:52

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_04 25:52

So but it's growing. Right now we're at s we're at 16 teams that are planned. There's 18 in the league. We've got two more expansion teams coming next year. So the league is growing, and we're the league is gonna cap at 24 teams, and that will really kind of drive the interest a little more.

SPEAKER_03 26:09

And it sounds like you guys are really paving the way for the streaming views.

SPEAKER_04 26:13

That's that's the whole point. You know, uh back in the day when I first got started, we were it was the Arena Football League. We had a contract with ESPN and the uh NFL Network, and all the championship games uh NFL Network had a game of the week, ESPN would show the games, and it was a lot more popular. We had a lot of national sponsors. When the arena football league uh went bankrupt and it was all these smaller leagues that were on, a lot of those national sponsors went away. But now they're coming back. They see they see what's happening.

SPEAKER_03 26:45

Are you guys um I

How Players Use Indoor Football

SPEAKER_03 26:46

don't want to use the word farm team, but do a lot of NFL players come through your system?

SPEAKER_04 26:50

So we've had NFL we've had players that went on to the NFL. It used to be we would compete with the Canadian Football League for the players that wouldn't make it to the NFL. You know, we I used to say we had three kinds of players. We had the players that didn't get drafted. You know, your your second string tackle at the University of Florida is gonna be a good football player. Right. But he didn't start, so he doesn't have film. So he would come play for us for a year or two, get film on it, send it to scouts and agents. And they were good guys. They were they worked hard. They were they're trying to prove it. The other, the second kind of player we had were the guys that were in an NFL camp and got cut and want to get back. So they're down there busting their butt, trying to, you know, get some more film, get an invite back to camp because that that's their goal. The third player that we used to have, we don't have them as much anymore, but I I love these guys. They're in their late 20s, early 30s, they're at the end of their football career. They know they're never going to the NFL. They're just playing for the love of the game. Because they love it and they have fun. So much passion. So much passion. It is so much fun.

SPEAKER_03 27:52

That's where I'm at in my career. I should they they're gonna put me out to pasture eventually, but right now I just love what I do so much. Like they couldn't kick me out. So I totally get that as well. You were talking about um the the very tight scripted. There's a guy with 1010XL um that is there kind of MCing the fun. Is it ET is it E.T.? E.T., yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:13

Yeah. He's a great guy. He is. So we call him the MC. He's the master of ceremonies. But he is the guy who introduces all the individual acts and all the events that are going on, and he is on a strict timeline. That whole process from the opening whistle to the end, yeah. Scripted as far as this has to happen at this time, this has to happen at this time. You know, it used to be Isabel and I could go walk around at halftime and take our time and say hi to everybody. We can't do that anymore. We would that that that TV break is that TV break, we're ready to go.

SPEAKER_03 28:43

And work and working in radio, and I've done television and MC'd a ton of events too. So the first time I was there, I was watching E.T. Like I get what he's doing, and he's really good at what he's doing. I don't know if you guys know how good he is.

SPEAKER_04 28:55

But he's really he's been with us for like five years now, six years.

SPEAKER_03 28:59

I can see why.

SPEAKER_04 29:00

We've had uh we've had several other guys before him, and guys that were just the MC not watching the clock, not running the clock.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

Yeah. It's probably because of his experience on radio as well. Like we're always up against a clock, you know, whether it's a commercial break or got to play a song or whatever. It's one of the reasons I love this podcast whole format because I don't have to stop for anything. I just get the chat. Exactly. Which is horrible to say, but it is what it is. It's so funny. Did you guys see The Devil Wears Prada 2? Not yet. It it's so relevant to especially radio, but to right now, it's all about magazines really needing the advertisers. I didn't know going into it, that was what it's about. But the advertisers even say to uh Miranda or whatever the character is, you need us, we don't need you. And that's the way radio is now. Like we need our advertisers, or else we go, you know, we're not we're not public broadcast. We are like we need the advertisers. We don't get a penny from anybody. Right, right. And so and you guys are the same way. I'm sure you need your sponsors, and for ET to be aware of timing and all those things. Uh the first time I was there, it's one of the first things I noticed was how good this guy is at keeping the party going.

SPEAKER_04 30:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:11

You know, it's so funny. I I compare radio a lot to, you know, they say with ducks, you just see them peacefully on the water, but underneath, they're kicking like hell. You know, they're they're they they gotta turn and get to where they're going. They're they're doing the hard work. And I think E.T. is one of those guys that's doing the hard work, but on the surface, it just it's seamless.

SPEAKER_04 30:29

You know, I I used to tell my partners, I said, you guys gotta understand we are not running a football

Entertainment Business With A Football Game

SPEAKER_04 30:34

team. We are running an entertainment business.

SPEAKER_03 30:36

Oh my gosh, you're so right. And that's you guys and the and the jumbo shrimp are two guys that get that. I mean, they're not selling baseball, they're selling entertainment. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:46

Yeah. That's absolutely the truth. At the same time, there's a football game going on. Boy, I get into it. I get into it. She's Isabella who comes to socialize.

SPEAKER_01 30:56

Well, I'm new to football, you know, since we've been together, but we watch a lot of football.

SPEAKER_03 31:00

And where are you from originally?

SPEAKER_01 31:02

So Polish German. Born in Poland, grew up in Germany, and been in Florida since 2007, in America since 19, oh my goodness, 87.

SPEAKER_03 31:12

So when you were a kid, football was just soccer, right?

SPEAKER_01 31:15

Soccer, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:16

And how how was embracing American football for you?

SPEAKER_01 31:19

You know, the first time I came to down to Jacksonville, somebody said that the Jaguars are here, and I'm going, did they move the car factory from England over here?

