Nashville Soccer Club Plants 50 Trees In Second Annual Day Of Service

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Photo: Courtesy of Nashville Soccer Club

Nashville Soccer Club hosted their second annual Road To Opening Match Day of Service planting over 50 trees in an effort to give back to the community.

Club Majority Owner John Ingram was joined by CEO Ian Ayre, staff, supporters, and members of the local community, including District 19 Metro Council Member Freddie O’Connell, to plant trees along the Cumberland River near First Ave. The event took place on Saturday, April 17 ahead of the club’s opening match against FC Cincinnati at Nissan Stadium.

“There’s something about planting a tree that signifies newness and something that’s a new birth,” says Nashville SC Senior Director of Community Engagement Brandon Hill. “That’s how we feel about the start of our season. It’s a really cool moment to start off at the beginning of an amazing season with a tree planting event.”

The Day of Service is part of MLS Works Greener Goals initiative and Major League Soccer’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by planting 27,000 trees to balance out the carbon emissions associated with league and club travel. The event was held in conjunction with the Nashville Tree Foundation and in support of Root Nashville, a city-wide initiative that aims to plant 500,000 trees across Davidson County by the year 2050.

“On the anniversary of the tornado, the one event that was most meaningful to me was getting to plant a tree with the Tennessee Parks Conservancy, which was starting a new tree planting program,” says O’Connell. “To have another opportunity today with the sun shining right above the Cumberland River, right in the heart of District 19 is great. We’ve already seen that Nashville SC can win on the field, and it’s awesome to see investment in the community alongside that. So, it’s great to be a part of that.”

Music City Grand Prix Announces Vintage IndyCar Added To Race Weekend

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The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix has announced that they will be adding the spectacle of Vintage Indy to their grand prix weekend.

The event will feature a Vintage Indy Paddock and on-track lapping sessions for the historic cars on Sunday’s race day. Two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr. will lead the field behind the wheel of the Miles Ahead MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop Vintage Indy pace car.

“The members of Vintage Indy, myself and our fans are beyond excited to be participating in the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, which undoubtedly is destined to be a fantastic weekend for Nashville and the NTT INDYCAR Series”, says Michael Lashmett, president of Vintage Indy.

Vintage Indy has been dedicated to preserving these cars and their history so that fans will be able to see the long history of IndyCar and racing in America. Fans will be able to see these cars, which were your classic “barn finds,” mere dusty shells of their former selves, missing lots of pieces and parts.

The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix now adds a fourth major event to the schedule for Vintage Indy in 2021 which also includes the NTT IndyCar Series Rev Group Grand Prix at Road America on June 18-20 and Bommarito 500 at WWT Raceway on August 19-21, along with the 39th Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix on July 24-25.

The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will take place August 6-8 in Nashville.

Vanderbilt Hires Shea Ralph As New Women’s Basketball Head Coach

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Pictured: Shea Ralph. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Vanderbilt Athletics has announced the hire of Shea Ralph as the newest women’s basketball head coach.

Ralph joins the Commodores after spending 13 season with the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball program as an assistant coach. As a player at UConn and then as an assistant, Ralph was a part of 12 Final Four Appearances and won seven National Championships.

“It is with great honor and a full heart that I join Vanderbilt University as the next women’s basketball head coach,” says Ralph. “I have always been motivated and inspired by people who have a passionate pursuit of excellence. Vanderbilt’s rich, storied tradition of excellence speaks for itself, but I believe what sets us apart is the people. I am so excited to work alongside our amazing community in elevating our women’s basketball program back to an elite level. Together we will invest in each other and build a greatness that transcends the game of basketball.”

A Fayetteville, North Carolina native became a superstar athlete through playing for UConn and, though suffering from numerous knee injuries, she was a first-team All-American and the Honda Award winner as national player of the year while leading Connecticut to a national championship in 2000.

Ralph began her coaching career as an assistant at the University of Pittsburgh, but returned to Connecticut and joined Geno Auriemma’s coaching staff in 2008. During her time with the Huskies, she recruited and worked with players like Paige Bueckers, Maya Moore, and Breanna Stewart while mentoring 21 WNBA draft picks, including nine top-five picks and three No. 1 overall selections.

