Riverking (possible) name change yuck.

[memphisvol]

It was bad enough that the Riverkings left the city in the first place. I don't have a link, but there was a Commercial Appeal article where attendance (not shocking at all to me) is down since they moved, even though the DeSoto Civic Center is a nicer facility. Now the team is debating changing the name to the Missisippi or the Southaven RiverKings.

I can tell you now that the team still gets a lot of its support (if not more) from Memphis and the surroudning areas of Tennessee. The few concentration of hockey fans there are in the Mid South tend to be in the wealthier areas around East Memphis, Collierville, and Geramntown. I know myself I will not watch another game if they change their name to Missisippi, or worse yet name themselves after a Memphis bedroom community. I imagine a lot of other Tennesseans would stop going as well.

If that happens, the promoters better have guaranteed fight nights, as well as country music and nascar star nights on a regular basis, or else attendance will really tank.

[Memphis Love]

i agree with you memphisvol, if it is changed to the DeSoto RiverKings or the Mississippi RiverKings I will stop going as well. DeSoto county is a suburban area of Memphis so I think that it should stay Memphis RiverKings.

[G-townTN]

I am confused a little bit by the article in the commercial appeal. One of the arguments to change the name to southaven or north mississippi riverkings is becuase that is where it is located. For some reason people in the surrounding states and even in the metro area don't consider desoto county apart of memphis. This is odd to me. If this is incase true, why don't the people in new jersy start an uprising to change the names of the new york giants and jets to the new jersey giants and new jersy jets.

State boundaries don't divide a city or better yet a country.

[memphisvol]

I am confused a little bit by the article in the commercial appeal. One of the arguments to change the name to southaven or north mississippi riverkings is becuase that is where it is located. For some reason people in the surrounding states and even in the metro area don't consider desoto county apart of memphis. This is odd to me. If this is incase true, why don't the people in new jersy start an uprising to change the names of the new york giants and jets to the new jersey giants and new jersy jets.

State boundaries don't divide a city or better yet a country.

[Rural King]

I agree, they should keep Memphis as part of the team name. As G-town has stated, otherwise any team not located in the state of the city proper should just go ahead and try to change the team's name to reflect geography instead of the principle city the team represents.

I guess they could claim they just represent Desoto and Mississippi, but if thats the case they should just write off trying to get Memphis folks to even care about the team, because without Memphis there is no way DeSoto would be what it is today and be able to host the team to begin with.

[G-townTN]

Today the riverkings officially changed their name to the mississippi riverkings because they say the mississippi river represents the whole region. I think this is BS. 90% of their fans come from memphis. As has been stated before they would not be here if it weren't for memphis. First, I think memphis should boycott the riverkings and drive them into the red. Second, we should force them to change their name back to memphis riverkings. Third, memphis should set up a regional council that will force the three states to work together. I know the last one wont happen because people in the memphis goverment are not progresive and the people in the Bredeson is too focused on nashville.

[Clobber]

Today the riverkings officially changed their name to the mississippi riverkings because they say the mississippi river represents the whole region. I think this is BS. 90% of their fans come from memphis. As has been stated before they would not be here if it weren't for memphis. First, I think memphis should boycott the riverkings and drive them into the red. Second, we should force them to change their name back to memphis riverkings. Third, memphis should set up a regional council that will force the three states to work together. I know the last one wont happen because people in the memphis goverment are not progresive and the people in the Bredeson is too focused on nashville.

[Memphis Love]

I had a group of approximately 15 Memphians that would make the trek to the Great State of Mississippi at least 10 times a year to see a RiverKings game, but no more. In my opinion, this decision will be greatly regretted by the back office with the RiverKings for years to come, that is until they are moved to another area.

[kayman]

This is obviously a very bad decision on the Riverkings upper management for an outsider to associate the team's name with Memphis when it says Mississippi. As an outsider, when I think of the name Mississippi, I immediately think of the State of Mississippi (Jackson, Tupelo, Gulfport-Biloxi, Meridian, Columbus, and Harrisburg) not the Mid-South or the Great Memphis area. This is definitely a decision those in management will soon regret.

[memphisvol]

This is obviously a very bad decision on the Riverkings upper management for an outsider to associate the team's name with Memphis when it says Mississippi. As an outsider, when I think of the name Mississippi, I immediately think of the State of Mississippi (Jackson, Tupelo, Gulfport-Biloxi, Meridian, Columbus, and Harrisburg) not the Mid-South or the Great Memphis area. This is definitely a decision those in management will soon regret.

[Rural King]

^ Thats what the the ownership gets for making what should have been seen as a horrible marketing decision to begin with.

[Clobber]

I'm betting this is what ownership wanted all along but was looking for an excuse. See Brian Hunter's trade of the star quarterback back when we had the Pharaohs. We went on an 0 for the season losing streak, attendance (which had been over 10K at games) tanked, then he moved to Portland, and failed there too.