Fans watch during the UFL game between the Memphis Showboats and Michigan Panthers at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, March 30, 2025. Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UFL Relocation: Should Memphis Showboats Stay or Go?

Originally posted on UFL on SI | By Anthony Miller | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The UFL fan base was rocked by the news that the league was looking to relocate four of its teams, all of which are in the USFL Conference.

It has sparked widespread anger and disbelief among fans of the Birmingham Stallions, Michigan Panthers, Houston Roughnecks and the Memphis Showboats. Some would argue that all of them should relocate, only Houston and Memphis should, or none should leave to keep the legacy of the USFL.

Memphis is one of those legacy USFL teams that actually relocated after the Tampa Bay Bandits "moved" to Memphis following the 2022 USFL season. The Showboats are a team with a ton of rich history, with the likes of legendary defensive lineman Reggie White once playing in Memphis.

The biggest question for the Showboats is whether the city of Memphis deserves to have a UFL team still or should the league move on to different pastures.

Should Memphis Showboats Stay or Go?

Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Let's be blunt: Memphis has not worked, and it's not going to work.

Last year, the Showboats averaged 3,992 fans per home game, the worst in the UFL. At one point, the team had a game with barely more than 2,000 fans that bought tickets.

It's a shame because Memphis used to be a great location for spring football with past success with the original USFL's Showboats, the XFL's Memphis Maniax, and the AAF's Memphis Express. The lack of competition for other teams in the area outside of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies should have made this work.

According to UFL News Hub's Mike Mitchell, Memphis did watch UFL games as the city ranked a respectable 14th in television markets for the league with a 0.7 rating. It's unfortunate it didn't translate to fans entering their stadium.

It doesn't help that the Showboats were never successful in the UFL. A 9-21 overall record since 2023 wouldn't exactly excite the city to support the team. In the last two years alone, Memphis has only produced three wins.

Last year, the Showboats won just two games and endured a nightmare season, with their star head coach, Ken Whisenhunt, coming in and out of the league due to personal issues. They had a quarterback situation that featured multiple starters, and a defense that faltered late in the season.

If there is any team and market that has no choice but to make a change of scenery, it has to be the Showboats.

This article first appeared on UFL on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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