SPEAKER_03 31:29

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 31:30

So when Kevin and I got together, he's like, Do you want season tickets to the Jaguars? And I'm going, like, okay. And you went? I went and I loved it, absolutely loved it. I I know football translates well to TV, but it's so much more fun in person. It really is. But you know, our game is more fun. The the sharks are more fun, and I'm gonna tell you why, because you're on that same level, it's smaller. You have maybe 8,000 or 10,000 fans instead of you know sixty thousand or how many ever. And everything is right up there. The field is smaller. It's like a hockey team. Yeah. Not a hockey team, but a hockey field. Yeah. And uh the action is so packed. I mean, even yesterday, even though we lost, it was so close and the scores were high. They were in their 40s, 50s, I think sixties, right?

SPEAKER_03 32:16

So it's like that's one of the reasons I fell in love when you guys invited me down to the suite. Just like you said, you're you're on the same level. You're not like a mile up in the air trying to see these little like ants move around. You're in the action. The football very frequently comes to you. When we're when we're hanging out with you guys, we have to like look up because if we're having a drink, we don't want to get it knocked out of our hand by a football. We've had players come in the suite, too. I've seen it before. I've seen it before. And I think, like you said, there's it's it's a smaller crowd. It seems much more intimate. It's almost like going to a concert at a bar versus a stadium because you just feel so much more connected to what's going on.

SPEAKER_01 32:53

Yeah. And and one more thing I was going to mention, the suites are amazing because they hold about the the smaller suites. There's bigger suites too, but the small ones they hold about 20 people, maybe 24 people, depends on you know who is wearing.

SPEAKER_04 33:03

The reef suites hold eight people and the cove suites hold 20 people. Okay. Those are the arena suites. Those hold a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 33:11

But they're fun. So if people have businesses in Jacksonville, whether small or large, it is such a different venue to come out there and experience it. Because even people like me had no clue about football. I absolutely love it. You know, I can't wait till we see the sharks again, till we see the Buccaneers again and the Jaguars. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:28

I just thought about

Suites, Ticket Deals, And Family Fun

SPEAKER_03 33:29

this for the first time. Are those suites available for businesses to rent on a game per game basis?

SPEAKER_04 33:33

There's a if there are empty suites, which there are, there's the smaller suites, there's some empty suites usually every game. They can rent them for the game.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 33:42

You know, uh some people like like ours, it's purchased. Right.

SPEAKER_01 33:46

Or or an annual thing. So basically they they are like a season pass holder.

SPEAKER_04 33:51

A sponsor. We'll call make it part of a sponsorship package. Okay. You get a field suite you first eight games. Uh the the playoff games obviously aren't included in that. But then you know the the the suites on the field, they have food and beverage through, you know, through the game, and it's all included. And it's right there. I mean, you're right there in the action. And lesson learned the hard way. Pay attention to where the player is, not where the ball is. Oh, that's true. That's true. I got clobbered in my suite one time. I hadn't been hit like that since I played hockey when I was a kid. That's funny. Oh. Yeah, you gotta be careful. It was painful.

SPEAKER_03 34:26

Is there anything that we didn't cover that you guys want to talk about?

SPEAKER_00 34:29

I will say the sharks is fun for all ages because my one-year-old son has an absolute blast of watching the game.

SPEAKER_03 34:35

I think that when I first started going to the games, that how old was your son when that was like a year ago. I guess he was.

SPEAKER_00 34:40

Yeah, he was like three, four months last year. Um, but this year he's 16 months now and he's loving it.

SPEAKER_03 34:45

Wearing his protective ear gear, which was was I was like, that's a good parent right there.

SPEAKER_04 34:50

But not now. He was just standing up next to me. He was standing on my lap with the couple of the girls who were standing next to him, yeah. And he's flirting with him and he's banging on the boards. He's one year old. He's 16 months old. He's banging on the boards, and it is cool too.

SPEAKER_03 35:03

Isabel, you were mentioning how like the players are very involved with the kids. And one of the things I love too, after the game, people can come down on the field and just kind of like run around and meet players and stuff, and that's a very cool experience as well.

SPEAKER_01 35:15

It is, and not just the players, but we also have uh dancers. I call them cheerleaders, but I think they're called dancers. But they're beautiful, they're young, they're talented, they have rhythm. So if there's another lifetime, I'd like rhythm next one.

SPEAKER_03 35:26

I'm sure you have plenty of rhythm.

SPEAKER_01 35:29

But it's it is fun. You know, do you get to go down to the field and meet people, they can sign your autographs. So it's it's a really cool.

SPEAKER_03 35:36

It's very cool. JackSharks.com is the website. As we mentioned, tickets start at just $15. There's all kinds of great family packages starting, I think, at four people. And if there's more than four in your family, you can up it a little bit. It's a very economical and fun, fun evening.

SPEAKER_04 35:51

It's a great time.

SPEAKER_03 35:52

Absolutely. Thank you both for coming in. Thank all three of you for coming in. I appreciate you guys. I know you have a busy schedule, and it's sometimes it's hard to get to the studio versus a quick phone call, but I just really appreciate having you guys here.

SPEAKER_04 36:03

We love being here. Thank you very much. And Go Sharks.

SPEAKER_01 36:06

And wait, Ages Home Care too. Go Aegis Home Care if you do any home care needs home care.

SPEAKER_00 36:10

Go under ageshomecarenefl.com. Perfect.

SPEAKER_03 36:15

That wraps up this episode. I'll be back in a few weeks to let you know what's happening live from Jacksonville.