Predsboy18

I'll probably be there since it's right in my backyard, and it would be interesting to see it fleshed out and broken down.

Had the opportunity to see the stadium on Saturday, and while I didn't get a lot of pics, I did get a few, including one where the signage wasn't quite done yet. Does anyone have a map of the street layout of the Fairgrounds? I'm curious as to how everything will tie in and connect. Thanks in advance!

I honestly hate that the MLS isn't a premier league (sorry, bad pun) on the world stage, because of what you say here. There are SO many great players in the States, and it would be nice to be able to hold on to some of them for longer than 2-3 years. That being said, I do believe we're at a tipping point in the US, that depending on how the MLS performs, within 5-10 years, soccer could be knocking on the door of some of the larger sports. Will it ever replace any of the "Big 4"? Doubtful, but just being in the conversation, making SportsCenter HAVE to talk about the MLS, and just getting on the bigger stages, will go far in making soccer a national sport. From there, the money from the clubs can start flowing more, and endorsements can start growing, and MLS could be within the top 10 leagues worldwide. I'm dreaming, sure, but why not dream big?

I'm curious to know if anyone has heard of an update on parking at the new stadium. I spoke with someone with the team on Saturday, and they said they'd let people know "soon". Whether that's tomorrow, or 6 months from now, who knows, but I didn't know if anyone in here has heard anything. The matches are drawing 20k+ for the most part, and combine that with the novelty of the new stadium, it could become a flustercluck real quick.

I have a feeling, can't say for certain, that they likely oppose the project in the guise of opposing the name of the park area. The Facebook post I got this from made it sound as though the opposition came from the fact that it wasn't a public park, but was on private property. I don't want to speak for the family, but to me, anything that would bring attention to Mr. Edmondson would be good for his legacy, and could open the eyes of a new generation to his many works.

Just saw on Facebook that there's a community meeting scheduled for Tuesday at the Midtown Hills Police precinct to show opposition to the project based on the W. E. Quarry. According to the flyer posted, the family never gave their approval to use his name for this project. Obviously, this likely won't change anything, but just thought I'd throw that out there.

First, extra points for using "jackwagons". Second, I hope they don't make the chains too tight, they might break the pillars, and pull the buildings down themselves. Wait a minute...

I've had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ayre several times, as he was at the council meetings about the stadium, and being a Liverpool fan myself, he makes appearances at Party Fowl, where the official Supporter's Club meets, and I can say that he's an incredible guy to talk to, is very cordial, and I believe that he can make this work, whether behind the scenes, or getting his hands dirty. He has a great mind for the game, and while comparisons between the Premier League (or any European league for that matter) are far and few between, especially in the financial structure of the leagues, I think he knows what the team needs to be successful for the long term.

I agree with you on pretty much every point. 2022 will be very telling as far as how big MLS has gotten in this country, as that is when a new TV deal would take hold. As I mentioned prior, there is a tremendous gap between European leagues, which while I don't have actual viewership numbers, is likely growing faster than the MLS, somply because those talented players that we see in the US often go to Europe for the money (Christian Pulisic), and that includes young MLS players (Miguel Almiron). This is obviously a tough task, as I know several people that won't watch MLS, simply because of the lack of quality, which that's certainly their right. I totally agree with the idea that the talent is here, and as the sport grows, that talent pool will grow as well. The NCAA might be a major hurdle for those that aren't quite top tier talent, but are good enough to go pro eventually, as I believe the rules allow for unlimited subs (Most major leagues only allow 3), and some of the other rules keeps those players from really developing into 90 minute players. I will agree that there is a solid amount of young talent in this country, it's just getting them out there for people to see, and getting them some time on the national team. Nashy, that's my whole point in a nutshell, and I am right there with you that if the league is run responsibly, it could definitely be the sport of the future, but if it's not, and my worst fears come true, it will set the game back decades in this country, just simply because it would legitimize what all of the naysayers have been saying for 40-50 years, when there's actual, tangible proof to the contrary. I again point to the fact that here in Nashville, in the middle of summer, two Premier League teams played an otherwise meaningless game, and it drew over 56,000 fans. You go to cities where the game is more established, and you can often draw more. My hope is that people of this city rally around this team, as they have the Titans and Preds, and make Nashville SC a part of the city, and sell out Nissan every week. I don't know if it will happen, but I know I'm doing my part, and I'll preach the virtues of having top level professional soccer in Nashville. I feel like the fact that each of the matches played there have drawn quite well, over 13k for each game if I'm not mistaken is a good omen for when the team goes to the MLS.

