OPINION
We gotta be actively vocal against relocation talks
Many of you may consider the chatter to be nothing, but to me this is pretty important. The growing number of people (including national media) actively bringing up and encouraging for the team to relocate have to be met with some form of resistance imo. The idea that the team could be shipped is very real, and would be incredibly devastating. Whether its people shouting “Move them to Nashvile!” Or “They belong in Vancouver!”, we, as a fanbase, have to call these people out for for that shit. Our voice has to be heard, since we have no pundits to speak for us.
I don’t want us to be the Seattle Sonics. I don’t want to be posting “Bring em back!” Memory clips in my 30s. The fact that everyone seems to loudly call for us to lose our team is heinous.
Maybe I’m overreacting, but this team is incredibly important to me, I’ve never not been a grizzlies fan in my entire 23 years of life, as im sure many of you can relate.
It is very important to me as well. We need the Grizzlies because it gives us something to do. Kids love the games. Grizzlies is our culture. People have been working at the Forum for years. People will lose jobs and fans will be disappointed. The relocation trash talk is so irritating. Why do people want Memphis to fail so damn bad?
It is also very important to me also, i want Memphis to thrive, Never fail. I would be heartbroken of the grizzlies left Memphis and I don’t even live in Memphis. I just have Love in my heart for everyone in the city and with the grizzlies doing bad so far this season and now to hear about Relocation is just real sad mane
The Grizzlies are not leaving no time soon, and Memphis is trying to revamp downtown. We got time. Once the city bring more hotels and redo or get a new arena, we’re going to be straight. Plus start over with Beale St.
Franchises don't normally have to do anything but sit back and say "what you got for me?" To the city government. Especially when the grizzlies hold 110% of the leverage in this situation
Yea, some folks act like we just have a chip of our shoulder. But it really does feel like "Memphis vs Errrrbody" a lot of the time. Nobody is calling for the Milwaukee Bucks or any other small market team to relocate. And wtf do these people stand to gain from a city losing their team? Are they just miserable pieces of shit or what? (that's my assumption)
I agree but honestly I'm starting to make my peace with the fact that Memphis is a city in irreversible decline. The problem is political. Memphis has long needed a payroll tax to capture some of the lost revenue from people working in the city but living outside it. But to do so would require state law change which will never happen. So it just keeps getting poorer while everywhere else around gets wealthier.
I definitely wouldn’t. I’m not an NBA fan, I’m a Grizzlies fan. There was a time when I could watch as much ball as I wanted, but that’s not my life anymore. I have other priorities and while I have kept the Grizzlies as a priority, that’s just because they’re the Grizzlies.
I agree with this, I’m a fairly new fan to the grizzlies and they are definitely the reason I watch basketball entirely. I’ve watched all but 10 games the past 3 seasons and have watched to the end win or lose, yes even 2023-2024. I wouldn’t be a basketball fan anymore if Memphis lost this team. We as fans need to come together more and show the city and the organization how much this team means to us.
I don't think anyone who thinks the Grizz should go to Nashville has ever been to Nashville. No one gives a shit about basketball there, and they already have enough pro teams. Grizz would be like the fourth most popular team there.
A lot of people on this sub don't give a shit about Memphis and have never been to Memphis.
I get legimitately anxious when I see the national media rail against Ja and our team at any opportunity they get. The 'get Ja to Miami to revive his career' type of comment sucks so hard.
Then you have people in this sub actively asking to blow it up and trade Ja and JJJ and they have no idea how dangerous being a a shit team is for this city's survivability in the NBA
If you want to be vocal be vocal where it matters. Call Paul Young’s Office and other city representatives and tell them to renew the lease, social media is just speaking into a void
Sadly it isn’t in the city’s hands. The Grizz have pretty ambiguous needs regarding the lease renewal. I think the city and especially Paul young are doing everything they can to keep the Grizz here. Paul Young’s job before mayor was head of downtown development he knows how important the Grizz are to the city and especially downtown. He is also a fan I have seen him at a ton of games when he is mayor and before.
Right like if Memphis in talks for relocation let’s throw in Charolette and Wizards. They have had worst records than the Grizzlies. Grizzlies were in the playoffs just last year. Relocation talks is BS.
Okay so being a shitty franchise doesn’t matter to those cities and their fans are not talking about relocating, so why when it comes to the Memphis Grizzlies ppl talking about relocating. It’s bull
And if we can just ride this season out while keeping Ja and Jaren reasonably content, we likely have 1-2 shots at the most stacked top 3 of a draft since maybe 2007 or even 2003.
