Investors with Tennessee ties launch bid to bring WNBA team to Nashville

The GIST: Another group has entered the WNBA expansion chat. Yesterday, the NHL’s Nashville Predators’ chairman and former Tennessee state governor Bill Haslam and wife Crissy announced a bid to bring the W’s 16th team to Nashville, Tennessee. Music to our ears.

The details: The ownership collective — dubbed the “Tennessee Summitt” after former University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt — comprises celebrity investors with Nashville ties, like former Vols athletes Candace Parker and Peyton Manning as well as Nashville-based country music stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

• All involved have extensive business resumes: Parker heads Adidas Women’s Basketball, Manning has been adding to his portfolio, and McGraw launched a Skydance-backed media company in 2023. Experienced and motivated ownership makes all the difference — just ask the Bhathals, whose NBA connections helped them win Portland’s WNBA bid.

The city: Nashville isn’t exactly a crowded sports market, which could play in the city’s favor. There’s also avid Vols fandom the WNBA could cater to: Its women’s hoops team has placed top eight in average home attendance for 28 consecutive seasons (through 2023). WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert offered rave reviews of the city last May and deemed it a candidate for a future franchise.

• Plus, Nashville is hosting the Athletes Unlimited (AU) Pro Basketball season next month, becoming the first AU host city without an existing W franchise. And like Parker, five AU players headlining in Music City have Tennessee ties, including Las Vegas Aces star Alysha Clark.

Zooming out: Nashville is entering a chaotic bidding war for the W’s final expansion bid (for now), joining major sports markets like Philadelphia, Houston, and Kansas City. It makes sense why Haslam and others want to be in the WNBA business: The Golden State Valkyries sold a record 20K season ticket deposits before ever hitting the court, and Portland is catching up.

• Metrics like engagement, attendance, and viewership are all on the rise, with the most recent expansion cities already reaping the benefits. Call it Cashville.