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I would rather see the NFL in LA than another small city like OKC or Norfolk. Even Portland or San Antonio, but a stadium in downtown LA next to LA Live and the staples center would be pretty sweet.
LA would fill a stadium just as well as any other city despite its history of support, but it's the media market that the NFL wants anyway.
Back when the Oilers/Titans first left Houston, they played in Memphis for a season. Some of that had to do with the fact that Vanderbilt had the largest stadium in the Nashville area until the Titans stadium was built. Because of their church affiliation, they wouldn't let the Titans sell alcohol in their stadium, thus the games were played in Memphis. Fan support in Memphis was lukewarm to the point where the Titans moved their games to Nashville the following year in spite of Vanderbilt having issues with the sell of alcohol in their facility. I think that would be a black eye in terms of Memphis getting an NFL team.
That's...sort of right.
The original plan was that the Tennessee Oilers would play in Memphis (at the Liberty Bowl) for 2 years, while a new stadium was constructed in Nashville.
However, when they actually started playing there, attendance was dismal...a lot of it due to many Memphians, who had been trying to get an NFL team for years, not wanting to support Nashville's team (understandably a little bitter over the situation), and the fact that many Nashvillians didn't want to drive 200+ miles to watch the team play.
I can understand the original thinking behind it...play in front of decent crowds (62,000 at the Liberty Bowl) before the new stadium is constructed in Nashville...but attendance was so poor, they found it would just be better to play at Vanderbilt Stadium, despite the capacity only being around 40,000).
The alcohol really had little to do with it...and certainly not due to Vanderbilt's church affiliation...because it is not a Christian university (although it does have a divinity school). It is also not a dry campus...though it does not allow alcohol to be sold at athletic events.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lammius
Tidewater is firm Skins territory. According to commoncensus.org, more people from the Norfolk area are fans of the Redskins than any other team (by a 3-to-1 margin over the Cowboys, the #2 favorite in that area). CommonCensus Hotspot Sports Map
I would take caution when referencing that site to any sports fan. Take a look at the NCAA football map and "statistics" and you should know what I mean. It's not scientific in any way, shape, or form.
It's not that pro ball isn't popular in Birmingham. We love ALL football. But the city of Birmingham is so poorly managed, it would end up as a huge fiasco. They are spending many millions on a downtown "entertainment district", right next to an empty already built "entertainment complex". But they forget to bring in any entertainment. There is also a huge tax that keeps even conventions out of town. Alabamians could support a pro team, but Birmingham should be the last place to bring one.
If not Birmingham, where else in Alabama?. Birmingham is the only thing keeping this state from being "Mississippi east". The city of Birmingham currently has a budget surplus,and where is this "empty entertainment district"?. Also there are not millions being spent on another entertainment district that's not even off the drawing board.
The chances of Birmingham of getting a new football venue of any type is slim to none becuase of the lack of an agreement between city, county, and state governments, therefore the city IS wasting money on the upkeep of an useless dump otherwise known as Legion Field.
Last edited by sleepless in Bham; 10-27-2011 at 12:37 PM..
Not necessarily. Just like when the Skins played the Panthers this past Sunday in Charlotte. The Skins may have been on the road, but there was a huge number of burgandy and gold in the stadium. They may adopt them as their 2nd team. But people won't just suddenly stop rooting for the team they've been rooting for their entire lives.
The Charlotte area was primarily Falcons territory prior to the arrival of the Panthers. There were some Redskins fans, some Cowboys fans, but the Falcons were the team. In places north and east of Charlotte, say once you get up to Salisbury, sure, the Redskins became the team of choice.
The Charlotte area was primarily Falcons territory prior to the arrival of the Panthers. There were some Redskins fans, some Cowboys fans, but the Falcons were the team. In places north and east of Charlotte, say once you get up to Salisbury, sure, the Redskins became the team of choice.
I highly doubt the Falcons were more than the Redskins in Charlotte or anywhere in North Carolina for that matter before Carolina got there. The Redskins had the north Carolina market for decades. Even before Dallas came in the league in 1960. The Falcons fanbase is big. But not close to the Redskins. In fact, I would not be surprised if there were more Dallas fans than Falcons fans in Charlotte before Carolina came in.
