History edit
Planning edit
On February 4, 1993, then-Mayor of Nashville Phil Bredesen informed the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County that he was in need of $150,000 to begin work on a multi-purpose sports and music venue in downtown Nashville, with plans to open in mid-1996.[1] He proposed his vision to the citizens of Nashville, Tennessee, on April 1 in the now-famous "helicopter speech", which detailed Breseden's ideal image of how the Broadway district of Nashville would appear from the aerial view of a helicopter.[2] In Bredesen's original conception, the main purpose of a 25,000-capacity arena on Broadway was not for athletics, but to encourage touring musicians to schedule a performance in Nashville rather than in nearby Murfreesboro. "The sports thing," Bredesen told reporters in 2016, "really came along a little bit later."[3] Despite this, the city began looking in earnest for a permanent athletic tenant in late May, when Edward Gaylord applied for a National Basketball Association (NBA) expansion team that would make its home in the arena.[4] At the end of the month, the Ohio Valley Conference decided to move its annual men's basketball tournament, which had previously taken place in Lexington, Kentucky, to Nashville. They would play at either the Memorial Gymnasium or Nashville Municipal Auditorium until the new arena was completed.[5] Soon after, the Southeastern Conference said that they would consider the new Nashville arena as a neutral site for their own men's basketball tournament.[6]
Construction edit
Naming rights and ownership edit
In 1999, the Gaylord Entertainment Company struck a 20-year, $80 million deal with the arena owners for the naming rights to the arena in Nashville; the deal worked out to $4 million annually going to the Predators franchise.[7]
Modifications edit
Facilities edit
Design edit
Events and tenants edit
Nashville Predators edit
Concerts and music edit
Nashville Kats edit
College basketball edit
In 2018, the SEC renewed its agreement with the Nashville Sports Council to keep the tournament at Bridgestone through at least 2030, with options extending through 2035.[8]
Night of Champions edit
Attendance records edit
Single-game attendance edit
Season attendance edit
In popular culture edit
References edit
- ^ Murray, Elizabeth (February 5, 1993). "Bredesen's eager to get arena going". The Tennessean. p. 1A. Retrieved January 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ammenheuser, David (January 22, 2016). "Arena took downtown Nashville from eerie to epic". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ Rau, Nate (January 22, 2016). "Phil Bredesen's arena idea forever changed Nashville". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ Power, Ted (May 26, 1993). "Nashville entertains NBA hopes". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wood, Tom (May 28, 1993). "Proposed arena lures OVC basketball tournaments". The Tennessean. p. 1C. Retrieved January 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Climer, David (June 1, 1993). "Proposed arena tempta SEC". The Tennessean. p. 3C. Retrieved January 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gaylord Entertainment Center". The Tennessean. September 12, 1999. p. 207. Retrieved October 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Stephenson, Creg (November 14, 2018). "SEC basketball tournament extends agreement with Nashville through 2035". Retrieved October 2, 2021.