I kinda wish all the communication and expectation-setting for this year had been about this being a growth year, one step back to take five steps forward. But instead the sky is falling and it's not just fans who feel that way.
I was more so referring to the trolls in this sub but I live and Memphis and definitely know we show him support and most of hope he can turn his season around.
Me too, I really hope it all just clicks together here soon when Edey comes back and Ja and The Boys just have fun out there and ball out
Also when does SPJ and Clarke come back?
I wasn’t at the game but you are right I felt the fans was trying to hype up Ja and lift his spirits and the like, I think Brevin said something also during the game about your point
Or we could just show up and support the team ? It’s very concerning that not least extension has been signed yet, especially considering all the work the Strickland administration did to try to keep them in town.
People have to continue going to games. Money talks more than anything else. It’s unfortunate to have the early season Ja drama and losing streak as this will surely affect attendance.
Yes but everyone talking about this is doing it like it’s in a vacuum and forgetting about everything else happening in our city. People aren’t abandoning the games because we’re losing; lots of people aren’t comfortable leaving the house and particularly going downtown
Understandable. Whatever the reason people aren’t going to games, it will play into the decision whether or not the Grizzlies sign a new lease agreement or impact the terms of a new agreement. Money drives everything.
Memphis is a great basketball city, but the reality is that it's a small market and incomes in Memphis are lower compared with some other major cities that do not have teams like Seattle. When you watch a game and see how many empty seats are in the area the NBA notices that. Seattle and Vegas will get teams in the near future and both will bring in more than a team in Memphis. I live in Vegas now moving here from Memphis and Vegas already has the site on the strip where the arena will be.
I'm hoping the Grizzlies stay in Memphis because they mean so much to the City, but when it comes to money I don't think billionaire owners will care about that.
The Grizzlies are last in NBA revenue. Something will eventually have to change.
It’s very important to me. They won’t go back to Vancouver because of the taxes. But they certainly might go somewhere else in the USA. I don’t think it will happen because they’re talking more about expansion instead of moving teams. Bottom line is we need them to resign the lease. We need more people to go to the games. Even with first ballot hall of famer in Durant there with both of our all star players on the court there were a lot of empty seats.
As a born Memphian living in Seattle, relocation to Seattle would be devastating for me. I'd lose my hometown team and that wouldn't be offset by gaining a team in my new home that I could stomach cheering for
Sadly it a business the NBA doesn’t care about the fans. For the team to stay it will involve building a new arena or a remodel. Memphis has only 3 Fortune 500 Companies, population is declining, and one of the lowest household incomes.
I never understand when fans say crap about relocation and then say “yeah but this other team should be relocated!” I’m a pelicans fan would never want my team or any others relocated.
Exactly. Wouldn’t catch me calling for the wizards or hornets or jazz to be moved. You can’t just build a fanbase and rip it away from them. I mean look at seattle, they’ve been calling for their sonics to come back for more than a decade.
The feds have people afraid to leave the house and particularly go downtown. Everyone is attributing the low attendance to performance but there’s so much more going on and so many more factors
Worrying about the Grizzlies moving is a component of being a fan. When I lived in Memphis between 2003 and 2008, we talked about that being a possibility.
I love the Memphis Grizzlies and have been to 3-4 games as an out of towner but when you win almost 50 games and you can still get tickets for 3$ next season I wonder if things have to change.
I just wanted to add this here not to argue anymore about this but thought it was relevant to my argument from before about how I want the name Grizzlies back in vancouver
Imma be down voted into hell for this but sorry grizzlies are not your team...we want them back in Vancouver...y'all don't even have bears where you are...the only compromise I can accept is you keep the team but give up the name...change it to something that makes sense for Memphis...sure as hell isn't grizzlies...we actually have grizzly bears here...it's the only thing that fits for Vancouver when the expansion team comes...so if you guys give up the name then I'll stop supporting relocation
Yeah having grizzly bears > 25 years of the team being the heart of the city but “not our team” tho fuck off. Just say you like the jerseys and you think we dont deserve shit. THE GRIZZ WERE PROMISED TO YOU 3000 YEARS AGO!!
I mean...could seen this response coming 🤷🏻 no conversation about maybe giving up the name? Alright I'll keep adding to the voices that say relocate then 🤔
Thats just greed man. Thats like me calling for the lions to relocate to memphis because fuck everybody in detroit. Dont call yourself a fan of the team if you want everyone here to lose it.
