FanSided Fandom 250: Underappreciation of Memphis Grizzlies is Evident
The annual FanSided Fandom 250 rankings have been released, but you will not see the Memphis Grizzlies placed high or low. They are nonexistent in the top-250.
Life as a fan of the Memphis Grizzlies can be tough. The team rarely gets national attention. They hardly receive any credit at all for their accomplishments, though they produce at a high level for a small-market franchise.
For instance, the Grizzlies have just one nationally televised game scheduled for the 2018-19 NBA season. This sole game is getting such recognition due to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. It is only right that Memphis, Tennessee absolutely gets to shine on that day.
Other than MLK Day in January, casual NBA fans do not get to see the Memphis Grizzlies in action. They barely know the Grizzlies exist or that an NBA team is located in Tennessee. That is, until the team unleashes chaos on the NBA’s darlings in the postseason.
In appearing in seven of the past eight seasons’ NBA Playoffs, Memphis has been one of the most successful organizations the basketball world has seen this decade. In the process, they have overcome star-studded rosters of the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and more.
Still, this club rarely draws accolades. To begin the current 2018-19 season, the Memphis Grizzlies have defied all odds and are one of the best teams in the NBA through their first 23 contests. Yet, attention is hard to come by when NBA All-Stars belonging to large-market teams drop a 50-piece performance, win or lose.
Grizz Nation has learned to cope with being overlooked. It comes with the territory, even for the Grizzlies’ players. Memphis enjoys being the underdog. It gives them a unique edge in some instances.
Even a guy such as Joakim Noah — the Grizzlies’ newest acquisition — likes being on a team that is under the radar rather than full of the bright lights. It has been a welcomed change of scenery for his hoops career.
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It should come to no shock to fans of the Memphis Grizzlies as they scroll through the FanSided Fandom 250 rankings of 2018. This ranking system involves sports in addition to gaming, music, television, brands, and other categories. It is a lot of eligible candidates, but 250 spots is a wide range for the Grizzlies to make their mark. However, they did not.
The closest the Memphis Grizzlies got to receiving recognition in this year’s FanSided Fandom 250 was at No. 230 via Justin Timberlake, one of the team’s minority owners. Hats off to Justin, but he did not get ranked because of his affiliation with the Grizz or for his link to Memphis, for that matter.
Of 15 professional basketball teams on the list, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks placed at No. 218. The Oklahoma City Thunder came in at No. 212, albeit their leadership containing two of the NBA’s top superstars in Russell Westbrook (No. 215) and Paul George.
Three total WNBA franchises placed in the rankings. Plus, it was not just the large-market NBA teams of the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets that received rank. Even the Utah Jazz snagged a spot at No. 183, though they undoubtedly have a large following along with one of the league’s biggest budding stars in Donovan Mitchell.
Memphis Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr Following Path Much Like Utah's Mitchell. light. Related Story
In speaking of individual NBA players’ names, you additionally will not find any single Grizzlies player on the FanSided Fandom 250 rankings. That is correct — no Marc Gasol. No Mike Conley.
Though Gasol is playing like a potential Defensive Player of the Year award winner and Conley may finally snag an NBA All-Star Game appearance, they do not carry the fan base compared to Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (No. 149).
Do not fret yet, Grizz Nation. Things may be changing. Perhaps not so much the market size for the Memphis Grizzlies organization, but they are developing a very marketable player in Jaren Jackson Jr. Over the past couple of weeks, he has stolen the Rookie of the Year hype from Deandre Ayton and he has cooled the buzz surrounding Luka Doncic.
At the rate that Jackson Jr. is turning heads around the globe, it is not outlandish to say he will become an NBA All-Star in a few short years. This will lead to more nationally-televised games. It will be more exposure for the Grizzlies and their city of Memphis, Tennessee.
2018 has been filled with ups and down for the Grizz, but they have set themselves up for major success in 2019 and beyond. Now is a time for spectators to become fans of the Memphis Grizzlies, and casual fans to become die-hards.
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In owning the 28th-lowest attendance of all NBA teams in 2017-18 and currently the 29th-lowest, there is plenty of opportunity to persuade eyes onto Beale Street.