The job of a public address (PA) announcer is one of the jobs that can sometimes go unrecognized. For some fans, it’s just part of the game that doesn’t even register unless something of great importance happens or an important announcement is made. However, their job is arguably one of the most important for a live game experience. They become part of the stadium experience and grow into an integral part of the team’s identity.
For Nashville SC’s new home, GEODIS Park, Chris Chapman is filling that role.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. There’s an excitement about it and its fun to do,” Chapman shares with The Sports Credential. “Even as a kid, I used to go in my closet and do intros and outros to music because I thought it be cool to talk on the radio. All of those things have built me to where I am now.”
Chris Chapman. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC
Chapman has been working in PA announcing on the TSSAA level for over a decade and for Nashville SC for five seasons, but has been working in media for most of his life. A graduate of Baylor University, he received a degree in TV/Radio/Film where he began his journey working in live production.
His part-time gig with Nashville SC began in 2017 when the USL club at the time needed a PA announcer to fill in, but as a soccer fan and Nashvillian, he and his son began going to games in the club’s early years.
“We bought season tickets to go to the games through one of the early founders club,” Chapman explains. “Then I heard USL was coming and I thought, ‘You know what, I’m just going to apply, I’m going to send in my information just to check on things.'”
Initially, the club wasn’t looking for outside PA work but his name was already on their radar. Chapman and his son continued to go to games, one day attending a fan fest where he approached Chris Jones, the current Senior Director of Fan Engagement & Entertainment with the club.
The ball started rolling from there.
“He said the guy who usually did the games had three games he couldn’t do so I went up for a couple of games and sat in to get the lay of the land at Vanderbilt Stadium. Then I did the last three games that season,” he recalls.
Nashville SC fans at Nissan Stadium. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC
From there, he took the role seriously and made sure he knew exactly what he needed to know going into games and being as prepared as possible. After his first season, he kept reaching out to see if there was a full-time opportunity. Finally, the club asked him to be their sole PA announcer after receiving a string of applications.
Chapman was a first hand witness to the growth of the club from its PDL days, to the USL and finally the MLS, while also going from a one man team to a full team alongside him.
“The excitement of being at the first game at [Vanderbilt Stadium, First Horizon Park, Nissan Stadium and GEODIS Park] has been pretty cool and I’ve had great experiences,” Chapman notes. “I was at the first USL exhibition against Atlanta United and it was raining cats and dogs, but the people were still there. The thrill to be able to work it and trying to contain your excitement, but still be super excited at the same time, was pretty amazing.
“When we were announced to be an MLS team, I went to the announcement at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum not knowing if I was going to move forward with the team. I hoped I would because of the work I put in for it, but things and people change. I was thrilled when they asked me to be part of the MLS change.”
In high school and college, Chapman dabbled in everything from working on the morning announcements and emceeing for events at his school, as well as interning at radio stations in his native Texas. His first PA opportunity was in college when a friend asked him if he wanted to be the announcer at a local semi-pro baseball game.
Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC
“I had spotted for PA announcers before but I had never done it. I thought, ‘Sure, I’ll do it,'” Chapman says. “I went out there and it was just me, the score sheet and a microphone. They handed me the score sheet and asked, ‘By the way can you keep score, too?'” he adds with a laugh. “It was an interesting introduction to say the least. If I were judging myself on that first time out, it was not good at all, but it was definitely an opportunity to get my feet wet.”
Chapman was raised by a Baptist minister and had a calling to become an ordained minister after graduating from Baylor. His father’s church had a decent TV presence, which is where his fascination for broadcasting really began. Since college and joining the ministry, he’s never left the media world, as he primarily worked in TV and media at the churches he’s served at. He’s currently the Director of Digital Media for the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville and has been with the convention for 22 years.
While he was serving as the Minister of Media and Worship Associate Minister in Springdale, Arkansas, he had another opportunity to be the PA announcer for Shiloh Christian School in Springdale. He went on to be the announcer for their football team for three years, covering playoff games and working behind the scenes before moving to Nashville in 2000.
For 10 years, he was out of the PA announcing and sports world until his son began playing soccer at Franklin High School around 2011.
“The parents said, ‘We don’t have anyone to PA, is there anyone interested?’ I said, ‘I’ll do it, I’ve done it before,” Chapman explains. “We kind of created our own atmosphere. I did, and still to this day, use the iPad to play music, I write the scripts and we got it down to a script setup.”
Dax McCarty and Walker Zimmerman at GEODIS Park opener. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC
He picked up the announcer job for the girls team as well, and after his son and daughter graduated, he kept on doing it and hasn’t stopped since.
Throughout his 10 plus years of doing PA, Chapman has been part of many great games, including calling his kids’ games at Franklin, TSSAA regional tournament games and NSC thrillers. Not much can compare, though, to the club’s first MLS game against Atlanta United at a sold-out Nissan Stadium in 2020.
“There is no way to describe what it was like at that first MLS game against Atlanta,” Chapman reminisces. “There were 59,000 people in the stands and people were excited. It was a thrill to be at the game, and it was a thrill to be part of the atmosphere and environment of the game.”
Chapman has been an integral part of the game day experience for the die-hard Nashville SC fans and has been able to create his own atmosphere and traditions throughout the years in each level.
“There are some things that we do on a regular basis that are the same, but over the years in PA, you realize that people like having some of those traditional things that they can count on when they’re in the stands,” Chapman explains. “Whether you announce a goal or announce a card, people get used to that cadence. It has been fun in each one of those levels to establish my style.”
Randal Leal after scoring Nashville SC’s first-ever goal at GEODIS Park. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC
Finally being at GEODIS Park and having a permanent home after spending over five years as nomads, was something that Chapman admits was really special. Though the first MLS match at Nissan Stadium was a career highlight, the first game at GEODIS Park might take the cake.
“I’ll never forget the opening announcement and the crowd excitement,” Chapman shares. “The coolest thing about being a stadium announcer is that you instantly get feedback from the crowd. It’s almost like maneuvering a big ship. You get to move all these people with your voice and, the way they respond, you get to hear their reactions instantly. That first game was pretty spectacular.”
Though he takes his job seriously and is very meticulous when it comes to preparing, understanding the game and knowing the players, Chapman can’t help being over excited at times when watching this team play. He arrives to the stadium almost four hours early to go over anything before kickoff, but once the game starts, he becomes as much of a fan as the ones in the stands.
“I’m a huge fan of the game and I’m a huge fan of Nashville. During the game I’m standing up and I’m trying to see who’s doing what so we know what happens. I’m in the game. Sometimes I might be overreacting in the booth, but luckily it’s just me and a few of my closest friends.”