When I typed this out, I purposely tried to stay away from football, to avoid the whole "he just hates football" mindset. I do watch, though my interest isn't what it was in the past. That being said, the NFL, regardless of TV ratings, isn't as "powerful" as they were a few years ago, simply because football as a sport isn't as big as it was a few years ago. I hope you're right in that the MLS is screening these ownership groups, before just handing out teams. I maintain that the MLS, and perhaps I was hasty in saying they're the last great hope for soccer in America, but I do feel that the sport is at a tipping point in this country. International teams are gaining in popularity throughout the country, and I as a Liverpool fan can attest to this, as we had close to 200 at Party Fowl in Donelson for the Champions League Final back in June. Whenever European teams come across the Atlantic to play exhibition games, they can usually come very close to selling out NFL stadiums. (Tottenham v. Manchester City drew 56k here in 2017) The main knock on the MLS is that the quality of play is far below what European leagues have, and it's very true. The financial rules in the MLS make it very difficult to put out a high quality team, and a highly restrictive salary cap doesn't help. The big names only come over once their good years are over, giving the MLS the earned reputation as a "retirement home" for great European players. Obviously more success will bring more money into the league, and more money to spend on these players to keep them stateside, rather going to these other leagues, many of which have few restrictions on how much a team can spend, other than FIFA's Fair Play rules. I want it to be known that I want the MLS to succeed here in Nashville, and nationwide, it's just that I have concerns that their business model is not sustainable with where the sport is in the American mindset, but I do want it all to work out.

Let me preface this by saying I'm a HUGE supporter of Nashville SC, and a huge supporter of Nashville's entry into the MLS in 2020, going as far as having season tickets for next year. That said, I'm fearful for the future of the MLS, I certainly hope I'm wrong, but there's just some things that don't feel right about what the MLS is doing in regards to mass expansion. The MLS was started in 1996, because in order for the U.S. to host the 1994 World Cup, the nation had to have a top tier league. (i.e Premier League in England, La Liga in Spain, etc.) The league was always fighting irrelevance in the early years, but carved out a decent if not large following in the cities where it put teams. In fact, of the 10 teams that started that 1996 season, only 1 folded (Tampa Bay Mutiny), and a total of 3 teams have folded in that time. The league stayed between 10 and 12 teams from 1996-2006, before starting a slow, measured expansion of one team per year from 2007-2010, bringing the total to 16 teams. In the years since, the league has expanded to up to 28 teams in 2022, with the possibility of growing to 30 soon after. I feel like the MLS is expanding too fast right now, and seems to be making decisions based on what sounds good right now. Such as after Nashville was announced as an expansion city for 2020, Cincinnati was announced for 2019, despite Nashville being further ahead in the planning of a stadium, and the team. For my part, that seems a little underhanded. Not to mention that Sacramento had been waiting for a franchise for years, and was bypassed by cities such as Nashville, Cincinnati, Miami (which was initially awarded a franchise in 2013, but could never secure a stadium deal), Austin, St. Louis, and finally today it was announced that Sacramento had a "framework deal" to join in 2022. To me, and this is only my opinion, this feels eerily like the Arena Football League, which blew up from 8 teams in 1991, to more than doubling the size of the league, up to 19 teams in 2001. The league would try to hold on to these teams after a 2009 bankruptcy forced the cancellation of the season, and teams folded one after the other in the ensuing decade, down to as few as 4 teams last season, and back up to 6 this year. I'm not saying that the MLS is following this route, but there are a number of risks they are taking, and there's a lot of money changing hands, mainly in large expansion fees. The result of a collapse, no matter what scale, of the MLS will only further those that feel that soccer will not work in the U.S. While it's still a niche sport among the big four, it has made considerable inroads in the states, and given another decade or two, it could nudge its way into that discussion. That, along with the issues that the NFL is facing, it could position soccer to move up in the consciousness of many Americans. Of course, that's all speculative, with perhaps the slightest bit of hyperbole mixed in there as well. In the end, the MLS could be the sport's last great hope for success in America, and I for one, would hate to see that chance fall apart because of greed of expansion fees.

This is the problem in a number of cities, not the urban environment, not access to and from the city, not anything other than leaders that are out for themselves and their cronies. I had always heard negative things about Detroit growing up, and while some were deserved, no doubt, a lot of it stemmed from those in charge being corrupt. Yes, the decline of the auto industry had a LOT to do with it, but when you have mayor after mayor dipping into the city treasury to help themselves and those around them, you get what you have in Memphis and Detroit. Thankfully, each is slowly recovering, I can't speak for Memphis, as I was only there for a day or two several years back, but I can say that Detroit is finally climbing out from the rubble it was in the 80s and 90s. It's far from what it was, but it's a hell of a long way from where it was only a couple decades ago. As far as our "rivalry" with Memphis, it's just like any other two cities of significant size in the same state. For me, it's fun to poke at them, but to say it's a horrible city would miss what Memphis is attempting to do. I love Nashville, but I don't put the blinders on, and think we're perfect. Far from it. I actually feel that with how we're marketed, it's inviting a dangerous element into the city, a more booze soaked reputation, with a dangerous side. This, among other reasons, is why I rarely find myself going past 5th Ave. when downtown. But that's just me.

Toronto, already jammed with towers is only building more. In this video, released just last week, the guy filming counted over 45 cranes in the downtown core, in addition to the 31 buildings of over 600 ft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovaiZejy_pI&t=

Just Googled the Municipal Auditorium, and while on the site it shows nothing for today, Google is showing another cheerleading competition this morning, so plan accordingly.

Thanks Ron. I also think 5th and Broad could be fun to watch from this vantage point as well, but you would definitely have a front row seat for the courthouse.