Soccer in Nashville

[MidTenn1]

8 hours ago, titanhog said:

Think about it.   Just one year ago, we entered the race for an MLS expansion team with 12-14 other cities, most of them much larger cities who already had lower-level soccer.  We were probably seen as the darkest of dark horses.

Now...nearly a year later, we are the ONLY one who has been officially accepted (even including Miami).  I think this just shows that we are a heavy-weight city with a lot of clout, deep pocket residents, growing international flair and a ton of mojo.  When I moved here in 1993, I would not have expected all of this so fast.

I'm proud.

Acquiring a Major League Soccer franchise improves our city from a world-wide perspective. It is the sport of the world and very possibly America's favorite sport sometime in the future and Nashville is now a part of that. I think that was why so many cities were willing to pursue a franchise.

Nashville already had a brand known around the world and now we have enhanced our status as a player on the world stage. I know that on the surface, it seems crazy to put such a large value on what is just a bunch of guys and gals  kicking a ball into a net,  but in the eyes of the next generation and the world, Nashville has  moved up considerably as a place where you would want to live, work and play. I don't think image that can be overvalued.

[Titans10]

1 hour ago, PHofKS said:

Acquiring a Major League Soccer franchise improves our city from a world-wide perspective. It is the sport of the world and very possibly America's favorite sport sometime in the future and Nashville is now a part of that. I think that was why so many cities were willing to pursue a franchise.

Nashville already had a brand known around the world and now we have enhanced our status as a player on the world stage. I know that on the surface, it seems crazy to put such a large value on what is just a bunch of guys and gals  kicking a ball into a net,  but in the eyes of the next generation and the world, Nashville has  moved up considerably as a place where you would want to live, work and play. I don't think image that can be overvalued.

This so much! 

 

Football is dying a slow death, the growing concern of head injuries in football will ultimately lead to its demise I believe in the next 15 years or so. I would never let my son play football. Soccer is growing in the states, youth participation is one of the few sports that is growing members. MLS will eventually catch on, Atlanta and Nashville will help its rise in the south. We see what Atlanta has already done to the image of soccer in the south, cities like Chattanooga and Asheville have tremendous success for lower tier teams, the ground swell I believe is happening, and it will be huge for the city of Nashville, I believe they are joining MLS at the perfect time. It's unfortunate though that the National team didn't make the World Cup which could hurt growth a bit, but that could ultimately lead to better structure in US soccer ranks and development  and could help in the long run. 

 

I couldn't pay my kids to go to a football, basketball or baseball game, but they will drag my ass out of the house for a Chattanooga FC match, they were so excited the past few years, loved meeting the players and chanting with the Chattahooligans, waving flags, and this year they are already begging for season tickets and jerseys for Christmas. These are teenage girls that couldn't  careless about sports. But they love their CFC and soccer. 

Edited December 23, 2017 by Titans10

[BnaBreaker]

The previous two posts were brilliant.  Well said, both of you.  

Regarding football and injuries, most would be surprised to learn that soccer has the highest rate of injury of any organized team sport... the major difference, however, is that unlike football, if you suffer a catastrophic injury in soccer it will almost certainly be a lower body injury to an extremity, 'only' ruining one's soccer career, and not the remainder of their life.

[timmay143]

Do we get a woman's team as well?

[titanhog]

1 hour ago, timmay143 said:

Do we get a woman's team as well?

I hope so.  I think eventually, women's pro soccer could be pretty big.

[timmay143]

Same here, especially with our dominating US woman's team.

[Nashvillain]

22 hours ago, BnaBreaker said:

The previous two posts were brilliant.  Well said, both of you.  

Regarding football and injuries, most would be surprised to learn that soccer has the highest rate of injury of any organized team sport... the major difference, however, is that unlike football, if you suffer a catastrophic injury in soccer it will almost certainly be a lower body injury to an extremity, 'only' ruining one's soccer career, and not the remainder of their life.

Your statement regarding catastrophic injury in soccer is apparently very false. I'm not trying to weigh in on the pros and cons of a pro soccer team in Nashville, just sharing some information.

"The Cost of the Header"

In August [This article was published in 2014], a group of parents and players launched a class-action lawsuit in California accusing fifa, the sport’s world governing body, along with U.S. Soccer, the American Youth Soccer Organization, and others, of presiding over an “epidemic” of concussions in the game. The lawsuit claims that roughly fifty thousand high-school soccer players sustained concussions in 2010—more players than in basketball, baseball, softball, and wrestling combined—and demands that limits be placed on the number of times that players under seventeen may head the ball.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/cost-header

"What Happens When Soccer Bans Heading?"