“Coach Ralph has earned the opportunity to take the reins of our women’s basketball program and transform it into what we all know is possible,” says Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director Candice Lee. “She knows what winning looks like, and she has the background and experience—as both a player and a coach—to develop our student-athletes into champions.”

Ralph is the sixth head coach in Vanderbilt women’s basketball history.

Overtime Sports Raises $80 Million In Funding From Jeff Bezos, Drake And More

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Overtime, the extremely popular sports brand, has raised $80 million dollars in funding from investors ranging from rapper Drake, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and NBA athletes, according to a recent Variety article.

The Series C funding was led by return investor Sapphire Sport, Black Capital, and a diverse syndicate of distinguished leaders in technology, sports, finance and music. The notable investors also include Micromanagement Ventures (the family of the late NBA Commissioner David Stern), Alexis Ohanian, Jeff Kearl (via Pelion Capital), Morgan Stanley Counterpoint Global, Blackstone Strategic Partners, and more than 25 current and former NBA stars, including Trae Young, Devin Booker, Klay Thompson and Pau Gasol.

This funding will be used towards the expansion of Overtime, including building internal capabilities around NFTs, trading cards, and the company’s unique approach to content and community to develop sports betting tailored for the next generation of fans.

Overtime will also make a significant investment into the development of Overtime Elite (OTE), the company’s new basketball league. This will include guaranteeing salaries for all OTE athletes, hiring a dedicated staff of more than 80 league employees, and making other investments critical to launching a new league. OTE’s inaugural season begins in September.

With the NBA and major corporate investors, other notable investors include PROOF, Gaingels, Concrete Rose Capital, Dentsu Ventures, Intersect Capital, LightShed Ventures, WNBA All-Star and commentator Chiney Ogwumike, Rogue Insight Capital, Bakari Sellers, 10X Capital, True Capital Management, and Ares Management’s Nate Walton. In total, Overtime has now raised more than $140 million in funding.

Vivid Seats To Go Public After Merging With Horizon Acquisition Corporation

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Vivid Seats, one of the leading ticket marketplaces, has announced its merger with Horizon Acquisition Corporation, a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company.

The new company, which will be led by Vivid Seats CEO Stan Chia, will continue to be managed by its highly experienced management team, including CFO Lawrence Fey. Todd L. Boehly, chairman and CEO of Horizon and Eldridge, will join the Vivid Seats Board of Directors.

“We are thrilled to partner with Horizon, bringing together the trusted Vivid Seats brand and our deep expertise in the live events industry with a portfolio of unique and accretive relationships brought by Horizon that can accelerate our growth,” says Chia. “With our Vivid Seats Rewards loyalty program and outstanding customer service, we are poised to drive growth while continuing to innovate and improve the user experience for our loyal customers.”

Institutional investors have committed to a private investment of $225 million in Class A common stock of the combined company that will close concurrently with the business combination. Horizon has $544 million of cash in its trust account, of which $155 million was previously invested by Sponsor.

Existing Vivid Seats shareholders will roll 100% of their equity into the new company, with all proceeds from this transaction being used for debt repayment and capital structure optimization. It is anticipated that the combined company will have an equity market capitalization at closing of approximately $1.95 billion.

“We are pleased to bring Vivid Seats to the public markets,” says Boehly. “With its favorable mix of live events, and its growing list of strategic partners, Vivid Seats has built an impressive technology platform, as well as a substantial customer base. Vivid Seats is a scaled, growing and highly profitable marketplace that will be well positioned to drive continual long-term growth.”

Vivid Seats, a Chicago-based company, is supporting over 12 million customers and 3,400 sellers transactions across more than 200,000 listed events.

Tennessee Titans Announce Three New Executive Hires

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Nissan Stadium. Photo: By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans have announced three executive hires to join the front office including Gary Treangen as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Activation, Shannon Myersas Vice President of Finance, and Adam Nuse as Vice President of Business Operations.

Treangen, a San Francisco Bay Area native and graduate of San Diego State University and the University of Oregon, will report to Titans Sr. Vice President, Chief Marketing & Revenue Officer Gil Beverly. Treangen joins the Titans from the Phoenix Suns, where he held a similar role as VP of Marketing Partnerships, covering the NBA’s Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, and the IFL’s Arizona Rattlers.

