Who here thinks Nashville needs an NBA team.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by Brandoncraig

What still rightfully bothers a lot of people in Memphis is the outcome of our 30 year quest to get a NFL team.

We tried since the 1960s, including hosting numerous exhibition games, to try and get the NFL to grant us an expansion franchise.

In the 70s, we were supposedly the third choice after the two winners,Seattle and Tampa Bay. In the next expansion we were once again considered in the top 5 with Charlotte, Jacksonville, St. Louis and Baltimore. All of the others either got expansion or relocated teams except for Memphis.

Nashville wasn't even talked about as a potential NFL market and all of a sudden Bud Adams is moving the Oilers to town. Granted, Memphis made a lot of mistakes in our NFL bids. We were touting already having a stadium as being an advantage when the NFL was looking for brand new not a partially renovated Liberty Bowl.

So you can see why there is some bitterness about the Titans in Memphis. But I think as the years go by, that will die out especially with the younger generation that doesn't know that history. My nephews and nieces are all big Titans fans with the oldest being 30.

It is good for Tennessee to have the Titans, Predators and Grizzlies in the state and good that at least one of those teams is in the state's largest city, Memphis.

I can certainly understand the bitterness over the NFL, especially among the older population. Memphis was the largest city (and metro) in the state for much of the 20th century. That's why pro sports were looking there and not in Nashville. In the 80s, Nashville started to catch up...and quickly, eventually passing Memphis in metro population after the 1990 Census. I think that's why Nashville went from under the radar to a contender. Pro organizations (and their owners) saw a market that was quickly on the rise and had a lot of potential future growth, whereas the Memphis area, while growing, wasn't doing it as fast. While it may appear to Memphians that Nashville came out of nowhere, Nashville was always there -- but in the shadow of Memphis. That changed in the 90s.

I do think that having the Liberty Bowl as a selling point probably was a hindrance, but it wasn't the only factor in play. If Memphis is to ever get an NFL team, they will most certainly have to spend a great deal of money on a new stadium. (It's for another discussion, but I think building stadiums to lure teams is a very expensive and dangerous risk for cities, because it doesn't always work)




I don't know if the NFL will ever locate a team in Memphis -- it's hard to say at this point. It depends on a lot of factors, including the future growth of Memphis (to keep up with the tier of cities that have multiple franchises), and if the league expands at any point in the future.