(Memphis) The Memphis Grizzlies began the season Wednesday with high expectations from fans after last season.
“I keep my TV on ESPN and I enjoy sports all over,” said fan Darrius Morgan, who has been anxiously awaiting this season.
He will get a taste of the excitement tonight at Chiwawa in Midtown where he works and also where they are holding a Grizz watch party.
The Grizz will tip off in Memphis on Friday and tickets are hot right now.
“The days when you can come to FedEx Forum and walk up at 7 o’clock for a 7:05 tip are going away,” said Grizzlies Vice President of Ticket Sales Dennis O’Connor.
“It’s obviously been a great summer for us. It started last spring when we had a nice little run in the playoffs. Since then we’ve done very well, we are up almost 25 percent on the season ticket side of things,” added O’Connor.
And businesses on Beale Street are also ready for the season which comes just as the summer tourism season comes to an end.
“In the years that they didn’t win as much it was still big on games like LA, Miami or Chicago things like that but now even some of the smaller market games that come into town, we still get bigger crowds down here,” said Beale Street Merchants Association President Ty Agee.
Agee is hoping some of the excitement from last season will carry over into this season.
“The Lenox Lewis fights when we had the boxing down here it was so crazy and that western conference finals was kind of the same kind of deal.”
