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The Memphis Showboats kicked off their 2025 season on Sunday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, and there was a familiar sight in the stands: empty seats.
That's been a constant for the Showboats, who have lagged behind other UFL teams even as they invest in more boots-on-the-ground marketing and have tried to engage more people in the Memphis community. UFL executive vice president Daryl Johnston has an idea, though.
To Johnston, the Showboats fans have already done the hard part. They have a group of die-hard fans, called the Yacht Club, which he said might be the most passionate fan group in the league.
"This group is probably the smallest, but potentially could be the most passionate group," he told The Commercial Appeal pregame on Sunday. "We were just talking about, 'How do you start to increase your numbers? How do you start to get people to kind of join in to your fan group and grow that thing organically? I grew up in Buffalo. There was no Bills Mafia."
So, yes — someone in the Bills Mafia might be getting a call from a 901 area code in the near future. And maybe the famously rabid fans of the NFL's Buffalo Bills — who like to jump through tables and battle through sub-zero temperatures — could have something to offer.
"We've just got to find a way to help them start to grow this," he said. "And maybe we have to get them in touch with the key people from these NFL fan bases that can give them some ideas."
Johnston told The Commercial Appeal during last season's home opener that the league needed to see growth in Memphis. That didn't happen during the 2024 season, but the USFL-XFL merger had left local markets with little time to plan for that season. The on-field product didn't help either, because the Showboats went 2-8 and were never in the playoff picture.
Sunday's season opener didn't go a whole lot better. The Showboats played two quarterbacks in E.J. Perry and Troy Williams, but both threw interceptions and the Showboats lost 26-12.
"We need to see the momentum start to build this year," Johnston said. "We really do."
The expectations for the Showboats are already down because coach Ken Whisenhunt announced less than a week before Sunday's opener that he was taking a leave of absence. Offensive line coach Jim Turner was named interim coach, but he started his tenure with a loss in front of an announced crowd of 4,373 that appeared significantly smaller.
"We have the talent to compete," Turner said. "I'm going to stay the course."
The UFL has struggled with attendance in a few markets, especially as the league has been innovate with its TV product and draws good ratings. UFL teams all live and train in Arlington, Texas, so it's difficult for them to build connections with local markets.
Birmingham, for example, has won three championships in a row but still draws only a handful of fans to its games.
The problem for the Showboats isn't developing hardcore fans. It's finding ways to convince casual fans or people who have never attended a spring football game to check it out. And that sometimes just starts with "tell a friend to bring a friend."
"We've got to start building it that way," Johnston said. "We're never going to get the casual fan because they're always going to come up with a reason why it doesn't work. Oh, I can't do that on a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday afternoon. There's always going to be a reason why they can't make it, so it's just getting them in fragments."
In other words, the drive to increase fan turnout at Showboats games will continue for another year.
"If it was easy, we could fix this in a month," Johnston said. "It's so many different things."
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How UFL is trying to improve Showboats attendance during new season
Continue reading...
That's been a constant for the Showboats, who have lagged behind other UFL teams even as they invest in more boots-on-the-ground marketing and have tried to engage more people in the Memphis community. UFL executive vice president Daryl Johnston has an idea, though.
To Johnston, the Showboats fans have already done the hard part. They have a group of die-hard fans, called the Yacht Club, which he said might be the most passionate fan group in the league.
"This group is probably the smallest, but potentially could be the most passionate group," he told The Commercial Appeal pregame on Sunday. "We were just talking about, 'How do you start to increase your numbers? How do you start to get people to kind of join in to your fan group and grow that thing organically? I grew up in Buffalo. There was no Bills Mafia."
So, yes — someone in the Bills Mafia might be getting a call from a 901 area code in the near future. And maybe the famously rabid fans of the NFL's Buffalo Bills — who like to jump through tables and battle through sub-zero temperatures — could have something to offer.
"We've just got to find a way to help them start to grow this," he said. "And maybe we have to get them in touch with the key people from these NFL fan bases that can give them some ideas."
Johnston told The Commercial Appeal during last season's home opener that the league needed to see growth in Memphis. That didn't happen during the 2024 season, but the USFL-XFL merger had left local markets with little time to plan for that season. The on-field product didn't help either, because the Showboats went 2-8 and were never in the playoff picture.
Sunday's season opener didn't go a whole lot better. The Showboats played two quarterbacks in E.J. Perry and Troy Williams, but both threw interceptions and the Showboats lost 26-12.
"We need to see the momentum start to build this year," Johnston said. "We really do."
The expectations for the Showboats are already down because coach Ken Whisenhunt announced less than a week before Sunday's opener that he was taking a leave of absence. Offensive line coach Jim Turner was named interim coach, but he started his tenure with a loss in front of an announced crowd of 4,373 that appeared significantly smaller.
"We have the talent to compete," Turner said. "I'm going to stay the course."
The UFL has struggled with attendance in a few markets, especially as the league has been innovate with its TV product and draws good ratings. UFL teams all live and train in Arlington, Texas, so it's difficult for them to build connections with local markets.
Birmingham, for example, has won three championships in a row but still draws only a handful of fans to its games.
The problem for the Showboats isn't developing hardcore fans. It's finding ways to convince casual fans or people who have never attended a spring football game to check it out. And that sometimes just starts with "tell a friend to bring a friend."
"We've got to start building it that way," Johnston said. "We're never going to get the casual fan because they're always going to come up with a reason why it doesn't work. Oh, I can't do that on a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday afternoon. There's always going to be a reason why they can't make it, so it's just getting them in fragments."
In other words, the drive to increase fan turnout at Showboats games will continue for another year.
"If it was easy, we could fix this in a month," Johnston said. "It's so many different things."
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How UFL is trying to improve Showboats attendance during new season
Continue reading...
