by Michelle Joe, Guest contributor
Nashville reigns as one of the best cities for sports fans in the U.S. Since the arrival of clubs like Tennessee Titans and NHL’s Predators on the stage, the city has hosted numerous major events and festivals related to sports.
Due to the ample sports activity happening throughout the year, it can be challenging to keep track of what is going on in the Nashville sports arena. This quick round-up will keep you up to date by bringing the sports highlights of the week in one place.
Let’s begin with Soccer:
The 2020 Founding Season Ticket Member initiative:
Earlier last week, Nashville Soccer Club announced their first season ticket member program for their inaugural season in Major League Soccer (MLS). This is a major initiative by Nashville SC, aimed at building an elite community of individuals and will be cemented in the club’s history.
The First String of MLS Founding Members will be eligible for numerous benefits, including priority seat selection at the New Nashville SC stadium as well as preferred pricing on season tickets. The members will also be granted access to the Founding Member events and their names permanently displayed at the new stadium. Other benefits include opportunities to win rewards and prizes with monthly ‘First String MLS Founding Members’ drawings.
Tickets for Nashville SC’s inaugural match start at $425 through Season Ticket Memberships. The select community will enjoy the benefits for as long as they retain their season ticket membership.
Nashville SC wins their third preseason match:
Nashville SC picked their third win of the preseason by beating FC Cincinnati 3-1 on Sunday, Feb. 16. Jack Maher scored the first goal (also his first professional goal) for Nashville SC in the 20th minute of the match. This, however, was leveled by Frankie Amaya of the FC Cincinnati on a first-time strike in the 61st minute. But Nashville soon regained the lead by scoring two more goals in the 64th and 83rd minutes of the match.
The three straight wins have given Nashville SC significant boost in confidence before they face Atlanta United in the inaugural home opener on Feb 29.
Goals:
- 20’ — Jack Maher – Nashville SC
- 61’ — Frankie Amaya — FC Cincinnati
- 64’ — Daniel Rios — Nashville SC
- 83’ — Derrick Jones — Nashville SC
Caleb Plant defends his title in Nashville:
Nashville might be famous for Titans football and music, but boxing also attracted a considerable number of fans on Saturday night. Caleb Plant defended his Super Middleweight title as he defeated Vincent Feigenbutz in a match that was supposed to be the first boxing match in the city in 23 years.
Caleb Plant dominated the opponent right from the beginning, and he connected more and more as the match progressed. Feigenbutz had blood coming out of his nose by round 4 but he hung in there and even threw a few punches of his own in round 5 and 6. The weak blows, however, couldn’t faze Caleb, and the referee had to stop the match in favor of Caleb by the end of round 10.
With this win, the hometown kid improved his resume to 20-0 and 12 knockouts in his career. Caleb appreciated the crowd support and felt excited about the way the city responded. Talking to the media, he said;
“I was super fuelled by the crowd tonight. I could have gone all night. The whole city came out. Nashville, stand up!”
The 27-year old is already thinking about his future rival, as he stated:
“I want to unify and I want that fight with David Benavidez. I’ve been wanting that; I’ve been asking for that. I know we’re both young in our career, and they’re trying to build us up and turn it into a mega-fight but I’m a fighter, and there is no sense in waiting. We can get it crackin’ whenever.”
Basketball:
Basketball is being seen as favorite Tennessee sports and fans couldn’t be much happier with last night’s result. In a close content on Feb 18, the Tennessee volunteers outlasted Vanderbilt 65-61, thanks to Jordan Bowden 17-points. Neither of the team had much to brag about as the winner clinched victory with 2 free throws and only five seconds remaining in the game. Even Jordan Wright’s career-high 23 points couldn’t save Vanderbilt’s defeat.
Tennessee started off with a decent 12-0 run and led the rivals 61-48 with less than minutes left in the game. Vanderbilt replied strongly to take the game to 63-61 before Bowden took it away in the final 22 seconds.
Tennessee will go against Auburn on Sat, 22 before they face Arkansas on Thursday, 27.
Update on NASCAR crash:
NASCAR driver, Ryan Newman, is awake and speaking to doctors after he was involved in a fiery crash near the finish line. After Ryan’s car crashed and engulfed in flames, resulting in what was described as fatal injuries, he is now up and talking just a day later. The racing community attributed the escape to the advanced material used in the car.
According to Willie Allen Racing driver Jackson Boone, “The HANS device is actually made out of carbon fiber, a very strong material. You’ll put it around your neck and it catches the latch and keeps your neck from going completely forward. That way, if there’s an abrupt impact, it won’t give you whiplash or break your neck.”
In addition to the strength of the material, he said that the driver’s suits, gloves, and neck sleeves are flame retardant, highlighting significant strides taken towards making the safety of the drivers.
Upcoming sports events:
Nashville is never a boring place for sports lovers. If you are looking to spend some time entertaining yourself, here are some of your options:
- Vanderbilt Commodores Women basketball – Feb 20 at Vanderbilt Univ Memorial gymnasium
- Nashville Predators vs. Columbus Blue Jackets – Feb 22 at Bridgestone Arena
- Vanderbilt Commodores baseball vs. Saint Louis Baseball – Feb 26 at Hawkins Fields
- Ring of Honor Wrestling – Feb 28 at Nashville Municipal Auditorium
Besides these, there are tons of other exciting sports events happening in Nashville. Regardless of the sports, you are interested in, Nashville events will probably have you covered.
Author Bio:
About Michelle Joe: Michelle Joe is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences, and express herself through her blogs. You can find her on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook
