Nashville and Professional Sports; The Biggest Two Weeks Begin!!
The
Nashville Predators begin their battle against the Pittsburgh Penguins this week for the
National Hockey League's Stanley Cup.
The city has seen its 2nd year,
NFL Tennessee Titans play in the Superbowl championship game in 1999 only to come up a yard short in a heartbreaking loss to the Rams. But, as excited as the City was about that sudden, unexpected moment, the current moment is the one in my mind that reflects most favorably on the dynamic personality, culture and coming of age of the City.
The team was awarded to the City as an expansion team in 1997 after a near miss at luring the New Jersey Devils to the newly opened 17,000+ seat arena. When the team played its first game in 1998, Nashville was a 'non-traditional', southern U. S. market and developing a fan base was very difficult at first. But over the years, and after surviving a near loss of the franchise, the City has rallied around the team in a way unlike any any other franchise. All national commentators agree that the game experience inside the arena is unmatched in the league for noise, intensity and creativity.
Nashville knows how to party and it shows at Hockey games.
As Nashville began the growth boom in the 90's that is still going on stronger than ever, teams like the Spurs, Kings, Nets, Falcons, White Sox, Devils, and Expos all took long looks at relocation to the Music City. Then the NFL Houston Oilers moved to town as the Predators were beginning play and the City went from zero to 60 in professional sports play in a heartbeat. And now it is in serious contention for a new Major League Soccer expansion franchise.
Now, 20 years later, after a long slow buildup, the City feels like it has arrived as a 'big' City.The arena is located in the booming SoBro District among scores of high rises and rising structures with tons of cranes perched atop. Thousands of fans sit on plazas and parks watching the games played on viewing screens installed expressly for that purpose. If the Cup is clinched in game six,
, in Nashville, there will be a party like none other as 20,000 Preds fans join 100,000 CMA Festival fans for one of the biggest parties around.