NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Could Nashville soon become a four-sport Major League sports city? That’s the hope of Predators Chairman and former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, his wife Crissy and a star-packed ownership group that wants to bring a WNBA team to town.
The group officially submitted a bid Thursday afternoon for an expansion franchise that, if awarded, would begin play in 2028.
“You just think about how much of a ready-made city Nashville is for this,” said Michelle Kennedy, Bridgestone Arena president and chief operating officer. “Then you just think about how appropriate it is that we are paying homage to Pat Summitt who was the O.G. She was the first one that put women’s basketball on the map.”
The team would be named the Tennessee Summitt in honor of the legendary Lady Vols’ head coach who won 1,098 games and eight national championships in 38 seasons at Tennessee.
Summitt’s impact on women’s basketball in the state of Tennessee and beyond is profound, inspiring young women to pursue competitive basketball and grow the sport just the way a new professional franchise in Nashville would hope to.
“The Lady Vols were selling out games long before anyone thought it was possible,” Kennedy said. “Long before the WNBA really became a prominent league. I think (Nashville) is a place that is very, very rich and ready for women’s basketball. The response we’ve gotten this morning has been astounding with people saying, ‘put me down for season tickets.’”
The team’s colors are “Summitt Blue,” a color created as an accent on the Lady Vols’ uniforms under Summitt, and gold similar to the Nashville Predators, who the WNBA franchise would share Bridgestone Arena with.
The history coupled with the promise of what the team could bring to Nashville has attracted a star-studded investment group to join the Haslams.
One of Summitt’s old players, three-time WNBA champion and two-time national champion Candace Parker is part of the ownership group, as well as Super Bowl winning quarterback Peyton Manning and entertainment icons Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
More big names are expected to join in on Nashville’s pitch in the coming weeks. The bid also has the full support of Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, though Kennedy noted that it’s important to understand that the bid for a team is not contingent on taxpayer dollars or city resources. It’s important to the ownership group that a franchise, if awarded, is a critical piece to the growth and harmony of the community.
"We know how to run a franchise,” Kennedy said. "And one of the very, very essential points of that is being community-centered, and that’s what Bill and Crissy want to do with this WNBA team. We want to integrate it and make it as much a part of the city as the Predators are."
Nashville is one of 10-12 cities expected to submit bids for the 16th WNBA franchise. The cities will be whittled down over the coming months before the expansion team is awarded later this summer.
While there are no guarantees, Kennedy says Nashville is in a position to make a very strong bid with experienced ownership, a world-class arena and a city more than capable of supporting another professional sport.
“It also rounds the sports landscape in a way that makes sense for such a vibrant city as Nashville,” Kennedy said. “It’s a missing link. We’ve never had a major professional women’s sports league in Tennessee. It feels right — feels like the right time and the right place.”
