Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) used his time in the U.S. House on Thursday to say that the University of Memphis should become a member of the Big East Conference.
Cohen began his comments talking about game 6 of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers, pointing out that sports creates jobs and brings much needed revenue to municipalities.
He made his pitch to the president’s of all the Big East Conference schools by highlighting the fact that Memphis doesn’t have a team in the NFL, hence the Tigers would be the only “professional” football team in the city.
The Congressman also noted that Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino has lobbied Big East officials on behalf of Memphis joining the conference.
Louisville and Memphis have been rivals since the 1960′s when both schools were members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
In the years following, the Tigers and Cardinals were members of the Metro Conference and Conference USA.
Cohen represents the 9th Congressional District in Tennessee, which encompasses a large portion of the city of Memphis.
