Nashville Couldn’t Recreate the Crazy Stanley Cup Playoff Scene for the Titans

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The Music City is buzzing after the Tennessee Titans went on the road and stunned the Kansas City Chiefs 22-21 in the first round of the NFL playoffs. The Titans were a nine-point underdog at one point, and were down 21-3 at the half. The ensuing comeback was one of the greatest things I’ve witnessed as a Nashville sports fan. Quarterback Marcus Mariota riled up the Titans fan base with his infamous stiff-arm on Barry Church during the last regular season game against Jacksonville. But, he kept the momentum rolling by tossing a touchdown pass to himself and throwing a tremendous block on game-clinching run against the Chiefs.

Now, Titans fever seems to be catching on a bit. Ever since the Nashville Predators made a dream run at the Stanley Cup last summer, there’s been a lot of talk about whether or not this city could replicate such enthusiasm and produce another rabid scene for the Titans.

It’s fair to debate – Nashville is a fun city full of vibrant, passionate people. That’s no reach, and given the opportunity, our community showed just how ferociously it can support one of our pro franchises.

That scene was set over hockey, too, mind you. American tackle football is much more popular in the market, at least based on television ratings. So, it stands to reason to say, “hey this city loves its sports teams – if the Titans go on a run, Nashville would show up just as much.”

But, that’s not the case. I don’t think there’s any way Titans fans are able to recreate that scene.

It’s one thing for an entire city to get behind a team…but, it’s something completely different to get 170,000+ people sitting out in the streets. That wild scene back in May and June was the result of several contributing factors, not all sports-related. It certainly helped that the final game of the season coincided with the last day of CMA Fest, so there were plenty of folks downtown to begin with. The weather was also beautiful….which brings me to my first reason this couldn’t happen for the Titans:

The Weather

It’s easy – the playoffs take place over the course of January and February. Breaking news: It is cold, even in Nashville, during that time period. When it gets down into the teens, people in this town hibernate – myself included. Literally, I didn’t leave this apartment for a span of four days this week because it was so cold.

If the Titans make the Super Bowl, maybe I think about venturing out in the cold. But, I would be much more comfortable indoors. There’s no shortage of sports bars in Nashville, but I don’t know that they can all accommodate the scale that we saw come out for the Preds run. This is the most obvious reason

Nashville’s Relationship with the Titans

Let’s not pretend that one big playoff win means things are all sunshine and rainbows among Titans fans. There’s a large subsect still mad at this team, whether that’s warranted or not. Over the last few months, people have been calling for Mike Mularkey’s job. Terry Robiskie has become a scapegoat, and all of this

Would those grumpy Titans fans show up in the streets in the middle of winter? I don’t know. Just something to think about.

I know this all sounds like I’m bashing my city and I’m bashing the Preds, but I’m not. I would love for it to happen, but I’m just simply throwing my opinion into the ring. I hear people say it or I read people tweet it all the time, that, “oh boy – look at what Nashville did for the Preds! Can you imagine what the scene would look like if the Titans had a deep playoff run?!?!”

So, let’s pump the brakes, folks.

Could the Titans do something like sell out Bridgestone Arena for a viewing party? Sure. Could they get a 70K+ crowd at Nissan Stadium? Probably!But, does one run validate another? No – they can exist separately, and the city can be just as excited for both. But, 170,000+ people in the streets in January/February?!?! Come on. No way.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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