From Club release:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 13, 2021) – Nashville Soccer Club introduced today the team’s official mascot, Tempo the Coyote, paying homage to the canine that found its way into the Music City Center two years ago today.
It was on Jan. 13, 2019 that a coyote roamed through the streets of Nashville and ultimately found its way into an exhibit hall at the Music City Center. The building’s security team secured the mischievous animal into a bathroom where Metro Nashville Police Department Officer Brenna Hosey was able to remove him safely.
For the past two years the coyote has continued to wander the streets of Nashville in search of a permanent home. Just a few months ago, construction site workers at the Nashville SC Stadium in the Nashville Fairgrounds noticed him dashing across the site of the club’s new home. Almost immediately, he became a regular visitor, and ultimately decided to make the Nashville SC Stadium his permanent home.
As the coyote continued to appear and settle into his new place, site workers watched in amazement at the pace and overall spirit of the creature, who the crew decided to name Tempo the Coyote.
Tempo the Coyote will make his Nashville SC debut as the official team mascot this season by taking an active role in embracing the Nashville SC community with initiatives across the Middle Tennessee region. He will join fellow mascots Gnash from the Nashville Predators, T-Rac from the Tennessee Titans and Booster from the Nashville Sounds in Music City.
Be sure to follow Tempo the Coyote’s adventures with Nashville SC by visiting his website and social channels on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, as well as the club’s website www.NashvilleSC.com, and social channels on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Nashville SC press release
I’m not a huge fan of mascots, but the reality of the situation is that they’re not for me, I’m not the target market, and there’s a lot of good they can do in terms of engaging with the community (both directly and indirectly).
In that regard, it’s about as good a choice as you can get for a mascot. It’s a little nod to the fans (without being a nod to only a specific supporters group, like way too many of these sorts of things were in the first three-ish years as a professional club), and a slight nod to the history of the city and club and the path to building the stadium. It references a bizarre public comment from a citizen at one of the Metro Council meetings (many thanks to Eric Burke for finding the clip. Check out his band on Spotify) wherein building a soccer stadium at the Fairgrounds was a direct link to coyotes eating people’s children throughout Nashville? A sort-of bizarre conspiracy theory befitting the current state of affairs, I guess.
All told, getting a mascot and face of the brand into elementary schools, public events, etc. far outweighs the distraction or annoyance that a purist might might find. The brand exposure is more important than appeasing the “that’s not football” crowd. It’s also worth noting that, if you don’t go to games or seek them out, the vast majority of pro sports teams mascots are invisible. Anyone who doesn’t go to Titans games in person might have a passing knowledge that T-Rac exists, for example.
Club and Country 