You would think, by now, athletes would get a little queasy at the mere mention of the words "Memphis" and "professional sports team" in the same sentence.
But with the announcement at Monday's press conference that the Charlotte Hornets and the Vancouver Grizzlies are both setting their sights on Memphis, it seems the city has been able to bury its spotty sports history under a nice bid that includes the promise of a new arena.
Big corporate sponsors, with FedEx at their helm, have been able to garner the initial support for a team. However, the long-term support -- the kind of support that keeps a team around for a while -- is up to the people buying the tickets and the T-shirts.
With the exception of successful newcomers the Redbirds, the formula hasn't worked for most Memphis teams in the past.
The Memphis Chicks packed their bags and moved to Jackson. The city's ABA team, the Houn'Dawgs, is now in Desoto County. The Riverkings of the Central Hockey League are now playing in Southhaven. The XFL Memphis Maniax are neither filling the stands nor selling precious advertising time for co-creator NBC.
And, then, of course, there is the litany of teams that have now gone to that big stadium in the sky: the Arena League Football team, the Pharoahs; the USFL team, the Showboats; two basketball teams, the Rockers and the Hotshots; and the Canadian Football League team, the Mad Dogs.
In short, which comes first: the losing team or its association with Memphis?
There is hope, provided Memphis can make good on the terms of its bid.
NBA tickets cost about the same as other sporting events in the area. According to Ticketmaster.com, a ticket for the Charlotte Hornets currently starts at $9. That's right in between the starting prices for a Redbirds ticket ($5) and a Maniax ticket ($17).
Obviously, most students cannot afford the much-hyped luxury suites at the proposed $200 million to $250 million stadium.
Even a $9 ticket seems expensive when a student's featured fare is ramen noodles or Taco Bell.
However, full-time U of M students get into Tiger home games for free with student ID -- whether it be basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, golf, track or any of the other U of M sports. Part-time students usually get in for free or a greatly reduced price. And most of all, it's the chance to see sports played for sports' sake -- not the promise of a big paycheck, a big corporate sponsor or a big arena.
Perhaps it is possible for "Memphis" and "professional sports team" to belong in the same sentence. Perhaps we've just been speaking the wrong language all along.
