Sorry, but the arguement that somehow people in Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, etc will feel left out and refuse to support a team unless it's called Tennessee is down right silly. But you're right, it does reek of marketing.....cheesy marketing. However, this is only my opinion. Admittedly, it's just a thing I have - probably a defective gene - but I just think teams should be named after the city they play in. Anyway, as soon as Nashville gets a team, we'll continue this debate.
HO, if you hook up with the Nashville Metro supporters, it will provide you an opportunity to get in game shape when you head down to the Azteca next yr.
I honestly believe that ONE DAY, be it 10-20 years from now....MLS and USL will finally strike a deal and promotion and relegation will be in full swing. It will be a hybrid playoff/pro-relegate system to satisfy almost everyone. Then, if that does happen, Nashville is on the map cuz I have high hopes for the Metros in the next few years.
My try at updating the Rogues Unies: This one would need the numbers off the front and add the sponsor. I think that autozone logo looks good as a sponsor.
Those are some slick updates. Good that burnt orange is the primary color since it doesn't copy Houston. And of course there's only one football team in the state that can be true orange It'd be neat to see an updated/contemporary Rogues logo.
Very nice job. I'm not sure that demographics are trending in a way that helps Memphis become an MLS city, however. MLS expansion candidates are larger, wealthier, and more white/Latin than Memphis. Germantown obviously has an impressive history of producing soccer players, Southaven/Olive Branch are well-off and have disposable income, and that great Irish bar in Cooper Younge draws a good crowd for the weekend satellite matches, but I have a hard time imagining that professional soccer would thrive/grow in Memphis. This isn't a Nashville vs Memphis thing-- I don't think MLS would succeed in Nashville either, for what it's worth, even though Nashville is about 25% more populous (metropolitan area, not city limits-- I know that the city of Memphis has about 50,000 more people than the city of Nashville), has more ethnic diversity and many more Mexicans and Central Americans, and is considerably wealthier than the Memphis area. Realistically, MLS in Nashville is at least a dozen years off, unless a bazillionaire willing to build a stadium with absolutely no public money steps up. For now, I'd like to just see people turn out to see the PDL Nashville Metros, and for someone in Memphis to start a USL team, even if it's in PDL, and see who would turn out. I know some Memphians who are nostalgic for the Rogues, but don't forget: even then, thirty years ago, when the city of Memphis proper still had a large, well-off middle class, the Rogues averaged 8700, 7600, and 9800 in their three years in Memphis, playing in the Liberty Bowl, and lost millions for their two different owners. I think an MLS team, playing in a purpose-built stadium easily accessible from Germantown/Bartlett, Midtown, and the Mississippi suburbs, would do better than that (sadly, the Liberty Bowl is the most centrally located place), but the standard should be "will this team do better than the worst-drawing MLS team?" and there's no way that Memphis would do better than KC.
Thanks! Wow you got the correct color orange right lol. Yeah Burnt Orange and Dark Red. But that shirt is suppose to be red,not BO LOL. About the logo, I'll see if I can come up with something, might not be today though.
Thanks! I agree with you, Im merely dreamin of a MLS team in Memphis. But USL would be nice,especially if they do well in attendance and if they finally make it where USL and MSL teams can be relegated like in the EPL.
Im trying to see how much support Memphis would actually have so I created a board ,the link is in my profile.
H'sO, didn't you post something about the old fairgrounds in Nashville as good turf for a SSS? http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll...NEWS0202/805280409&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL Looks like it's proposal time! We can dream...
I still have not won the lottery. But what a perfect place the Fairgrounds would be... although the projects in Vine Hill, and that stabbing at the State Fair a decade ago, might still scare off those Brentwood/Franklin folks who only go into the city for Titans games or concerts at the arena.
