Report: FedEx may try to help buy Memphis' way into the Big 12
- Thread starter Psycho Jim
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-The greater Memphis metropolitan range, incorporating adjacent counties in Mississippi and Arkansas, has a population of 1,316,100
-Metro Orlando, with a population last year of 2.4 million
-The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater region 2.9 million residents.
Do the numbers
-Metro Orlando, with a population last year of 2.4 million
-The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater region 2.9 million residents.
Do the numbers
I asked for proof of his statement. Your belief that you provided such proof is almost as half-witted as the original quote itself. Butthurt is one thing I am not considering my assertion that it was not the "highest rated football game in the history of Orlando TV" (paraphrasing) remains in tact. Sucks when facts get in the way of what you perceive as the truth, huh?
First, I never said anything of the sort implicitly or explicitly. What I did say is that UCF does have headwinds as it pertains to current loyalties. How long it would take to overcome these headwinds is anyone's guess. This is why, as it's been complained about on this board ad nauseam, you still UCF students wearing UF, FSU, or UM (though not as often as you did in my day). Additionally, you have the transplants whose loyalties lie with the institutions from whence they came. This is also one of the biggest problems for all of the professional sports franchises in our state given the number of transplanted residents.
Second, you refer to TV like you're Don ****ing Draper yucking it up in the past. Albeit the not to distant past. You may not have noticed, but ESPN, Fox, and the like are really regretting some of the massive deals they made. People are cord cutting so the cable figures you're referring to might as well be in the stone age. This is a new reality for sports programming. The geniuses in Bristol are still trying to figure out where to go from here, so I am not even going to act like I understand the complexities of the forthcoming landscape. But I can tell you that what you're citing above is no longer pertinent to the conversation. Especially when you're talking TV deals 10, 15, or even 20 years hence.
I realize what I am saying stings a bit. But it's the new reality. Accept it and you'll be better off. This way you won't be disappointed when you realize UCF is where it's going to be for the foreseeable future. Anything beyond that is gravy and we can all hoot, holler, and celebrate when/if that day comes. In the meantime, you can save some face by not being so goddamn delusional.
Actually you did, although in your mid it was maybe in a slightly indirect manner, by claiming that no one watches UCF and it could be a loooong time before our potential audience is built up enough to make a difference. Quoting you word for word...
"Also, households don't account for jack when nobody is watching. And, NEWS FLASH... nobody is watching. (Not that this couldn't/wouldn't change with bigger, better competition. But with UF, FSU, Miami, and transplanted folks making up a very large percentage of those households, it's going to take time. Possibly a loooooong time. So when you account for that, Memphis likely doesn't have the same competition for eyeballs."
And FYI, Tennessee and Ole Miss (and to some extent even Vandy since they are in the SEC) provide plenty of competition for Memphis.
First, I am not talking about 10, 15 or 20 years in the future. But I easily could. Whatever method of generating conference revenue is in place 20 years from now, you can bet that UCF will be near the top of the list in being able to generate that revenue due to the huge number of students who will become alumni, living not just in Central Florida, but all across the state and the country.
As for right now, yes, there is a lot of uncertainty about whether a B12 network can generate enough revenue to be worthwhile. That is why the B12 has two very well known and qualified companies doing the research for them. And while some people are cord cutting, there are still a HUGE number of people who watch TV through cable or satellite providers. If you go back and re read my post, you will also note that when I calculated the estimates I used a LOWER figure of 75 cents per household (trying to take into account your concerns about ESPN and cord cutting) instead of the $1.00 - $1.45 per household that the SEC Network and B1G network receive.
So I stand by my position. IF the B12 and their consultants believe a conference network is doable, then UCF is clearly at the top of the list of schools that can provide maximum value to that network.
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You have to feel pitty for Tiger Pride's low self esteem that he has to ignore all the facts working against Memphis.
He reminds me of Baghdad Bob who insisted that US troops were nowhere near the capital of Iraq.
He reminds me of Baghdad Bob who insisted that US troops were nowhere near the capital of Iraq.
I don't come to this board much, but today when I see a Memphis fan mocking UCF on a UCF message board, I just couldn't help but laugh at the stupidity of it.
Memphis begging to get into the Big 12 and willing to pay millions upon millions of dollars (via Fed Ex's CEO) can only be construed as an act of desperation and big-time-kiss a$$.
