Is it time for Pro Sports in Alabama and Mississippi


L

LaMont

New Member
Can someone please tell me why Alabama and Mississippi can't have a major sports team in one of the major sports (basketball, baseball and football)?

Geez, these are two sports loving states and yet no one even considers these states. Why? Do we have to put more pressure on the politicians to get them "on the ball"?

LaMont
 
Tell me an athlete who would want to live there..... What is there for fans, players, front office persons to do?
 

There are two pro sports teams in Mississippi. They are hockey teams in Jackson and on the Coast. I think there is one in Tupelo, too.
I would like to know where a pro sports team would go? There's only two places that they could go. The Coast or Jackson (maybe Tunica). Other than that, there is nothing at all to do here.
 
If Green Bay Wisconsin could get a team, which has been around for over 40 years, then never doubt that the South will get a new team in one of these two states.
 
I know it's been a while but

Didn't the USFL have a very successful team in Birmingham? A pro franchise in Alabama and Mississippi would sell out every week! Don't you think?

LaMont
 
Birmingham supported every football team they had. The Birmingham Stallions were a class act of the USFL, the Birmingham Fire led the league in attendence the first year of the World League (before it went to NFL Europe),I am not sure about the XFL team.


Every major city in Alabama has professional sports, just not major league, NFL or NBA teams. Huntsville has the Huntsville Stars(Double A baseball), Tennessee Valley Vipers(Arena Foottball 2), Huntsville Flight (NBA developmental league), Huntsville Channel Cats (hockey)... Birmingham and Mobile also have a team for each sport.
 
If I am certain, Green Bay is about 3 hours give or take from Chicago.... Gives them that rivaly that they have... Plus you hit the nail on the head... They have been there forever....
 
I honestly think that Birmingham could support an NFL team. Alabama is the football capitol of the south. However, there are too many old, white, conservative people to allow anything progressive in that state. Back in 1998, B'ham was trying to build a dome and get the Vikings, it was called the MAPS plan; however, the citizens of Birmingham voted against it. Just like last year when Alabama was trying to get the lottery, the citizens of Alabama voted against that also. However, the majority of the people who gamble in Mississippi and buy lottery tickets in Georgia are from the state of Alabama. So go figure. Until there is some strong, progressive leadership in that state, I don't see much of a change. It's a shame because Birmingham is a nice city with a lot of potential.
 
Hell, there are already two professional football teams in Alabama and Mississippi.

Alabama: The University of Alabama and Auburn University

Mississippi: The University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University.

Lets not fool ourselves.

Oh, yall talking about "official" professional teams? Oh. Ok. Sorry. My bad.
 
The Green Bay Packers are publicly owned. Unless the NFL changes its rules on allowing more publicly owned teams, they will be the only one. Being publicly owned helps in their survival in a small market.

What will be needed in addition to a facility (for obvious reasons) are fan bases, corporate support, and a lot of rich people.

It will cost to have a pro team. For starters ticket prices will not be cheap. :eek:
 
Sorry to add negativity to this subject, but both Mississippi and Alabama's Professional hockey teams are either in trouble or gone already.

Jackson, Mississippi (ECHL Bandits) -- in desperate need of a new arena and team seems to be keeping fans as hostages. May not play this season.

Biloxi, Mississippi (ECHL SeaWolves) -- can't decide whether to play this upcoming season or not. Rumors say the team is moving to Lexington, Kentucky, but they have been going back in forth in whether someone was going to buy the team or not or suspend operations.


Mobile, Alabama (ECHL Mysticks) -- The non-support of fans and an inept front office has caused the Mysticks to suspend operations for the 02-03 season and moved to Gwinett, Georgia for the 03-04 season.

Birmingham, Alabama (ECHL Bulls) -- Again, another front office along with the decline of fan support in football-happy Birmingham causes a perennial playoff Bulls squad to pack up and move to Atlantic City, NJ and become the AC Boardwalk Bullies.

Now, while this sport usually doesn't mean that much to us a race, it means something to the people who would bring a professional team to these areas. They don't want to waste money on a situation that could go belly up in four or five years.
 
Classic Take.

