(08-15-2018 09:50 AM)HornLakeTiger Wrote:  25 years later, that Hound Dogs name still sounds as bad as it did back then.

I can't help but wonder how the NFL would look today if Charlotte and Memphis had been awarded the expansion franchises in '93.

With Nashville a part of Memphis' territory and out of the picture for a team, would Bud Adams have tried to claim Baltimore before Art Modell in '95, and then Art takes the Browns to Jacksonville?

A lot of interesting scenarios if the votes had gone a different way in 1993.

Adams goes to Jacksonville. That’s where he was going in the late 80s before Houston renovated the Astrodome (which only last 5 years before he was trying to move again).

Nashville gets the NHL.

I think the name of the Memphis expansion team ends up being the “Pharaohs” or something generic. If they did a black and gold color scheme with a great name font and logo, the gear is as popular as the Charlotte Hornets in the 90s.

All 5 expansion aspirants get a team.

Memphis sells out the stadium for the first five years. When the NBA Grizzlies are talking about relocating, Memphis is the market first on everyone’s lips; but the team ends up in New Orleans, where an NBA ready stadium is already built.

An NBA-ready arena was in Memphis in 2001 too.

Obviously a new one was always needed, but the Pyramid was just as serviceable as New Orleans' arena in 2001.

(08-15-2018 04:45 PM)AlonsoWDC Wrote:  An NBA-ready arena was in Memphis in 2001 too.

Obviously a new one was always needed, but the Pyramid was just as serviceable as New Orleans' arena in 2001.

Actually the New Orleans arena has more suites, club seats, signage, and points of sale (concessions and stores) than the Pyramid.

The Pyramid was a 20k seat high school gym.


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(08-11-2018 04:06 PM)ncrdbl1 Wrote:  IT WAS NOT OUR FOOTBALL TEAM!!!!!!!

That is like someone expecting you to buy a house, car, food and clothing for a woman who is marrying someone else.


My favorite memory is the Steelers game being the largest crowd of the year and most of the fans were Steerlers fans.

That happens in Nashville whenever the Steelers come to town. Or the Patriots. Or the Packers. Heck, I was at a Bills-Titan game and the lowly Bills had one-third of the fans.

This is the way Nashville is ... Memphis too actually. Unless you got a great team ... Fans don't pay those pro team ticket prices ... or sell theirs on StubHub, etc. I saw alot of visiting team jerseys at Grizzly FEF games last season. Every game is on Big Screen TV at home for free ...
And in Nashville the Nissan Stadium parking and tailgating space is awful ...especially for 12 noon Sunday games.

(08-15-2018 09:56 PM)Latilleon Wrote:  

(08-15-2018 04:45 PM)AlonsoWDC Wrote:  An NBA-ready arena was in Memphis in 2001 too.

Obviously a new one was always needed, but the Pyramid was just as serviceable as New Orleans' arena in 2001.

Actually the New Orleans arena has more suites, club seats, signage, and points of sale (concessions and stores) than the Pyramid.

The Pyramid was a 20k seat high school gym.


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The Pyramid was a great idea with a BAD architect.

(08-16-2018 04:18 PM)steves Wrote:  

(08-15-2018 09:56 PM)Latilleon Wrote:  

(08-15-2018 04:45 PM)AlonsoWDC Wrote:  An NBA-ready arena was in Memphis in 2001 too.

Obviously a new one was always needed, but the Pyramid was just as serviceable as New Orleans' arena in 2001.

Actually the New Orleans arena has more suites, club seats, signage, and points of sale (concessions and stores) than the Pyramid.

The Pyramid was a 20k seat high school gym.


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The Pyramid was a great idea with a BAD architect.

And a cheap mayor...

(08-15-2018 09:56 PM)Latilleon Wrote:  

(08-15-2018 04:45 PM)AlonsoWDC Wrote:  An NBA-ready arena was in Memphis in 2001 too.

Obviously a new one was always needed, but the Pyramid was just as serviceable as New Orleans' arena in 2001.

Actually the New Orleans arena has more suites, club seats, signage, and points of sale (concessions and stores) than the Pyramid.

The Pyramid was a 20k seat high school gym.


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That’s a little harsh. Call it spartan at worst. It was serviceable just lacking in the premium components that yielded higher revenue. It wasn’t built as a basketball only venue and certainly was cavernous.

At that time I sat behind the Tigerbench about 18 rows up. Crowds were good and noise level loud. There were many great non sports shows there, The Wonders series, top draw boxing, concerts were still A list in the 90s, plus many others.

just like with trying to make the Liberty Bowl "NFL-ready", the Pyramid was not an NBA arena because of the same reason....the lack of well-placed corporate boxes / luxury suites

(08-19-2018 10:29 PM)Tigerx3 Wrote:  

(08-15-2018 09:56 PM)Latilleon Wrote:  

(08-15-2018 04:45 PM)AlonsoWDC Wrote:  An NBA-ready arena was in Memphis in 2001 too.

Obviously a new one was always needed, but the Pyramid was just as serviceable as New Orleans' arena in 2001.

Actually the New Orleans arena has more suites, club seats, signage, and points of sale (concessions and stores) than the Pyramid.

The Pyramid was a 20k seat high school gym.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That’s a little harsh. Call it spartan at worst. It was serviceable just lacking in the premium components that yielded higher revenue. It wasn’t built as a basketball only venue and certainly was cavernous.

At that time I sat behind the Tigerbench about 18 rows up. Crowds were good and noise level loud. There were many great non sports shows there, The Wonders series, top draw boxing, concerts were still A list in the 90s, plus many others.

It was done on the cheap and they cut corners. They put a bad manager in charge of the project. They put some suites in there (28 total), but they didn’t do it like NBA arenas were starting to do. Part of it was due to the Palace of Auburn Hills was opened right when the Pyramid was in the planning stages and they designers didn’t envision having all the amenities. Part of it was just a desire to stuff as many seats as possible in order to get in consideration for the Final Four. The original capacity for the Pyramid was over 22,000 seats, with 13,000 in the lower bowl.

I don’t know how the crowds have anything to do with how the Pyramid was built. But when I sat in the Pyramid, it was always a little right for me. I was 6’1 and skinny. My 6’3, 300 lbs uncle who as a former football player definitely couldn’t comfortably sit in the Pyramid regular seating.

Lacking the amenities is the reason it has been called a 22k seat high school gym.

(08-20-2018 09:38 AM)k2tigers Wrote:  just like with trying to make the Liberty Bowl "NFL-ready", the Pyramid was not an NBA arena because of the same reason....the lack of well-placed corporate boxes / luxury suites

Needed more suites with all the bells and whistles, more points of sale (the Pyramid didn’t have many stores or food diversity), more advertising signage, and luxury features for the high dollar ticket purchasers.

Actually, it was made abundantly clear to Memphis that they were not our team. Screw the No Fun Concussion League. We got our big league team. Go Grizz!