A Memphis fan (I am not referring to you Tiger Pride) going to a Big 12 Conference forum (message board) and begging the Big 12 not to pass up on Memphis was one of the saddest if not the stupidest thing I had ever witnessed:
Dear Big 12,
In 1948, Elvis Presley's family moved from Tupelo to Memphis. That worked out OK for him.
In 1962, Danny Thomas decided to establish a pediatric cancer hospital in Memphis. It changed the world.
In 1973, FedEx relocated its headquarters from Little Rock to Memphis. You may have seen some of their planes.
In 2001, Mike Heisley moved the Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis. Thus began grit and grind.
I could go on like this. But you get the idea, right?
Come to Memphis, and good things happen.
They could happen to you, too.
And, yes, I know, you are hearing from plenty of universities around the country, all lobbying for an invitation to join your league.
You're hearing from Houston, which would be an excellent choice, if you want a football program that is completely overshadowed by the NFL team in town, and if you don't think Texas, Texas Tech, TCU and Baylor have you covered in that state.
You're hearing from BYU, which would also be a fine selection, if you want another school with its own network and ego, if you don't care that Provo is 1,200 miles from Dallas, and if it doesn't bother you that BYU has reportedly punished women who have been sexually assaulted for violations of the honor code.
You're hearing from UCF (which would be a swell addition if you're looking for a school that has a rich Division 1 football tradition dating all the way back to 1996) and from South Florida (which I don't take seriously enough to disparage) and from Connecticut (which would definitely be the way to go if you were the Big East).
So, yes, I understand you are besieged with interest from other expansion candidates. But here are six reasons Memphis is the obvious choice to join Cincinnati as the newest additions to your league:
Geography: Memphis is far enough from the heart of the Big 12 to expand the footprint, but not so far (see BYU, UConn and the Florida schools) as to be ridiculous. Along with Cincinnati, it helps build a bridge to West Virginia. Geographically, Memphis is just right.
A resurgent football program: You saw last week's Sports Illustrated, right? That's a Memphis quarterback on the cover. Memphis has won 19 football games the last two years and it had the second-biggest attendance increase in the country last season, when it outdrew Houston (by nearly 10,000 fans), Cincinnati (by 6,000), UCF (by 13,000), UConn (by 15,000), and USF (by 17,000).
Basketball: I know basketball doesn't matter as much as it once did, but it's still the No. 2 college sport. Add Memphis and Cincinnati to Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Baylor, West Virginia and Iowa State, and the Big 12 would be the best — yes, the best — basketball conference in the land.
FedEx: I would have led with this, but you already have the letter from FedEx chairman Fred Smith. Invite Memphis to join the Big 12, and you'll have the FedEx Big 12 Championship Game overnight. David Stern is considered one of the smartest commissioners who ever worked in sports. Back when Heisley was deciding whether to move to Louisville, Anaheim, Las Vegas or somewhere else, Stern told him to take his team to Memphis because Stern wanted the NBA to be associated with FedEx.
Momentum: The University of Memphis is on a roll. I already told you about football attendance. You certainly know about Mike Norvell and Tubby Smith. As University of Memphis president David Rudd has outlined, the school is investing $500 million in academic and athletic infrastructure over the next five years. All that, plus Memphis will shortly have its own governing board, unshackling it from the Tennessee Board of Regents, and liberating it to chart its own path. So all the fancy numbers and national rankings set forth in the "Soul of a City" booklet that Rudd sent you ( https://issuu.com/univofmemphis/docs/50576_athletics_viewbook) are just the start.
Passion: The university matters to this community. It matters more than many universities matter to their communities. It just does. You know how people are always saying that Memphis basketball fans are crazy? That's not entirely untrue. But another word for that craziness is passion. Since when is that a bad thing? Alabama football fans are crazy. Kentucky basketball fans are crazy. You sensing a theme here? The best programs tend to be those that care the most. Memphians care as much or more than anyone.
Indeed, I'm reminded of University of Oklahoma president David Boren's comments about Louisville, when he lamented that the Big 12 "let Louisville get away." Boren — who had lobbied to add Louisville to the Big 12 — said, "I obviously did not prevail, and they have now gone into another conference and they're not available now. But they'd have been a good fit."