Classic idiot, backward thinking that is prevalent, unfortunately, in Alabama that keeps it from happening:

Tell me an athlete who would want to live there..... What is there for fans, players, front office persons to do?
Click to expand...

This type of commentary and reasoning (if you can call it that) was probably prevalent in Georgia and Florida in the early 60s, Tennessee in the 80s and North Carolina in the 80s.

If Alabama had more people to out-vote people with that type of view in our own state, we would have a legit pro sport franchise.

It's only because stupid idiots in our state, mainly rural/small town Alabama and suburbs surrounding Birmingham that totally despise Birmingham and anything that it tries to do (because of the black political take-over of the 70s), block every attempt that Birmingham makes to lure pro sports to the city.

It's our (the state of Alabama) own fault though because the powers over the decades would rather maintain control and keep things the way they are; focused squarely on Alabama and Auburn as the top preditors in the sports food chain.

There will be ambitious business people who won't buy into this mindset nor the stupid-arse stereo-typical images perpetrated like the one above,, and soon Birmingham will join the ranks of pro sports cities.
 
Originally posted by Alcorn Warrior
There are two pro sports teams in Mississippi. They are hockey teams in Jackson and on the Coast. I think there is one in Tupelo, too.
I would like to know where a pro sports team would go? There's only two places that they could go. The Coast or Jackson (maybe Tunica). Other than that, there is nothing at all to do here.
Click to expand...

Actually Jackson now has a baseball team too... the Jackson Senators (if that counts... or if anybody even cares)
 
Originally posted by SU Jag 79
Sorry to add negativity to this subject, but both Mississippi and Alabama's Professional hockey teams are either in trouble or gone already.
Click to expand...


What do the minor league hockey teams in the deep south have to do with a proposed professional team in a MAJOR sport, actually played by folks down here? :confused:
 
I don't think a Pro team would work in MS.. Remember when they use to bring NFL games to Jackson...and they had to sell so many tickets in order to keep them coming. It did not work.. . Unless they have a strong history, I just don't see it...

Now.. the baseball team the Jackson Senators has been putting fans back in the stadium.. They are better than the teams a few years ago.. and they are currently in 2nd place..Some games have had 2 and 3k fans in the seats... It use to be less than 1K in attendance...
http://www.jacksonsenators.com/
 

What do the minor league hockey teams in the deep south have to do with a proposed professional team in a MAJOR sport, actually played by folks down here?
Click to expand...

Think about it Mighty. People who would want to bring their team to that area know a few things.

First, if they see the negativity wrapped around those teams from those cities, that would deter me as a owner. None of those teams got the promotion from their front office nor the media coverage they should have with NO major sports in those cities. Of course, a MAJOR sport would hopefully get that.

Second, who goes to the major sports Mighty? Everyday working people like you and me? In football and basketball, the majority of the seats are NOT for us. They are for people who can afford a $100 seats plus. They do have a few seats for us, at the nosebleed section, but the same people who would go after these seats would be the same people who would go to what ..... minor league hockey, baseball, basketball, XFL, and the like. That's why I linked the two.

Case in point, just watch the Hornets this year in New Orleans. First off, nobody is coming to see them. They're coming to see their opponents. Second, the people who you think would love to see NBA basketball (as I assumed by your statement (sports they play)) will NOT be able to go see the Hornets unless they are sitting high in the New Orleans Arena.

As much as I hate to say it, they will not be here long.
 
79,
I agree with some of what you're saying. My point is that the potential audience for hockey is not the same as it would be for football or basketball. It's not nearly as large and diverse. Especially in the deep south. To compare the two would be a biggg stretch.

Also, I wouldn't know nearly as much about the situation in New Orleans as you probably would, but I gotta think the Hornets will do alright in NOLA. Especially the first few seasons. Since the NBA has been gone for so long, I gotta believe you Lousiana folks would go. The owners, while I'm sure they'll want the fans turning out to see the home team, won't turn away fans who come out to see the glamour teams. Heck, that's the only time the Hawks sell out. And if they start winning, the fans will start coming out for the home team.
 
