21 replies to this topic

[Father Pat]

http://hoopshype.com...michael_heisley


Monday, March 26 2012

The Grizzlies have raised their game. Now Memphis fans have to raise their game. That was the gist of a four-hour meeting Saturday of team owner Michael Heisley, his top executives, and several Memphis business and community leaders. The meeting was prompted by, among other things, recent reports that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is interested in buying the team and possibly moving it to California. The newly created advisory board or local board of directors — the title is not yet clear — met in an office at FedEx Forum. This account is based on interviews with participants Kevin Kane and Henry Turley. Others at the meeting were Stan Meadows, Chris Wallace, and Greg Campbell representing Heisley and the Grizzlies, and Memphians Pitt Hyde (a minority owner) Bryan Jordan, Lawrence Plummer, Billy Orgel, Otis Sanford, Bob Henning, and Joe Hall, the head of a public relations firm in Nashville that worked with NBA NOW 12 years ago. Absent were Staley Cates, Willie Gregory, and Beverly Robertson. Memphis Flyer

[GTG]

Isn't attendance up this year though? I know the numbers haven't been off the charts or anything, but when you factor in the lockout and an absence of multiple games against "crowd drawing" opponents (ie: Heat, Celtics, Lakers, etc.) I'de say things have been pretty good. As we get closer to clinching, I would expect attendance to continue rising and we know any/all Playoff games will be sold out. I give Memphis a "B" grade when it comes to support this year.

EDIT: 10,000 posts! Haha!

[BHZMAFIA]

15K is nice and all, but it should be no less than 16K after the season this team had. Their road attendance is 16,900+, so home attendance should be close to that.

No worries though...when the playoffs come, all of the tickets will magically sellout only for the same thing to happen next season.

[Father Pat]

My first question was Staley Cates, Willie Gregory, and Beverly Robertson, what the heck? You are on a committee to help make/keep the Grizzlies a viable NBA market but couldn't make the meeting? Thanks a lot you three.

[Rev. Banshee]

GTG, on 28 March 2012 - 03:01 PM, said:

Isn't attendance up this year though? I know the numbers haven't been off the charts or anything, but when you factor in the lockout and an absence of multiple games against "crowd drawing" opponents (ie: Heat, Celtics, Lakers, etc.) I'de say things have been pretty good. As we get closer to clinching, I would expect attendance to continue rising and we know any/all Playoff games will be sold out. I give Memphis a "B" grade when it comes to support this year.

EDIT: 10,000 posts! Haha!

This takes the meaning of this out of context. They are specifically talking about the Memphis Business community needing to step up their support. Kind of how the Hawks can have less than 4000 actual people show up for games and still average just under 15000

[Subliminal]

Memphis ain't got that Atlanta money ;(

[Grizzled Vet]

66 game schedule means 8 home/8 away games were missing this year.

Of the 8 home games.

No Heat
No Celtics
Lakers once (which does happen in some 82 game schedules).
Clippers once (ditto)

That represents the top 3 road draws and # 8 this year.


What WC teams did the Grizzlies get twice/EC teams once this year (road average rank). Of the 11 worst ranked attendance on the road, the Grizzlies got 8 of them. Of the 33 home games, these unappealing teams represented 11 of the games.

Warriors (30th)
Pistons (29th)
Kings (28th)
Wizards (27th)
Sixers (26th)
Jazz (22nd-T)
Hornets (22nd T)
Pacers (20th)



Missed Hawks/Nets, Hornets (from bottom 11).

[chipc3]

Grizzled Vet, on 28 March 2012 - 10:02 PM, said:

66 game schedule means 8 home/8 away games were missing this year.

Of the 8 home games.

No Heat
No Celtics
Lakers once (which does happen in some 82 game schedules).
Clippers once (ditto)

That represents the top 3 road draws and # 8 this year.


What WC teams did the Grizzlies get twice/EC teams once this year (road average rank). Of the 11 worst ranked attendance on the road, the Grizzlies got 8 of them. Of the 33 home games, these unappealing teams represented 11 of the games.

Warriors (30th)
Pistons (29th)
Kings (28th)
Wizards (27th)
Sixers (26th)
Jazz (22nd-T)
Hornets (22nd T)
Pacers (20th)



Missed Hawks/Nets, Hornets (from bottom 11).

Which means the Grizzlies played a lot more winnable games at home this year. I can live with that.

[Herodotus]

Just one comment: It's tough to expect fans to raise their game, when the NBA has so badly been lowering theirs. This has been one of the worst seasons in memory, from the injuries, to the compressed schedule, to the terrible basketball being played on most nights; probably the worst at least since the years when the Spurs and Pistons foul machines (Bruce Bowen, probably the dirtiest player of my lifetime, right up there with Karl Malone) were the best teams in the league or when the Knicks won the title at the end of the last strike-shortened season. It's gonna be increasingly hard to convince small market fan bases to pony up for their teams, when the CBA, after a public relations disaster all summer from both parties, in the end may not have done enough to address issues of competitiveness and parity (small market teams going over the cap still bleed to death, other teams, although less easily and more expensively, will still be able to tread over the cap when it strategically suits them - then again, overall league finances may actually be dependent on luxury tax revenues and distributions from large market teams being perennial taxpayers, and players are even now still discussing forming super teams), the economy is still in a major slump from which we might not ever recover, which I think negatively affects smaller markets more than the big markets, and it appears from the unprofessional and unacceptable quality of refereeing that the NBA's superstar-driven (and/or spread-driven?) agenda is more logical for fans to be suspicious of than ever.

