Congrats to Memphis on Spring Fling

[CoachT]

Memphis will host the Spring Fling the next three years. Baseball, because of the number of facilities available, will expand to eight teams per classification.

 

Baseball will be played at Christian Brothers High School, the University of Memphis, and at Millington's USA Stadium. The championship games will be played at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis.

[Dice1550]

So the format for region and substate/sectionals will be the same as basketball now?

[OSHSman]

I personally think all of it should be held in M'Boro. It's near the center of the state, easiest way for everybody to travel. Also, the 15,000 to 20,000 people that attend the football championships would be swallowed up in Neyland Stadium.

[KevB1990]

I agree on the 'Boro being the site for all championships. All the TSSAA did was make the East teams drive 9 hours when they qualify rather than the West teams (who actually add an hour when they get past Crossville).

[CoachT]

There are several posts, on different boards, concerning this same topic with similar comments. Therefore, I am going to make this one post on several boards.

 

Personally, I hate to see the Spring Fling leave Chattanooga. They have done a great job with it for 9 years and I fully expect them to come back in three years with a dynamite proposal. Also on a personal level, I would like to see the Fling in Middle Tennessee...just like every other area of the state would like it in their part of the state. This time it is Memphis' turn.

 

This time around, Memphis had the best proposal. If you look through them all and weigh the best proposal in terms of the players and their schools then Memphis was out front. The three parts of the proposal that point this out most dramatically:

 

(1) financially Memphis is underwriting all expenses. This means that the schools will receive twice the expense money that schools received last year. Schools that travel the farthest will receive the most expense money. This is important to the participating schools.

 

(2) The University of Memphis is providing dorm space for the majority of the participants at $25 per double room ($15 for a single) which includes two meals a day. $12.50 per athlete is hard to beat.

 

(3) Hundreds of additional athletes will be able to participate because of the additional teams that will be added in baseball and soccer due to the large number of facilities made available.

 

The negatives, or perceived negatives:

 

Security- some fans have commented about downtown Memphis and expressed their concern about feeling secure there. As with ANY major cities there are areas that people are not as safe as others. First of all, most of the activities will take place on the perimeter which is as safe as any other suburban, big-city area. Second, the downtown area of Memphis is being strongly promoted by the city and the major corporations there in order to attract other major businesses as well as tourist traffic. Therefore, they are working hard to make that area of Memphis very secure and, from the reviews I have seen concerning the new baseball stadium downtown and the events that are held for teenagers in that area, they are achieving that. And, when the Fling is in town, I would imagine it will be more secure than ever.

 

Geography- Memphis had to know this would be the hard part to sell which is probably why they enhanced the rest of their proposal so well. Memphis feels they have something to show-off and want the people in the rest of the state to come there and give them the chance to see and experience it. I can't blame them for that. But, yes, it is a long trip for a lot of people. As I am sure the people in Memphis would tell you, though, the road goes both ways.

[Edited by coacht on 6/6/02 10:26P]

[OSHSman]

I really don't consider Memphis a part of Tennessee, it's more of a suburb of W. Memphis, Arkansas.

[Opperman]

Downtown Memphis is safer than the suburbs right now. It had a bad reputation for a long time, but it's really turned into a nice area...and the players that make the state baseball championship games will always remember playing at AutoZone Park.

 

Also, most of the events are in East Memphis and in the suburbs, which are as low-crime as it gets in Tennessee.

 

And as coacht said, Memphis has been driving east for everything for 25 years. We've got the best facilities in the state for spring sports, especially baseball and soccer, and I expect everyone who actually comes to have a truly wonderful time, with their only complaints being the length of the drive.

 

OSHSman, I don't care one bit whether you consider Memphis a part of Tennessee or not. As long as the sales tax money I pay goes to Nashville, we're every bit as much a part of Tennessee as you are.

[SCRAPPY]

If Chattanooga wasn't pulling any huge profit off the Fling, how can Memphis guarantee the big bucks to the TSSAA? Where'll the funds come from? It sounds like a big gamble. I'll bet Memphis grabs that option out after devastating financial losses in the first year. There's just no way they can outdraw Chattanooga, people won't drive seven-plus hours unless their's a beach involved.

[Opperman]

When's the last time you came here, mixitup? Memphis is, and has been, changing quickly over the last several years.

 

And Scrappy, we'll see what happens. Enough people here wanted to make it happen, and I think it will draw well enough to work...I'd be absolutely shocked if the city takes the out after one year.

[RealGoEagles]

Don't worry, like everything else, Memphis will manage to lose this too.

[sportsguy1]

Memphis might have some nice facilities but they are not any better than Chattanooga's. Their is not a nicer softball facility than Frost Stadium. That new soccer complex is nice but Finley Stadium is a great location for a state final. I would put GPS's track facility up against any in the state. Plus if the Spring Fling was to return, tennis would have been held at the brand new Champions Club which is extremely nice and might host the Women's NCAA championships. The only thing hurting Chattanooga was baseball. But if you saw Engel Stadium this year it looked great and next year they would have used Chattanooga State which has a very nice field and the drive to Cleveland would have been eliminated.

[SoupKitchen]

I love the city of Memphis....it's big fun, good food, and nice people - no matter what others say, however, what will be lost.....particularly for the E. TN. teams..... is the student fan. Mom's and Dad's will be there no matter where it's played. I saw huge student followings from the Farragut and Bearden kids to support their teams....that's likely to gone from E. TN. and more than likely Mid. TN. also.....thats what I think is the big bummer in this action. The facilities will be spruced up no matter where it's played.