If the rules of the game were being written today, making head-to-ball contact would be outlawed — but they were written 150 years ago. Backed by research and growing concussion awareness, U.S. Soccer is trying to reframe how we think about such an ingrained and dangerous part of the sport.

https://www.theringer.com/2017/4/25/16041684/us-soccer-header-ban-concussions-4805684f63ca

[titanhog]

2 hours ago, Nashvillain said:

Your statement regarding catastrophic injury in soccer is apparently very false. I'm not trying to weigh in on the pros and cons of a pro soccer team in Nashville, just sharing some information.

"The Cost of the Header"

In August [This article was published in 2014], a group of parents and players launched a class-action lawsuit in California accusing fifa, the sport’s world governing body, along with U.S. Soccer, the American Youth Soccer Organization, and others, of presiding over an “epidemic” of concussions in the game. The lawsuit claims that roughly fifty thousand high-school soccer players sustained concussions in 2010—more players than in basketball, baseball, softball, and wrestling combined—and demands that limits be placed on the number of times that players under seventeen may head the ball.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/cost-header

"What Happens When Soccer Bans Heading?"

If the rules of the game were being written today, making head-to-ball contact would be outlawed — but they were written 150 years ago. Backed by research and growing concussion awareness, U.S. Soccer is trying to reframe how we think about such an ingrained and dangerous part of the sport.

https://www.theringer.com/2017/4/25/16041684/us-soccer-header-ban-concussions-4805684f63ca

Yep.  The "header" is the issue that soccer will have to address.

[jmtunafish]

“I think you heard the [MLS] commissioner say that this time last year Nashville wasn’t even on the map, but because of all of the things we did, we came together as a city, working with the Metro Council working with a great ownership group, and also that we have great fans, they said wow Nashville is a soccer city,” said Mayor Megan Barry.

Not only is Nashville a soccer city, but combined with both the Titans and Predators, it’s now one of a kind.

“We will now be the only city with that combination, with both soccer, hockey, and professional football, so I think it just speaks well to Nashville. We continue to be that city on the rise,” said Mayor Barry.

With some additional, flattering comments by MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Nashville hero Eddie George, here's the rest of the article:

http://wkrn.com/2017/12/27/nashvilles-sports-landscape-is-now-unlike-any-other-in-the-country/

[titanhog]

^^Mayor saying we're the only city with a combo of soccer, hockey and pro football...but that's not true, unless she's saying just those 3 (just that combination). There are several cities that have those 3 sports (Chicago, NY, LA, etc). 

[jmtunafish]

22 minutes ago, titanhog said:

^^Mayor saying we're the only city with a combo of soccer, hockey and pro football...but that's not true, unless she's saying just those 3 (just that combination). There are several cities that have those 3 sports (Chicago, NY, LA, etc). 

I'm pretty sure she means just those three sports.  And while she's technically right, since the article title said "in the country" Montreal and Vancouver could claim to also have their 3 major league franchises in the same sports as Nashville's although Montreal's and Vancouver's football teams are from the CFL and not the NFL, and many don't really consider the CFL to be on the same level as the NFL.  Anyway, Nashville is in pretty good company when it comes to cities with just three major league franchises:

• Cleveland (MLB, NBA, NFL)
• Kansas City (MLB, MLS, NFL)
• Montreal (CFL, MLS, NHL)
• Pittsburgh (MLB, NFL, NHL)
• Seattle (MLB, MLS, NFL)
• Tampa Bay (MLB, NFL, NHL) (and yeah it's technically two cities--Tampa and St Pete)
• Vancouver (CFL, MLS, NHL)

 

Edited December 28, 2017 by jmtunafish

[titanhog]

4 minutes ago, jmtunafish said:

I'm pretty sure she means just those three sports.  And while she's technically right, Montreal and Vancouer could claim to also have their 3 major league franchises in the same sports as Nashville's although Montreal's and Vancouver's football teams are from the CFL and not the NFL, and many don't really consider the CFL to be on the same level as the NFL.  Anyway, Nashville is in pretty good company when it comes to cities with just three major league franchises:

• Cleveland (MLB, NBA, NFL)
• Kansas City (MLB, MLS, NFL)
• Montreal (CFL, MLS, NHL)
• Pittsburgh (MLB, NFL, NHL)
• Seattle (MLB, MLS, NFL)
• Tampa Bay (MLB, NFL, NHL) (and yeah it's technically two cities--Tampa and St Pete)
• Vancouver (CFL, MLS, NHL)

 

Now you've got me wondering which cities in the US have more than us! 

So...a little research:

NYC / NJ: NFL (2), NBA (2), MLB (2), NHL (2,) MLS (2)

LA / Anaheim, etc: NFL (2), NBA (2), MLB (2), NHL (2), MLS (2 soon)

Chicago: NFL, NBA, MLB (2), NHL, MLS

Houston: NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS

Dallas: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS

Boston: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS 

Atlanta: NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS

Philadelphia: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS 

Minneapolis: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS

Miami: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS (soon)

Denver: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS 

San Francisco / Oakland: NFL (2), NBA, MLB (2), NHL, MLS

DC: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS

Detroit: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL

Phoenix: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL

Metro areas larger than us who have equal or less pro teams than us:

Seattle

San Diego

St. Louis

Tampa

Baltimore

Pittsburgh

Portland

Cincy

Sacramento

Cleveland

Orlando

San Antonio

Kansas City

Vegas

San Jose (though I kinda included it with SF / Oakland)

Columbus

Indianapolis

Charlotte

Austin

 

 

[MidTenn1]

Actually, New York/New Jersey has three Hockey teams...the Islanders who are playing in Brooklyn, the Rangers and the NJ Devils (who nearly moved to Nashville).