Myers, a Portage, Michigan, native and a graduate of Western Kentucky University will report to Titans President and CEO Burke Nihill and will lead the team’s Finance and Accounting functions. She joins the Titans after spending over 10 years in public accounting with Ernst & Young (EY) in Nashville. As an Assurance Senior Manager with EY, Myers advised clients on technical accounting issues, financial reporting requirements, process improvement opportunities, and strengthening internal controls. She has experience working with the Titans, having served as the EY executive for the team’s annual audit over the last three years.

Nuse is a Texas native with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Oklahoma, a master’s degree in sports administration from Wichita State University, and a doctorate in organizational leadership from Western Kentucky University. He will report to Nihill and will lead the team’s Stadium Operations and Fan Experience, Human Resources, and IT functions.

For the past five years, Nuse served as General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of the Nashville Sounds, overseeing all day-to-day operations related to the organization. Under his leadership, the Sounds broke attendance records and were regularly recognized by industry publications as leaders in operational excellence and fan experience. Most recently, in 2019 Baseball America awarded the Sounds with its prestigious Freitas Award in recognition of the club’s community involvement, long-term business success, and consistent operational excellence.

Nuse also serves on the Nashville Sports Council Board of Directors and the Nashville Sports Authority’s Women’s Professional Sports Committee.

The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Partners With Martha O’Bryan Center

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The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix has partnered with East Nashville nonprofit the Martha O’Bryan Center.

August’s IndyCar race will bring both national and international attention to Nashville’s racing community and everything the city has to offer. However, the event will also put a focus on the immediate communities in and around the city.

The Martha O’Bryan Center is known for their cradle-to-career investments in young people and families, and broadening college and career opportunities for youth in Nashville. One big impact piece of the new partnership will be a youth employment program that will bring young people inside the production of a first-class sporting event and the work needed to transform the stadium campus and riverfront into a new, world class racing and entertainment experience.

“We are thrilled to get to know some of the young people at the Martha O’Bryan Center and their programs, and are designing this youth program to be more than just a summer job,” says Chris Parker, president at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. “They will work in different aspects of event management, gain valuable work experience in various trade careers, and network with some of the dynamic business professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors that make up our ownership group and advisory board. We are truly invested in the goals and mission of the Martha O’Bryan Center.”

In addition to investing directly in the nonprofit, The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is also donating unique, one-of-a-kind Music City Grand Prix prizes and experiences for a custom online auction starting May 14, with proceeds benefiting the Martha O’Bryan Center.

“The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix has already been very generous and intentional about their role as an event that is not just in Nashville, but for all Nashvillians, including the young people we serve in north and east Nashville,” says Marsha Edwards, CEO at the Martha O’Bryan Center. “I expect a lot of young people will become lifelong IndyCar fans through this partnership!”

Ticket packages are on sale now. Fans can purchase three-day ticket packages, starting at $119, as well as festival add-ons.

The Heimerdinger Foundation To Host Fundraiser With NFL Greats

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The Heiderdinger Foundation will be hosting Fisher & Friends at the Farm and Off the Record with former Titans’ head coach and player Jeff Fisher and Eddie George with Nashville radio icon George Plaster and more.

This event will help raise money for The Heiderdinger Foundation which is a nonprofit organization that provides nutrient-rich meals and education, free of charge, for families facing cancer.

The fundraiser will be on Saturday, June 12, at 5:30 p.m. CST and will be held on Fisher’s farm. The night will offer behind the scenes stories with NFL coaching, talent, and broadcast giants including John Dwyer, as well as story telling, music, live and silent auctions, and a four-course farm to table meal inspired by the nonprofit’s Meals 4 Health and Healing Program.

“Jeff has always been so supportive of our mission from the very beginning and we are grateful to him for opening up his beautiful farm for this year’s fundraiser,” says foundation Executive Director Katharine Ray. “We can’t wait to gather safely in person again!”

Meals 4 Health and Healing, the signature program of The Heimerdinger Foundation, is a heart-centered, caring community preparing organic, immune-boosting, and anti-inflammatory meals free of charge for cancer patients undergoing cancer treatment and their caregivers. Since 2013, the nonprofit has served over 100,000 meals to hundreds of clients and their caregivers in Williamson and Davidson Counties.

Individual tickets for this event are $250 or $1800 for a table of eight and include a four-course farm to table dinner with proceeds benefiting the Meals 4 Health and Healing program of The Heimerdinger Foundation. .