Given Nashville's poor history of supporting its own minor-league sports, along with the fact that the NFL and NHL were soon coming to town, not many people in this market, including the media, thought arenaball would last more than a year in the Music City. But despite these deterrents, Nashville's arena team, the Kats, have been able to secure some sure footing in the city's booming sports landscape. Arena football in Memphis and Nashville is an ironic tale of two cities. Many of the reasons attributed to the Kats' success in Nashville were used to explain why the Pharaohs failed in Memphis. The team made the playoffs in each of its first two seasons, including a division title in the first year.
People love to see a winner, especially when a local tie is involved.
They have become fan favorites and in turn recruited the vast army of Big Orange supporters in Middle Tennessee. The fans love it. The Pharaohs organization committed a critical mistake in the second season by making unnecessary roster changes. Many of the first-year players, whom fans became acquainted with, were replaced with players from regional colleges who had little or no arenaball experience. These new acquisitions were unable to adapt to the hybrid game, which in turn helped lead the team to a miserable winless season.