The original plan was that the Tennessee Oilers would play in Memphis (at the Liberty Bowl) for 2 years, while a new stadium was constructed in Nashville.
However, when they actually started playing there, attendance was dismal...a lot of it due to many Memphians, who had been trying to get an NFL team for years, not wanting to support Nashville's team (understandably a little bitter over the situation), and the fact that many Nashvillians didn't want to drive 200+ miles to watch the team play.
I can understand the original thinking behind it...play in front of decent crowds (62,000 at the Liberty Bowl) before the new stadium is constructed in Nashville...but attendance was so poor, they found it would just be better to play at Vanderbilt Stadium, despite the capacity only being around 40,000).
The alcohol really had little to do with it...and certainly not due to Vanderbilt's church affiliation...because it is not a Christian university (although it does have a divinity school). It is also not a dry campus...though it does not allow alcohol to be sold at athletic events.
I would take caution when referencing that site to any sports fan. Take a look at the NCAA football map and "statistics" and you should know what I mean. It's not scientific in any way, shape, or form.
Great analysis and perspective, both in this and your original rundown of the top 12 cities. The average reader probably couldn't understand the decades of frustration Memphis experienced in trying to lure the NFL to the city and being close a couple of times, many years before Nashville was even a potential blip on the radar screen of the League. To many the idea of hosting a transition team who was only playing in Memphis for up to 2 years, or only as fast as Nashville could build a stadium, and the realization that players and personnel weren't even renting homes there, much less buying homes, rather bussing in from Nashville prior to each game was repugnant. It was a slap in the face, not a chance to show how you a person could support "his" team. The old Memphis USFL team had averaged 40,000 +, which wasn't bad for sub NFL, so I'm sure a permanent bigger league product would have flown in the same "improved" stadium. In the movie "Castaway" Tom Hanks character's first question upon returning after years of being stranded was "Let me get this straight... Memphis finally got that NFL team, but it's playing in Nashville??" I guess that sums it up!
I agree with your point about Tidewater as well after having lived in that region for eight years. There is not really enough single cohesive city identity to that area to draw recognition from other cities, and Richmond is not a big enough independent market. It was my experience that most everyone throughout that region was an entrenched Skins fan - I know I was!
Great analysis and perspective, both in this and your original rundown of the top 12 cities. The average reader probably couldn't understand the decades of frustration Memphis experienced in trying to lure the NFL to the city and being close a couple of times, many years before Nashville was even a potential blip on the radar screen of the League. To many the idea of hosting a transition team who was only playing in Memphis for up to 2 years, or only as fast as Nashville could build a stadium, and the realization that players and personnel weren't even renting homes there, much less buying homes, rather bussing in from Nashville prior to each game was repugnant. It was a slap in the face, not a chance to show how you a person could support "his" team. The old Memphis USFL team had averaged 40,000 +, which wasn't bad for sub NFL, so I'm sure a permanent bigger league product would have flown in the same "improved" stadium. In the movie "Castaway" Tom Hanks character's first question upon returning after years of being stranded was "Let me get this straight... Memphis finally got that NFL team, but it's playing in Nashville??" I guess that sums it up!
I agree with your point about Tidewater as well after having lived in that region for eight years. There is not really enough single cohesive city identity to that area to draw recognition from other cities, and Richmond is not a big enough independent market. It was my experience that most everyone throughout that region was an entrenched Skins fan - I know I was!
Yeah...and unfortunately I don't think that Bud Adams or the NFL really considered the dynamics of the situation between Nashville and Memphis. They probably figured (incorrectly) that Memphis would jump at the idea of being able to host an NFL team for a couple of years...that's what they always wanted, right?!
I think your analysis is spot on as far as the support goes. Memphis had been the bigger city (and market) in Tennessee for most of the century...and I think they always thought they would be the ones who were the first to bring major pro sports to Tennessee. It had to be a tough pill to swallow for Memphians to see their efforts of trying to lure a team go on for so long, then have Nashville come in and scoop a team up almost immediately.