In many ways, Memphis is Louisville. Or Louisville is what Memphis could easily be. They're both urban universities, located in mid-sized cities, with the ability to dominate interest in those cities in a way that is both remarkable and rare. The primary difference between the two schools has been the quality of their leadership. And Memphis has quality leadership now.
So do not pass up the opportunity a second time. Do not be fooled by some other pitch. If you choose to expand by two schools, do not let Memphis get away.
At least UCF's president has some class in how he conducts his business regarding interest in the Big 12. To quote him, "that does not include going out and waving your arms like your hair is on fire......!"
The Big 12 is not going to invite Memphis, not now, not ever. Texas would never vote for Memphis. So Tiger Pride, have fun sitting at the kiddie table for years to come. Do you care for some crow now?
Btw, why are you late to the party? Haven't you heard?
Behind the hype: Oklahoma president calms down Big 12 expansion talk - CBSSports.com
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Tiger Pride, just in case you are interested in what someone had to say in reply to the above plea by the Memphis fan, here it is:
"Let me get this straight in my mind.
Memphis is the reason Elvis was a star, the reason Danny Thomas' children's hospital changed the world, for Fedex's success. and I won't even address the last one. The Grizzlies still stink for the most part.
Elvis was a star and would have been in any place he landed. One could also say Memphis and the free wheeling drug doctor he found there is what killed him.
Danny Thomas' hospital would have changed the world in Bangor, Maine, or Irvine California, or Tupelo, Mississippi. Danny Thomas changed the world, not Memphis.
And I do see a Fedex plane almost every day. It lands right behind the two UPS planes.
I'm not really dissing Memphis, but your spill makes it sound like Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. It isn't.
But I will say this. Keep pitching. Without a filter, I'd be wondering if Memphis wants to join the B12 or wants the B12 to join them."
"Let me get this straight in my mind.
Memphis is the reason Elvis was a star, the reason Danny Thomas' children's hospital changed the world, for Fedex's success. and I won't even address the last one. The Grizzlies still stink for the most part.
Elvis was a star and would have been in any place he landed. One could also say Memphis and the free wheeling drug doctor he found there is what killed him.
Danny Thomas' hospital would have changed the world in Bangor, Maine, or Irvine California, or Tupelo, Mississippi. Danny Thomas changed the world, not Memphis.
And I do see a Fedex plane almost every day. It lands right behind the two UPS planes.
I'm not really dissing Memphis, but your spill makes it sound like Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. It isn't.
But I will say this. Keep pitching. Without a filter, I'd be wondering if Memphis wants to join the B12 or wants the B12 to join them."
The University of Memphis, on its own, doesn't merit a seat in a power conference. UM doesn't have the cachet that would make it desirable. This is why it is in the AAC.
Fed Ex's CEO willing to offer millions and millions of dollars to any power conference that will take UM is nothing but an act of desperation.
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You are the act of desperation. Why are you even here? Oh yeah, that's right. There is no one over on the Pussy board. What an F**king troll. Go up and die will you....
I was going to respond to Tiger Pride's last post, but then his post disappeared. Oh well.....
You guys have a good evening.
Kitty Pride knows in his heart that Memphis' is at best 3rd or 4th on the list. He knows the Tigers are doomed if the B12 only expands by two, so he has nothing better to do than be a troll.
Below are the items that U Memphis excels in:
#1. BBQ
#2. Offering to buy their way in the P5 conference
#3.................Promises from the locals to sponsor a Champ game, fix the Liberty Bowl, build additional world class facilities...yada,yada,yada
#1. BBQ
#2. Offering to buy their way in the P5 conference
#3.................Promises from the locals to sponsor a Champ game, fix the Liberty Bowl, build additional world class facilities...yada,yada,yada
In my experience the more dilapidated and filthy the place, the better the BBQ. Might explain why Memphis BBQ is considered so good.
I say that you both make me some BBQ and let me be the judge of this.
Of course. The BBQ doesn't come out good unless you drink during it's preparation.
I think people hear that a certain place has great BBQ and then are predisposed to believe the hype. I lived in Memphis for a couple of years and honestly it's not that different from any other place in the South.
I've always thought it was a natural fit for the Big12 anyway. If it gets them to expand, we're for it as long as they include us.
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