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Collaborative Spirit Bridges Music City’s Teams

By AUSTIN GWIN – USLSoccer.com Contributor, 07/07/16, 1:39PM EDT

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Predators rolled out red carpet for Nashville announcement on Friday


Photo courtesy Eric Dorman / Nashville FC

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The sight of Marcus Mariota, the Tennessee Titans’ star quarterback, in a No. 8 jersey hyping thousands of screaming fans in Nashville to a fever pitch should not have seemed that unusual.

This was not a Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium, however. It was a Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena, and Mariota had traded his Titans blue for Nashville Predators gold. He was one of many Titans who made appearances throughout the Predators’ playoff run in April and May, showing Music City sports solidarity.

In a city known for its southern hospitality, it should come as no surprise that Nashville’s professional sports teams all work to help each other out. For Nashville FC, that help came on Day 1 for the franchise. The USL’s newest club was unveiled inside Bridgestone Arena with Predators President and CEO Sean Henry presiding as host.

“We like to work with everyone,” said Henry. “It helps our brand, and it makes it a little more fun for our fans. And when everyone does better, the city does better, and that’s what we are excited about.”


Photo courtesy Eric Dorman / Nashville FC

Henry spoke in the press conference about the past success of Nashville sports coming together. For Nashville FC owner, and former USL player Chris Redhage, the root of the collusion can be found in the nickname “Music City.”

“I think it comes from the music community here in Nashville. The collaboration that goes on whether it’s co-writing or co-producing songs,” said Redhage. “The pro sports community here is for Nashville, and so we’ve seen that partnering with the Predators on this announcement.”

One of the earliest instances of Nashville sports blending came back in 2000 when former Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher held a charity softball game at the home of the Sounds, Nashville’s minor league baseball team. It became an annual tradition that included coaches and players from all of the local sports teams. The event lasted 11 years in Nashville and became a staple for all sports fans.

While soccer is newer to the scene, the press conference was not the first time the sport has reaped the benefits of partnership in Nashville. Recent United States men’s and women’s national team soccer games held in the city have been played at the home of the Titans, Nissan Stadium.

Across four U.S. men’s games and two women’s games in Nashville, attendance has continued to grow. The most recent USMNT game in Nashville, a friendly against Guatemala in 2015, drew almost 45,000 fans, a record attendance for a soccer game in Tennessee. This year, the USWNT brought in more than 25,000 to the same venue for the SheBelieves Cup in March.

“Who knows, we might sell enough tickets where we might have to play a couple of games in Nissan Stadium,” said Redhage. “When people are supporting pro sports in Nashville, Nashville is a better city and that’s what we are focusing on.”


Photo courtesy Eric Dorman / Nashville FC

Nashville FC will be able to look to other USL markets for some hints on how to join forces with area sports teams, where strong local ties among organizations and ownership groups have helped new clubs thrive.

“The Cincinnati Bengals players are doing a lot of social media campaigns on behalf of FC Cincinnati,” said Jake Edwards, President of the USL. “Same in St. Louis. The St. Louis Blues hockey players come to their games and wearing their Saint Louis FC shirts. We are all trying to succeed. I think we can certainly help each other, complement each other.”

On the Friday morning of its first official press conference, Nashville FC fans met at Nissan Stadium to walk together toward Bridgestone Arena.  Maybe it was mere coincidence, but it might well have signaled that Nashville FC is ready to march into the Music City sports community, and will be welcomed with open arms.

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