I'll agree that there is zero chance that MLS comes to Tennessee anytime soon. However, I'll disagree that Memphis is a dying city. Memphis has 3 Fortune 100 companies headquartered there - FedEx, Autozone, and International Paper (which relocated to Memphis within the last 3 years). Nashville has only 1 Fortune 100 company - HCA. For those not familiar with Tennessee. It really is actually 3 different states - West Tennessee (Memphis), Middle Tennessee (Nashville), and East Tennessee (Knoxville and Chattanooga. The rest of Tennessee tends to criticize Memphis for various reasons. Some of them are valid. The majority of them are not, and are very unfortunate. Most people in Memphis would prefer to secede from the state because it is largely ignored by the state government in Nashville despite being the largest tax base by far. Obviously, I live in Memphis and feel as though I have to defend it. It is an awesome place. Sure there are seedy places, but all big cities have them. Come spend a weekend in downtown Memphis and tell me it wasn't awesome. Also Memphis is the birthplace of Rock N' Roll. It should have an eternal free pass to coolness for that reason alone. Sorry for my essay, I just wanted to refute the face that "the city is dying".
"States" may be too strong of a word. Maybe 3 very distinct regions? But all the more reason, no matter where a team may be, Tennessee United makes sense. It wouldn't be everyone's first choice for a name, but it'd be an appropriate choice.
I'll have to agree with you.(Being a native Memphian Myself). Memphis isn't dying and yeah it has its problems. Yes Tennessee is divided, I am very aware that West Tennesse(especially Memphis and Shelby Co.) is looked upon by other Tennesseans as being closer connected to Mississippi rather than Tennessee. The rest is Country and Bluegrass. Don't forget about Blues and Soul, both of those had a big influence in Memphis too.
I love Memphis, but there is one error and one misleading statement. Autozone isn't anywhere near the top 100. If you look at the Fortune 500, you're talking about Nashville having 3 and Memphis having 3. And you're conveniently leaving out Caremark, which is an autonomous subsidiary of CVS and has added jobs since it was taken over, and Nissan's NA headquarters. Misleading statement: Memphis having "by far" the largest tax base, which makes no sense. There is not an income tax in Tennessee, but expenditures are a function of income. I have never seen comparative state sales tax revenues for Memphis and Nashville. But if you multiply both cities' population number times per capita income, Nashville, despite having 92% of the population of Memphis, has a gross personal income number that is 15% higher. It stretches credulity to claim that the significantly lower property values and income translate into "being the largest tax base by far," despite a marginally larger population. As for the Fortune 100 contribution to Memphis: Autozone and IP came to Memphis because they hardly pay any taxes, thanks to a sweetheart deal. As I said, I really like Memphis, and used to live there, and Nashville isn't perfect... but the "we're the big city, not Nashville" claims of some Memphians have been ringing very hollow for years. Especially when you consider metropolitan areas... then Nashville has actually 25% more people than Memphis, and the gulf is increasing. And THAT is where pro sports draw from.
I've lived in Memphis for over 20 years.....It's dying. I lived in downtown Memphis for a while. I enjoyed it, but it was hardly awesome. True. There are things about Memphis I love; still... But this is only my opinion - and I'd love to be wrong. Anyway, back to MLS in Tennessee...
Just for kicks, I present a sampling of Tennessee soccer badges. Might they be the starting point for a new Tenn. MLS team or no? Full disclosure - I have no association with any of these clubs. Just crawling the web for interesting Tenn related soccer logos. Nashville Metros Memphis Rogues Tennessee Rhythm Tennessee FC Lady Blues Tennessee United Lincoln Futbol Club Blount United Hendersonville SC FC Academy Knoxville United
My dream is for a 3 division MLS promotion/relegation system where both Memphis and Nashville could both have teams.
Same here. Something like England has. Part of my dream though is that the MLS would change its name to the North American Premiere League or simply the American Premiere League. Also maybe one day in my lifetime towns like Montgomery,Dothan,Mobile,Pensacola and Birmingham could have teams. That way I could go to a match from time to time.