Playing with Pride: The Rise of Inclusive Sporting Events

By Lauren Means・Photos Provided by Nashville Sounds

It is thought that the first LGBTQ+ adjacent sports night was in 1994 when the San Francisco Giants held their “Until There’s a Cure Day.” The Chicago Cubs have held a pride night every season since 2001. In 2011, the first recorded LGBT Night with an NHL team was between the San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stars. The Portland Trailblazers and Milwaukee Bucks both hosted events in 2016 marking the NBA’s first Pride Nights. The NFL’s Washington Commanders held their first Pride Night in September 2021 — the first NFL Pride Night on record.

Middle Tennessee is lucky to have very supportive professional and semi-professional sports teams. The Nashville Predators typically host their Pride Night during the later part of the season and have done so since 2016. This year was the ninth annual event with more visibility throughout the game.

The Nashville Soccer Club has hosted a Pride Night every year since the MLS officially awarded an expansion team to Nashville. For the 2024 Pride Night, they will host the New England Revolution on Saturday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. CT at GEODIS Park.

The Nashville Sounds are hosting its fourth Pride Night in conjunction with Pride Month and Nashville Pride celebrations on Saturday, June 8 against the Louisville Bats. Fans attending can purchase a special ticket package which includes an official Sounds Pride ’47 brand hat. 

They are also bringing back the Pride Plaza under the Guitar Scoreboard highlighting local LGBTQ+ businesses and organizations and featuring pregame music from 5:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. from someone in the LGBTQ+ community. Abby Holman, the Director Of Marketing for the Nashville Sounds said, “We are proud to host this event as a way to showcase that everyone is welcome at the ballpark and work to make baseball a more inclusive sport.”