Tony Khan, son of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, has been embroiled in a testy feud with fans of the team on Twitter.
On Tuesday, Khan posted a stream of insults that have been leveled against him. While plenty of criticism is fair game, some of the language used is completely unacceptable for 2016.
I used to have a great relationship w JagsTwitter. You guys knew that, while I don't make the calls, I'm on your side. In 2016, you got mean https://t.co/xtK59svT5v
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) November 1, 2016
Khan also went on to Reddit to explain his thoughts in great detail. While he tried to emphasize with the fans, something he said missed the mark.
“I just wish that everyone would put themselves in the shoes of the people that are working really hard and want to win games every bit as badly as you do,” Kahn said.
This is where owners and people who run teams really need to check themselves.
Many people who run professional sports teams make millions, if not billions of dollars. The overwhelming majority of the fans who come out to see them do not. NFL tickets are not cheap. Neither is parking, concessions, merchandise, or anything else.
That doesn’t mean that hurling third-grade insults at people should be tolerated.
Still, people do pay a lot of money and it’s fair for them to expect a good product. The Jaguars have not delivered that for a decade. They haven’t made the playoffs or enjoyed a winning season since 2007. In fact, since that 2007 season, Jacksonville has only experienced one .500 campaign.
Fans are well within their rights to voice their displeasure about that. As far as putting themselves into the shoes of people making the decisions? Khan may not need more than one hand to count the fans who wouldn’t take him up on that.
Some Jags fans certainly need to grow up and find a way to verbalize their thoughts better. But Khan’s over-sensitivity is out of place, too.