RebKell's Junkie Boards
Board Junkies Forums
 
Log in Register FAQ Memberlist Search RebKell's Junkie Boards Forum Index

Nashville readies its pitch for WNBA franchise

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    RebKell's Junkie Boards Forum Index » WNBA
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
pilight



Joined: 23 Sep 2004
Posts: 66773
Location: Where the action is


Back to top
PostPosted: 10/14/21 7:48 am    ::: Nashville readies its pitch for WNBA franchise Reply Reply with quote

https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2021/10/14/nashville-readies-pitch-wnba-franchise

Quote:
A coalition of city leaders is slowly making progress on its mission to attract a women's professional sports team to Nashville.

The women's professional sports ad hoc committee, led by influential attorney Margaret Behm, met last week to hear an update from the city's consultant.



_________________
Let us not deceive ourselves. Our educational institutions have proven to be no bastions of democracy.
johnjohnW



Joined: 11 Aug 2020
Posts: 1828



Back to top
PostPosted: 10/14/21 4:45 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

I'd be very hyped for this. I've always had a fondness for teams in non NBA markets. I think this could be a very successful location.

Seems like we could really see some expansion in the next few years.

Or maybe Atlanta gets relocated to Nashville. X


snlMINAJ



Joined: 21 Jan 2010
Posts: 1203



Back to top
PostPosted: 10/14/21 7:11 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

yes it seems like a no-brainer that expansion is needed - but then you have teams like indiana and atlanta where you look down at the bench and are like - what? who?


Silky Johnson



Joined: 29 Sep 2014
Posts: 3304



Back to top
PostPosted: 10/14/21 8:16 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

I'll say it again, if they put a WNBA franchise in Tennessee, and don't call them the Summit**, they're hustling backwards.


** Presuming that they have the blessing of the estate, obviously.



_________________
Professional Hater. The Baron of #HateHard

My team no longer exists, so I'll have to settle for hating yours.
pilight



Joined: 23 Sep 2004
Posts: 66773
Location: Where the action is


Back to top
PostPosted: 10/26/21 7:00 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/could-wnba-team-come-to-nashville

Quote:
the Sports Authority says the consultant is now designing a survey to see if there's specific interest for a WNBA team to play here, and exactly where they would play here.



_________________
Let us not deceive ourselves. Our educational institutions have proven to be no bastions of democracy.
hyperetic



Joined: 11 Oct 2005
Posts: 5344
Location: Fayetteville


Back to top
PostPosted: 10/26/21 12:27 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Anybody know if the name Pat Summit holds has much weight with younger Tennesseans as it does with the previous generations? I am not familiar with current Summitt reverence in Tennessee but I remember when it was very high.
toad455



Joined: 16 Nov 2005
Posts: 22470
Location: NJ


Back to top
PostPosted: 10/26/21 12:39 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2021/10/15/nashville-wants-wnba-expansion-tewam/8458199002/



_________________
LET'S GO LIBERTY!!!!!!

Twitter: @TBRBWAY


Last edited by toad455 on 10/26/21 12:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
mercfan



Joined: 08 May 2013
Posts: 1910



Back to top
PostPosted: 10/26/21 1:06 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

This wouldn't be the most intriguing expansion in my mind but I'd love to see what organizers can put together.


root_thing



Joined: 28 Apr 2007
Posts: 7365
Location: Underground


Back to top
PostPosted: 10/26/21 1:08 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Even if people remember Pat Summitt, is she revered throughout Tennessee? Nashville is 180 miles from Knoxville. Their big local WCBB teams are Vanderbilt and Belmont. Elsewhere in Tennessee, you have Middle Tennessee State, Tennessee Chattanooga, Tennessee Martin, etc. Do even fans from rival schools love Pat Summitt?

Nashville is a blue city in a very red state. What might fly in Nashville -- like WNBA players regularly wearing BLM gear -- doesn't necessarily work for the rest of the state. So, they need to have strong support from within the city itself and maybe the surrounding suburbs.



_________________
You can always do something else.
UK1996



Joined: 03 Sep 2015
Posts: 403



Back to top
PostPosted: 10/26/21 9:07 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

In Kentucky most college sports fans are Kentucky fans although Louisville does have some fans. I’d say there are at least 2-3 Kentucky fans for every Louisville fan everywhere in the state except for Louisville. Even in Louisville there are a lot of Kentucky fans. I’ve lived close to the Tennessee border my whole life, most of it close to Knoxville but the past few years close to Nashville. I would say it’s similar to UK-Louisville but it seems like the gap between the number of Tennesse-Vandy fans is even wider. I see UT gear and license plates all the time but rarely see Vandy merchandise. People respect Pat Summit as one of the greatest coaches to ever exist. Nashville being such a tourist destination could benefit them. Tons of bridal parties venture to Nashville, this could be marketed as a thing to do before Binge drinking on Broadway. If a team were to come I’d also work really hard recruit some of more famous residents to come like Taylor Swift, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, and number of other country stars. It wouldn’t be a huge number but you’d be surprised what people will do to try and spot a celebrity. They’d really do best to work and try to get a well respected country singer to serves as somewhat of an ambassador. Dolly Parton would be an ideal candidate but I’m sure she and many other candidates stay pretty busy. Dolly could do a local commercial, appear on a billboard with a player or players. Country music is so ingrained into the identity and culture of Nashville it would be nice to see it used to help promote the team. If you could find a player who really enjoyed country music that would be a plus. Someone like Victoria Vivians who I believe has referred to herself as a country girl in the past could possibly work if she enjoys country music. Also, if you could pull in a Tennessee star that could help as well. As far as promo I’d push hard for ads on Broadway and The Grand Ole Opry.