Memphis probably felt jilted by the NFL (and I can see why). Even with the team being temporary, I think the final destination (Nashville) could not have been worse from the eyes of Memphians (Birmingham might've been a close second -- I don't know). If the team was stopping in Memphis for 2 years, then moving on to...Las Vegas, or somewhere like that, I don't think it would've been such a shot to their pride. Unfortunately, I think the only way Memphis would've been considered for a team is if they had been willing to swallow that pride for a couple of years, and fill up the Liberty Bowl. Now, Memphis is all but off the radar. I think it would take a few decades, and a rejuvenated economy for Memphis to jump back into the picture.
In the end, though, I'm happy that Memphis did end up getting the Grizzlies. Though it isn't as high profile as getting the NFL team they always wanted, Memphis does deserve to have a major pro sports team. I also think Memphis will also be first choice in Tennessee to get an MLB team...but MLB teams seem to be restricted to larger markets, so that will probably be a bit down the road.
The Charlotte area was primarily Falcons territory prior to the arrival of the Panthers. There were some Redskins fans, some Cowboys fans, but the Falcons were the team. In places north and east of Charlotte, say once you get up to Salisbury, sure, the Redskins became the team of choice.
Lol @falcons. I grew up in Charlotte. In fact i was in high school when the panthers began play and i can honestly there never was a significant fanbase for the falcons at all in this area. The Redskins, Cowboys, and Steelers dominated Charlotte before the Panthers were here.
Yeah...and unfortunately I don't think that Bud Adams or the NFL really considered the dynamics of the situation between Nashville and Memphis. They probably figured (incorrectly) that Memphis would jump at the idea of being able to host an NFL team for a couple of years...that's what they always wanted, right?!
I think your analysis is spot on as far as the support goes. Memphis had been the bigger city (and market) in Tennessee for most of the century...and I think they always thought they would be the ones who were the first to bring major pro sports to Tennessee. It had to be a tough pill to swallow for Memphians to see their efforts of trying to lure a team go on for so long, then have Nashville come in and scoop a team up almost immediately.
Memphis probably felt jilted by the NFL (and I can see why). Even with the team being temporary, I think the final destination (Nashville) could not have been worse from the eyes of Memphians (Birmingham might've been a close second -- I don't know). If the team was stopping in Memphis for 2 years, then moving on to...Las Vegas, or somewhere like that, I don't think it would've been such a shot to their pride. Unfortunately, I think the only way Memphis would've been considered for a team is if they had been willing to swallow that pride for a couple of years, and fill up the Liberty Bowl. Now, Memphis is all but off the radar. I think it would take a few decades, and a rejuvenated economy for Memphis to jump back into the picture.
In the end, though, I'm happy that Memphis did end up getting the Grizzlies. Though it isn't as high profile as getting the NFL team they always wanted, Memphis does deserve to have a major pro sports team. I also think Memphis will also be first choice in Tennessee to get an MLB team...but MLB teams seem to be restricted to larger markets, so that will probably be a bit down the road.
It goes beyond that, too. Not only had Memphis been trying to get an NFL franchise for decades--and was essentially promised a team after the NFL chose Charlotte and Jacksonville over Memphis in its previous expansion--Nashville wasn't even trying to get an NFL team. (Nashville DID try for a MLB expansion franchise but they went to Phoenix and Tampa Bay instead.) Bud Adams (Oilers owner) approached Phil Bredesen (Nashville mayor) about relocating the Oilers to Nashville, which caught Bredesen completely off guard. Bredesen is not a football fan in the slightest, but he was a shrewd businessman and an outstanding mayor who knew a good deal when he saw one. He knew what having an NFL team could do to boost Nashville's image. And it worked.
As for the argument some have made that the Tidewater could not support an NFL team because the area is firm Redskins territory, it's funny how quickly allegiances can change when one has a hometown team to root for. I was a kid in Tampa when the Buccaneers came to town. Prior to that, Tampa was staunch Dolphins territory. I mean Tampians would've given their right ear to see the Dolphins win the Super Bowl. But as soon as the Bucs came to town, we pretty much forgot the Dolphins.
The Tidewater is prime for the picking. Not only do they not have any major league sports franchise at all, they don't really have any big name college sports program, either. And the region certainly has the money. Now, whether all those Tidewater cities can come together to finance a $500 million stadium is another issue altogether, and whether they can agree which city would get to house the stadium is highly debatable.
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its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
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