[jmtunafish]

With the MLS in town, Tennessee can now claim more major league teams (4) than three states that are larger than Tennessee:   North Carolina (3), Virginia (0), and Washington (3).

[DDIG]

34 minutes ago, jmtunafish said:

With the MLS in town, Tennessee can now claim more major league teams (4) than three states that are larger than Tennessee:   North Carolina (3), Virginia (0), and Washington (3).

In fairness to Virginia, you could consider D.C. home to all of their pro-sports franchises. D.C. isn't Virginia per say, but it is their big city.

[nashvylle]

Does anyone know when Nashville SC will go to metro council to vote on the demolition of the flea markets? I read within an article that John Ingram said "within the next few months", but nothing specific.

I would imagine Market Street will have to come up with the entire plan for the relocation of the facilities and the 10 acre development, etc. 

I do hope they show how great everything can work together. 

[PruneTracy]

9 hours ago, titanhog said:

Now you've got me wondering which cities in the US have more than us! 

If it can be quantified with detailed yet arbitrary standards, you can bet there is a Wikipedia article on it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_and_Canadian_cities_by_number_of_major_professional_sports_franchises

[titanhog]

3 hours ago, PruneTracy said:

If it can be quantified with detailed yet arbitrary standards, you can bet there is a Wikipedia article on it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_and_Canadian_cities_by_number_of_major_professional_sports_franchises

Note that they don't include MLS as a "major" sport.  Hopefully, everyone will consider it a major sport soon. 

[Pdt2f]

When they get a major tv contract, better game attendance, recognizable stars, and most of America is aware of the existence of any of their teams, then they’ll be able to claim major sport status. Until then it’s all just based on potential. I’m happy we got a team but I don’t think the MLS is a major league on the same level as the big 4. 

[BnaBreaker]

The primary between the MLS and the other major professional sport leagues in this country, is that it is not the premier global league for it's given sport.  

[titanhog]

I really believe MLS will be the premier sports league in the US within the next 50 years.

[markhollin]

NBJ picks John Ingram for his work in brining MLS to Nashville as their 2017 Newmaker of the year:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/12/28/nbjs-2017-newsmaker-of-the-year-is.html

[Tennessine]

16 hours ago, titanhog said:

I really believe MLS will be the premier sports league in the US within the next 50 years.

If NFL ratings continue to decline, I could see that becoming true.

[nashvylle]

16 hours ago, titanhog said:

I really believe MLS will be the premier sports league in the US within the next 50 years.

20* years in my opinion. 

[MidTenn1]

MLS Stadium and Fairgrounds Improvements. (From my post on SSP)

 

Not trying to spike the soccer ball after the announcement that Nashville was awarded an MLS franchise (OK, maybe a little), but lost in the glow of the construction of the stadium is the impact on the area and specifically, the fairgrounds. The stadium is indeed a couple of miles from downtown. Ideally, you would want it in downtown, but land prices being what they are pretty much rule out that location. The Fairgrounds is a great alternate plan as the non-stadium facilities and land will also see funded improvements. And the owners receive 10 acres (not sure if it's owned or long term leased) to develop as retail, hospitality and other mixed-use giving a new kind of life to the grounds.

 

There will be improvements to the 5/8's mile stock car speedway which once hosted NASCAR events. The fair/flea grounds buildings and arenas will replaced and improved, so there will be a nicer place to see which hog gets the blue ribbon and a better place to watch wrasslin'. There will be beautiful landscaping and the addition of several youth soccer fields in the shadow of the stadium.

 

The Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood itself will gentrify as are all other established neighborhoods in the City. There will be rows of tall skinnies and corner pubs and retail. There are already a number of art studios giving the We-Ho (ugh) District a particular character and identity. And there will be a light rail line passing within a corner kick of the stadium on Nolensville Pike.

 

The stadium itself, with it's 27,500 capacity will no doubt be a  popular home for many events, including concerts, a couple of Vandy football games, hopefully Women's soccer and hosting amateur title games in various sports (NCAA Lacrosse, Soccer?) and why the heck not, an outdoor hockey game. 

 

 

The Fairgrounds campus is going to evolve from a dreary, asphalt and gravel desert with derelict buildings worthy of a 'Walking Dead' program to a lively, aesthetically pleasing place with energy and life and appeal. How can anyone not want what the stadium development brings?