UK1996



Joined: 03 Sep 2015
Posts: 403



Back to top
PostPosted: 10/26/21 9:16 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Also, I’d like to add, I don’t see being a blue city in a red state affecting things too much. The same could be said for a few states with WNBA cities, (Arizona, Texas, Georgia) although those states have trended purple more recently and are larger cities overall. Based on my observations with some of the college teams in this part of the country, most of the people who have an issue with players taking a stance aren’t the ones going to the games, and “individual boycotts” rarely last more than a season.


Stormeo



Joined: 14 Jul 2019
Posts: 4701



Back to top
PostPosted: 10/26/21 9:52 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

I don't know if it's any one entity's fault within this newly revitalized expansion push, but I've gotta say, it saddens me that Nashville is apparently 'closer' to getting a new WNBA team than a city like Houston is to getting its old team with storied history revived. Sad


Silky Johnson



Joined: 29 Sep 2014
Posts: 3304



Back to top
PostPosted: 10/26/21 10:21 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

UK1996 wrote:
Also, I’d like to add, I don’t see being a blue city in a red state affecting things too much. The same could be said for a few states with WNBA cities, (Arizona, Texas, Georgia) although those states have trended purple more recently and are larger cities overall.


Nitpick: Georgia is 33 percent Black, the third-largest percentage of Black people of any state in the US. It's not a red state, it's a blue state, in bondage.



_________________
Professional Hater. The Baron of #HateHard

My team no longer exists, so I'll have to settle for hating yours.
DFWub2018



Joined: 24 Aug 2018
Posts: 1047
Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth


Back to top
PostPosted: 10/27/21 1:06 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Stormeo wrote:
I don't know if it's any one entity's fault within this newly revitalized expansion push, but I've gotta say, it saddens me that Nashville is apparently 'closer' to getting a new WNBA team than a city like Houston is to getting its old team with storied history revived. Sad



With the exception of the feeling sad part, I would love to see Houston get a team back as well because it would make for some fun road trips when they play the Wings in addition to my usual Galveston trips!


pilight



Joined: 23 Sep 2004
Posts: 66773
Location: Where the action is


Back to top
PostPosted: 11/23/21 8:24 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

https://fox17.com/news/local/nashville-working-on-proposal-to-bring-wnba-to-nashville-music-city-tennessee-womens-basketball-professional-sports

Quote:
"We've seen a lot of enthusiasm about this effort to bring pro women's sports to Nashville," Margaret Behm, who is leading the effort for the Metro Sports Authority, said.



_________________
Let us not deceive ourselves. Our educational institutions have proven to be no bastions of democracy.
tfan



Joined: 31 May 2010
Posts: 9544



Back to top
PostPosted: 11/24/21 11:38 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Silky Johnson wrote:
UK1996 wrote:
Also, I’d like to add, I don’t see being a blue city in a red state affecting things too much. The same could be said for a few states with WNBA cities, (Arizona, Texas, Georgia) although those states have trended purple more recently and are larger cities overall.


Nitpick: Georgia is 33 percent Black, the third-largest percentage of Black people of any state in the US. It's not a red state, it's a blue state, in bondage.


Whether a state is blue or red depends on how the citizens vote, not on how many are black. But since Georgia voted Democratic for president and both Senators in 2020 it should probably be considered blue now.


tfan



Joined: 31 May 2010
Posts: 9544



Back to top
PostPosted: 11/24/21 11:42 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

It doesn't make sense to report a city is lobbying for a team without also mentioning which rich people are ready to buy the team.

Quote:
The key next step is identifying possible venues a WNBA franchise could call home as well as drawing the attention of prospective ownership groups.


I think the key first step is finding a local rich person interested in buying a team.


johnjohnW



Joined: 11 Aug 2020
Posts: 1828



Back to top
PostPosted: 11/25/21 8:35 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Honestly, it's kind of a strange strategy we've seen with municipalities pushing for a team since most municipalities are trying to avoid being held hostage by arena / stadium tax credits. I guess a W team could never leverage tax credits from the city, so their is no risk in the possible goodwill of supporting a team.


StevenHW



Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 10979
Location: Sacramento, California


Back to top
PostPosted: 12/24/21 2:52 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2021/12/22/nashville-sports-authority-researching-womens-pro-franchise-wnba-final-four/8941155002/



_________________
"The more I see of the moneyed classes, the more I understand the guillotine." -- George Bernard Shaw
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    RebKell's Junkie Boards Forum Index » WNBA All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB 2.0.17 © 2001- 2004 phpBB Group
phpBB Template by Vjacheslav Trushkin