News: Nashville Lands MLS Expansion Franchise

Quickly went in the dumps? They were founded in 1996 and had three years between then and 2007 that they were below 10k in attendance. 1996 (9961), 2005 (9791), and 2007 (9705). They were routinely a well supported club and, like Cinci and Sac, everyone talked about them needing to be an MLS team. Heck, they even had an SSS that they built when a bunch of MLS teams didn't. The point here is that you need to remember history. Soccer in america is littered with cities that were "Soccer City USA".

 

You should spend more time reading the boards and less time writing conspiracy theory blogs. It is painfully obvious how few people around here understand that MLS is business rather than some altruistic entity indebted to the fans to do whatever their romanticized version of right and wrong is.

 

There is nothing centralized about SKC's location. It's next to a huge parking lot and a speedway on the edge of suburbia. It does have an Applebee's across the street, though.

Ford Field is downtown, next to the baseball stadium, two blocks from the historic theater district, and around the corner from the new NHL/NBA arena. Detroit's urban decay problems are well documented, and Ford Field is far less than ideal as a soccer venue, but it's about as centralized as you can get. It's also where local sports fans are used to going for sports.

 

Is gentrification helping or dividing Detroit?

Outside of Detroit, it’s hard to find a metro-area resident who isn’t optimistic about the city’s future. A new hockey arena, trendy restaurants and housing under construction all over downtown, Midtown and nearby neighborhoods.
What’s not to love?
Inside Detroit, that can be a complicated question.
Amid the city’s revival following bankruptcy, some longtime residents are asking: What about us? Rents are rising. And new developments may not only be improving the central city but forcing out longtime residents.
Downtown vs. Neighborhoods likely will be a central theme in Mayor Mike Duggan’s re-election campaign this year. The one-term mayor has demolished nearly 10,000 houses, fixed streetlights and launched programs to increase home ownership, but critics including challenger, state Sen. Coleman A. Young II, say the improvements mostly benefit affluent neighborhoods etc...

Remember that Pac Bell/AT&T whatever it's called now Park in San Francisco was built in a pretty naff neighborhood at the time but now sits on prime real estate.

 

As a Crew fan.....I'm in favor of a Detroit team as it would be great rivalry (the natural Ohio vs Michigan hate)....obviously contingent on whether I get to keep my team.

Detroits historic reputation overshadows all the progress. It most certainly does have an ever-growing downtown and adjacent urban neighborhoods. Ford Field (Lions) Comerica Park (Tigers) and Little Caesar's Arena (Red Wings/Pistons) are all within steps of each other...as well as numerous music/performance venues and theaters, lots of restaurants and bars, and 3 huge casinos. The Q-Line light rail started this year as well. Adjacent neighborhoods like Midtown (Wayne State University), Corktown (old Tigers Stadium) and the Eastern Market (old industrial warehouses) are all booming with revitalization and new housing and dining and entertainment.

All the issues of poverty, blight, and crime still run deep in Detroit, but between the resurgent downtown districts and the numerous affluent suburbs....Detroit has no problem supporting its professional sports. And If you think soccer will be any different look at the multiple 100k crowds for big teams like Man U and Real Madrid at Michigan Stadium, and 36k showed up for PSG vs Roma at Comerica Park. Couple that with Detroit City FCs amateur games that routinely draw 5,000+ and upwards of 7,000 often.....and it's pretty easy to say MLS will do good there.

 

SIC couldn't have been worse for me, living far East in Lee's Summit and Sporting park in the far west. Might as well for it to be in Lawrence.

 

Hate to break it to you, but the fans didn't save MLS. Three billionaires did. Fans weren't coming to the games or tuning in in numbers that were enough to save the league.

So no, as much as we like to think that we are the ones who kept MLS alive during the dark ages, we weren't. The league owes us one thing, putting the best possible product on the field as possible. Anything else is a nice bonus.

 

Don't sleep on Applebee's

 

Wait, isn't there a guy around here who gets all his inside information from a waitress in Applebee's?

 

There's also the barbers.

 

Dollaritas were a thing.

 

Nebraska Furniture Mart might actually have a higher capacity than CMP.

 

I go to Chilli’s.

 

They also have a Chilis.

 

Nebraska Furniture Mart, Cabela's Sporting Goods, a sports stadium, and both Applebee's and Chili's? Sounds like a downtown to me!

 

I see you've been to Lubbock.

 

Hey, hey, hey, hey-now. Don’t be mean; we don’t have to be mean, cuz, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

 

Thank you for quoting my favorite movie. I'm not kidding.

Also, Lubbock has been pretty nice so far, like meeting Peggy Sue Gerron (Buddy Holly wrote the song about her), it's just got a weird aesthetic to it that I can't quite place. It's either the biggest small town I've ever seen or it's cowtown academic. I will say I'm thoroughly enjoying the 8-10 minute work commute. I'm also looking forward to OKC, Dallas, San Antonio, ABQ, Santa Fe and a few others being within about 5 hours. Sprinkle in the smaller towns and cities all around, like Amarillo, within an hour or two.

 

WHAT?! I'm not sure where you came up with this but it's nonsense.

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

 

I don't know about Seattle's contributions to Jazz but Jimi started playing professionally in Nashville while stationed at Fort Campbell, KY when he was in the Army.

 

Seattle will always have Sir Mix-a-lot!

 

He was getting paid while playing in a band before he joined the military rather than going to jail for being in a stolen vehicle.

Ray Charles made his first record while living in Seattle.
http://www.historylink.org/File/5707

Quincy Jones.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/quincy-jones-the-story-of-an-american-musician/636/

You should know who those two are.

Ernestine Anderson came out of the same scene.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernestine_Anderson

Kenny G came from Seattle... He got his start in Seattle's Funk and Soul scene with a band called Cold, Bold and Together.
http://pnwbands.com/coldboldandtogether.html