[alwilson]

Herodotus, on 29 March 2012 - 11:32 PM, said:

Just one comment: It's tough to expect fans to raise their game, when the NBA has so badly been lowering theirs. This has been one of the worst seasons in memory, from the injuries, to the compressed schedule, to the terrible basketball being played on most nights; probably the worst at least since the years when the Spurs and Pistons foul machines (Bruce Bowen, probably the dirtiest player of my lifetime, right up there with Karl Malone) were the best teams in the league or when the Knicks won the title at the end of the last strike-shortened season. It's gonna be increasingly hard to convince small market fan bases to pony up for their teams, when the CBA, after a public relations disaster all summer from both parties, in the end may not have done enough to address issues of competitiveness and parity (small market teams going over the cap still bleed to death, other teams, although less easily and more expensively, will still be able to tread over the cap when it strategically suits them - then again, overall league finances may actually be dependent on luxury tax revenues and distributions from large market teams being perennial taxpayers, and players are even now still discussing forming super teams), the economy is still in a major slump from which we might not ever recover, which I think negatively affects smaller markets more than the big markets, and it appears from the unprofessional and unacceptable quality of refereeing that the NBA's superstar-driven (and/or spread-driven?) agenda is more logical for fans to be suspicious of than ever.

The Rockets won the last shortened season.

[Iggy]

alwilson, on 30 March 2012 - 12:53 AM, said:

The Rockets won the last shortened season.

It was the Spurs

[notnilc20]

Subliminal, on 28 March 2012 - 09:37 PM, said:

Memphis ain't got that Atlanta money ;(

yeah....it all goes to Tunica.

[GrizzedByBluffCity]

I don't think they're calling out the individual fans per se, but the business developers and city leaders to figure out a way to make a night out at a grizz game more attractive to more people. I'm picturing heisley and company sitting next to that huge sign on Cooper (probably 12-15 yrs ago...) "SUBURBAN SPRAWL IS KILLING US ALL". wish I had a photo of it.

[alwilson]

Iggy, on 30 March 2012 - 01:53 AM, said:

It was the Spurs

yes.... my bad.

[chipc3]

GrizzedByHibachi, on 30 March 2012 - 07:04 AM, said:

I don't think they're calling out the individual fans per se, but the business developers and city leaders to figure out a way to make a night out at a grizz game more attractive to more people. I'm picturing heisley and company sitting next to that huge sign on Cooper (probably 12-15 yrs ago...) "SUBURBAN SPRAWL IS KILLING US ALL". wish I had a photo of it.

I think they are being honest. If the fans don't come out the team will leave. It's a statement of fact not a criticism or insult. Businesses, individuals, families...everyone has to start coming out and supporting the team more or the team will move to greener pastures.

Here is an interesting article about the need to sell more season tickets to participate in the profit sharing agreement.

And the editorial from the MBJ about the same subject.

[alwilson]

chipc3, on 30 March 2012 - 08:20 AM, said:

I think they are being honest. If the fans don't come out the team will leave. It's a statement of fact not a criticism or insult. Businesses, individuals, families...everyone has to start coming out and supporting the team more or the team will move to greener pastures.

Here is an interesting article about the need to sell more season tickets to participate in the profit sharing agreement.

And the editorial from the MBJ about the same subject.

Gee... thanks for links we have to pay to read.

[chipc3]

Sorry. I pay for it so I didn't realize it wasn't available on-line.

[Trybanski Time]

The general fan and the large corporations within the Mid-South area need to step their game up. The playoffs were incredible last season, but we need more fans to spend their money throughout the season. We have an exciting, likeable, and competitive team now. There should be no excuses.

The company that I work for had numerous Grizzlies season tickets for the first 6 or so years they were in Memphis. As the economy tanked and the team declined, they cancelled those tickets. They have not jumped back on the bandwagon, yet. I'm sure this is the case for many of the businesses around Memphis. The Grizzlies need corporate support, though.

[Herodotus]

GrizzedByHibachi, on 30 March 2012 - 07:04 AM, said:

I don't think they're calling out the individual fans per se, but the business developers and city leaders to figure out a way to make a night out at a grizz game more attractive to more people. I'm picturing heisley and company sitting next to that huge sign on Cooper (probably 12-15 yrs ago...) "SUBURBAN SPRAWL IS KILLING US ALL". wish I had a photo of it.

Well, sort of. FedEx Forum and the Grizzlies have been an absolute game-changer for downtown Memphis, especially the southern portion of downtown, the South CBID. It takes time for neighborhoods and cities to change, but the downtown experience around the Forum is already pretty nice, with plenty of places to get a drink or dinner before the game. We just need more people living in the city of Memphis so the games are more convenient.

[Father Pat]

MoreMayoPlease, on 30 March 2012 - 09:42 AM, said:

The general fan and the large corporations within the Mid-South area need to step their game up. The playoffs were incredible last season, but we need more fans to spend their money throughout the season. We have an exciting, likeable, and competitive team now. There should be no excuses.

The company that I work for had numerous Grizzlies season tickets for the first 6 or so years they were in Memphis. As the economy tanked and the team declined, they cancelled those tickets. They have not jumped back on the bandwagon, yet. I'm sure this is the case for many of the businesses around Memphis. The Grizzlies need corporate support, though.

Exactly. The Grizzlies have the lowest priced tickets in the NBA, and are the only NBA club to offer a $5 ticket. The time for making excuses is over. If the Grizzlies being in Memphis helps ANY business here, they must step up and give something back, or start making plans for the Grizzlies not being here in the near future. As was said in the article, the Grizzlies don't need Memphis as much as Memphis needs the Grizzlies. It has been made crystal clear. Support the Grizzlies or watch them leave within the next decade. The ball is in our hands.