I'ts a population issue

For the most part, except for Greenbay all cities with pro franchises have in excess of One Million people. Cities like New Orleans, Atlanta, Nashville, Dallas, Memphis and Jacksonville have a population base to draw from in the city as well as the suburbian area.
For example, Jackson, MS. has a population of about 184 thousand, and Birmingham about 266 thousand...I'm sorry, but the numbers just arent there to facilitate a pro franchise.
Out of the numbers I mentioned for Jxn and Bham it's even a smaller number if you factor in economic ability for some residents to pay.

I remember going to the Mississippi Pride games a couple years back. Their marketing gimmick was come see Jackson State, Alcorn, Valley, USM, Ole Miss and Mississippi state play on the same team...I went to every game because I was fiending for football during the summer. One thing I noticed in addition to the low attendance, was I saw the same faces every game.....all 2000 of them.

I just did'nt get why no one was coming, the football was pretty good, you got to see some guys that used to play in the pros (Birmingham had former Dallas RB Sherman Williams), they even sold Beer in the stadium.

But alas, it failed because Mofos are just cheap....I guess they would rather save up their money on a new outfit so they could Model it during the fall football season.
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where did you get those population numbers from??? The Birmingham metro area has around 600,000 people. Birmingham and Nashville are very comparable. I now live in Nasvhille and it isnt too much larger than Bham. Also Legion Field is way larger than Adelphia and the BJCC(18,000) is WAY larger than Gaylord Arena. Birmingham has hosted SEC championship games in almost every major sport, NCAA regionals, and also hosted the SEC womens tournament BEFORE it moved to Nasvhville. SO I just dont see your comparison. ALso Jackson has MORE than 180,000 people. Hell Huntsville has more than 180,000 people.
 
To be honest, the only city in the South that has a population over 1 million is Houston. Now, when we talk METRO AREAS, then Memphis, New Orleans, and ATL are in that category. B'ham's metro area is at 923,000. So population doesn't have anything to do with that. Jackson's metro is about 400,000.
I was actually shocked when the NBA announed that the Hornets were going to New Orleans, seeing that they almost lost the Saints. But, we shall see what happens.
 
It may be. With the addition of the Oilers/Titans, and the Grizzlies, along with New Orleans acquisition of the Hornets from Charlotte, I'd say that it should be given a try.
 
I feel your pain, man

Originally posted by Alcorn Warrior
There are two pro sports teams in Mississippi. They are hockey teams in Jackson and on the Coast. I think there is one in Tupelo, too.
I would like to know where a pro sports team would go? There's only two places that they could go. The Coast or Jackson (maybe Tunica). Other than that, there is nothing at all to do here.
Click to expand...

However, if our state gets better revenues and more financial backing, along with a possible expansion of Jackson, then it can happen given the factors.
 
Originally posted by 2Dirty
To be honest, the only city in the South that has a population over 1 million is Houston.
Click to expand...
Are you sure? I think the population for some of the cities in Florida are 1 mil.
 
Originally posted by Mr. SWAC
Are you sure? I think the population for some of the cities in Florida are 1 mil.
Click to expand...

There are 3 cities in the south with a population of 3 million. They are all in Texas.

Houston 1,953,631
Dallas 1,188,580
San Antonio 1,144,646

http://www.citypopulation.de/Country.html?E+USA

There are several others with Metro area larger than 1 million, but none of them are in Mississippi or Bama.

Birmingham and Jackson, like many other cities in the south are college towns. There are other cities in the south with larger population bases that don't have pro teams. (i.e. Austin, Oklahoma City). I would bet if any of the leagues wanted to expand, they would consider these cities before expanding to Alabama or Mississippi.
 
For the benefit of those that don't live in a big city , you size the population of a major city based on the METRO AREA not the city proper. Atlanta has approx. 4.2MM people.

While AL and MS love sports, they love college sports. The only reason the Packers survive is because they are in the cradle of pro football and the area has a passion for pro sports. The hardly even care about college sports.
Pro sports would never work in AL and MS because they don't have the population to support it. The three teams they've had in AL have only stayed for 1 or 2 seasons. They also lack the business base to sustain a team. These teams make a lot of their money from luxury suites and club seating. These seats are bought mainly by businesses and wealthy individuals. There's a serious lack of those in MS and AL (especially MS.)
 
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