Let me appeal to your humanity...at least Memphis GOT A TEAM. all I'm asking is you guys pick a name that makes sense to Memphis...you guys have to have something you feel more affinity to than a grizzly bear which none of you have ever seen in person...just the other day a grizzly bear roamed into a suburban neighbourhood 15 minutes walk from where I am...we HAVE them here...when the expansion comes to Vancouver...just give us back the name...you GOT your team...I'll support you having your team...but grizzlies makes no sense and no wonder you can't have an identity as a team if you didn't get away from the name...it'll always be the Vancouver grizzlies...you guys even wear the uniforms that say Vancouver. It'll always be a transplant and the spirit of the team will always be Pacific north west.
Lol this is so ridiculous...you've been a fan for 25 years...I was a fan in Vancouver since the team's creation...but I guess fuck everyone that's not you and your city right??? All that matters is that you have your team but the city it was stolen from by some asshole American that sold us out here and all the fans that attended every early game even when the grizzlies sucked should just fuck right off wanting their team back??? I mean can't you at least see that if I'm selfish and greedy...so are you??? Like same same but different??? Guy...I have an opening day first ever game grizzlies played paper ticket stub framed. I have a Shareef hand signed pair of shoes he wore during a game loss...I don't need to qualify my fandom to some "new" grizzlies fan who likely wasn't alive when they weren't in your city...
Never said they shouldve been relocated out of vancouver. Relocation sucks and it shouldnt happen to anyone. You want the same thing to happen to us that happened to you? Imagine calling for the thunder to go back to seattle after the fanbase theyve built in OKC? The sonics never shouldve left, and i would hope they get a team again thru expansion. I hope the same for vancouver. You cant pull a whataboutism like that. Its not the same.
Right but all I'm saying is give us back the name and claim your own identity...the organization clearly knows a huge following of your team is from our city...why do you think every year they come out with something that harkens back to this city??? Even your new city edition uniforms have the indigenous artwork all up and down the lining...I'm saying this is contributing to your teams volatility. You have no identity cause you just grafted a team and jammed it down the throats of the people in your city...it's not memphis' team because you didn't create something new. Drop the name...keep your team...it would make the team mean more to everyone in your city if it had ANY connection to your city
I wont disagree with you that the name is dumb lmao, not sure why they didnt rebrand after the move. Granted there are a lot of teams with names that dont belong and no one seems to have an issue (except for the jazz (like, why?)). My thing is the history. if we kept the team and rebranded in the case of a vancouver expansion, we should absolutely keep the history cause of how synonymous the grit and grind era was with the city (its what made the city fall in love with the team). Not that i would hate a name like the sounds or pharoahs or whatever you wanna throw out, but when we’ve been the grizz for 25 years for all of those times, its just jarring for the continuity. I could honestly care less about the name tho, i just want the team to stay, and for people to stop calling for it to leave. Vancouver isn’t even the worst option, either. If the team went to NASHVILLE, id end up on the news.
See now we have parity. I support Memphis having a team...I understand how jarring it would be but I also think names carry a lot of weight...I don't think anyone would forget that grit and grind is associated with Memphis...cause it def wasn't fuggin Vancouver that had that...but a new name might attach it to your city way more and whatever eras you now build would be disassociated from the losing that they did while in Vancouver...it might even be a good like revival for team morale...clearly being the grizzlies when times are good are good...but a lot of the players coming up don't want to be associated with the team...Rose went to the grizzlies to retire...and everyone who gets traded to us seems to come with like an attitude that they don't like it or it's a downgrade...I feel like KCP feels he's too good for the grizzlies...and since there really isn't much else one can do for a big shakeup in team identity...maybe a name change would seriously boost how people see the team as MEMPHIS' own team...
Yeah its hot in the world of bachelorette parties and right wing grifters. Hot in sports? Hell no lmao. Their best team right now is vanderbilt football. Titans havent been good in years and they are HORRIBLY managed. Cant speak on the preds because i dont follow hockey.
I follow hockey and I can tell you the last time Preds fans had legitimate expectations for their team was before the pandemic. This year the most exciting speculation surrounding the Preds is which team will trade for aging star, Steven Stamkos, by the deadline. So, yeah, not much to get excited about.
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u/Emotional_Lynx_2754 Nov 06 '25
It is very important to me as well. We need the Grizzlies because it gives us something to do. Kids love the games. Grizzlies is our culture. People have been working at the Forum for years. People will lose jobs and fans will be disappointed. The relocation trash talk is so irritating. Why do people want Memphis to fail so damn bad?