Previously on “Why Memphians Should Hate the Tennessee Titans,” I re-prosecuted the war against the NFL team that is today based in Nashville. Part one took us from the beginning of time, the dawn of an asteroid-smashed planet, up to where the Oilers were leaving Houston for Tennessee. Part two picks up the thread there.
Ignoble
In a 1997 viewpoint in the Memphis Flyer, publisher (then as now) Kenneth Neill wrote about the impending decision that the Oilers would play their first two seasons in Memphis. “Look long and hard,” Neill wrote, “for some sign that Bud Adams gives a hoot about Memphis. Try to find something that suggests he has even a fuzzy fondness for what goes on in the western part of the state. Try to find anything that suggests that Mr. Adams’ motives in setting up shop in Memphis are anything less than 100 percent Machiavellian.”
Flyer editor Dennis Freeland agreed with the sentiments of those “who think the NFL abused the good faith in Memphis and is about to do so again,” but that wasn’t necessarily the prevailing opinion in town. There was plenty of support for the Oilers at the outset, especially from many in corporate Memphis and the local Sports Authority.
In the Flyer’s June 26, 1997, issue, the week after the Oilers confirmed they’d be playing two seasons in Memphis before moving on to Nashville, there was a full-page ad announcing the arrival of a major new player in the Memphis community. “We’re so happy to be in Memphis,” the ad basically said. It struck just the right note, coming across as grateful for an opportunity and excited for the future in Memphis.
The advertisement in the Flyer was for Barnes & Noble, the national bookseller chain, which was opening two locations in Memphis. The newly dubbed Tennessee Oilers didn’t bother taking out an ad, that week or any other, as a measure of thanksgiving or goodwill in the city. That’s not reflective upon the Flyer’s ad sales, either. The Oilers didn’t advertise anywhere.
The attitude emanating from the franchise was, I’m Bud Adams, we’re the Oilers, here we are love us we don’t have to do anything. The perspective persisted throughout the season in Memphis, as Adams, despite his public promises otherwise, simply would not untie the purse strings and promote his team and try to sell his new city on the venture. The Oilers even selected a local PR firm, Walker & Associates, but never gave them a budget or direction. The extent to which the team had a presence in Memphis at all, other than on game day, was due mostly to Memphian Pepper Rodgers arranging local practice sessions and other events.
Comically, outrageously, in the press conference in Memphis announcing that the Oilers would play here, Adams made a mess of it and a fool of himself, referring to Memphis mayor Willie Herenton as “Mayor Harrison.”
Freeland let Adams have it in a column the next week. “Why would an NFL team wanting to win the hearts and minds of Memphis sports fans rush through an introductory press conference/autograph session after months of prolonged negotiations with Houston, Nashville, and Memphis? The event left the impression, once again, that this city is just an afterthought to the Oilers.”