Something I did for a sociology course. Pretty dry. Must have taken it seriously.

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Applied Demography

5 April 2009

Study of Memphis via Professional Sports

            This is an examination of why the city of Memphis has only one professional sports team.  We will compare and contrast the demographic characteristics, most notably economic standards and variations, of select cities that are host to at least one of each of the 4 commonly recognized professional sports teams (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) with those of Memphis, which is home to only one franchise (NBA).  The question we are attempting to answer is this: if other cities can support 3, 4, even 5 professional sports teams, why can’t Memphis?

Cities

            There are 13 major metropolitan areas/cities in the United States that are host to at least one team of each of the 4 major professional sports leagues.  These are Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, New York, Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay area, and Washington, D.C.  Of these, we will choose 4 as a standard by which Memphis shall be judged.  These will be Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and Minneapolis.  Cities were chosen because of their geographical location, relative population density, economic qualities, and racial composition.  Certain cities, such as New York and Boston, are excluded from comparison as the differences in population density and land area are not conducive to this study.  Statistics are chosen on a subjective basis, relative to what this author believes may be important factors for franchise owners in terms of ticket sales, fan base, projected attendance, etc.  In the interest of efficiency, all figures are taken from the 2000 census.

Memphis

            Total population:  650,100

            Male:  47.3%

            Female:  52.7%

            Median age:  31.9

            34.4% White

            61.4% Black

            Households w/individuals under 18:  36.9%

            Labor force:  63%

            Median household income:  $32,285

            Median family income:  $37,767

            Persons per square mile:  2,327.4

Atlanta

            Total population:  416,474

            Male:  49.6%

            Female:  50.4%

            Median age:  31.9

            33.2% White

            61.4% Black

            Households w/individuals under 18:  27.4%

            Labor force:  64%

            Median household income:  $34,770

Median family income:  $37,231

Persons per square mile:  3,161

Dallas

            Total population:  1,188,580

            Male:  50.4

            Female:  49.6

            Median age:  30.5

            50.8% White

            25.9% Black

            Households w/individuals under 18:  34.9%

            Labor force:  65.1%

            Median household income:  $37,628

            Median family income:  $40,921

            Persons per square mile:  3,469.9

Denver

            Total population:  554,636

            Male:  50.5%

            Female:  49.5%

            Median age:  33.1

            65.3% White

            11.1% Black

Households w/individuals under 18:  26.3%

Labor force:  67.7%

Median household income:  $39,500

Median family income:  $48,195

Persons per square mile:  3,616.8

Minneapolis

            Total population:  382,618

            Male:  50.2%

            Female:  49.8%

            Median age:  31.2

            65.1% White

            18% Black

            Households w/individuals under 18:  25%

            Labor force:  72.1%

            Median household income:  $37,974

            Median family income:  $48,602

            Persons per square mile:  6,970

Comparisons

            As shown, the 4 variable cities all have higher per capita and per household income rates, as well as a higher labor force percentage.  These may directly correlate to ticket sale revenue in the mind of a franchise owner.  Total populations vary greatly, with Memphis having a higher population than 3 of the 4 variable cities.  Further study should be conducted to gauge the impact of outlying areas, i.e. Germantown and Collierville for Memphis, Ft. Worth, Arlington, and Irving for Dallas, etc.  Racial composition may have a slight bearing, but results shown here are inconclusive as the numbers vary. 

Conclusions

            From a strict demographic data perspective, there is no conclusive evidence to prove that the city of Memphis could not support a second or even third major sport franchise, leading one to believe that the reasons for such stem from a deeper, more underlying cause.