The Oilers "reaffirmed their two-year commitment to
Memphis on Monday, despite abysmal attendance" at their
first two games at the Liberty Bowl, according to John
Glennon of the Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL. Oilers Exec VP
Don MacLachlan said that the team has "no plans to pull the
plug on Memphis" despite speculation the team might choose
to play at Vanderbilt in '98, as it waits for Nashville's
stadium to be built by '99. MacLachlan: "We realize that in
coming (to Tennessee), there were a lot of things we had to
accomplish in a very short period of time. We did have some
snafus, and some problems coming out of the gate. But we're
looking to the future." To help increase attendance,
MacLachlan said the team is working with NFLP, "though he
declined to say whether possible changes being discussed
involve team colors and nickname" (COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 9/23).
MORE NEWS: ESPN's Chris Mortensen: "The league
acknowledges that it's embarrassing, it's not a good
situation, and they're sending their marketing arm in there
to roll up its sleeve a little bit and get to work and see
how they can fix this situation. [Oilers Owner] Bud Adams
... is taking a bath." ESPN's Mitch Albom: "[T]his is the
fault of owner Bud Adams and the rest of the league. Did
they really think carpet-bagging the team to a two-year,
temporary home would be a popular move? ... Pretty amazing
-- a league that fines players for not having their shirts
tucked in, allows a mess like this" ("PrimeMonday," 9/22).
