Women's Final Four paved the way for Nashville's top sports events. Time to bring it back

Ten years ago, Nashville hosted the 2014 Women’s Final Four, the largest major sporting event in Nashville at the time.

In 2008, with the economy in a tailspin, Nashville competed with 12 other cities for four host sites. At that time, there was no Music City Center, much less a host hotel, which later became the Omni, to host the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s convention held during the tournament with its thousands of attendees.

But what Nashville did have were Mayor Karl Dean, co-chair of the event Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors, the host Ohio Valley Conference, the Nashville Sports Council and a city of leaders strongly behind showcasing the women’s game.

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When the NCAA bid team came to Nashville, Amy Grant and Vince Gill serenaded them in the County Music Hall of Fame Rotunda.

The bid team line danced at the Wildhorse Saloon, enjoyed a honky tonk romp and experienced the downtown campus, where, unlike any previous city hosting the Final Four, one could walk to the Arena, the Music City Center and downtown Broadway for entertainment.   We gave them a guitar pick and asked them to pick Nashville.  They did!

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In 2014, demonstrating Tennessee’s longstanding legacy and love for women playing basketball, five Tennessee teams (University of Tennessee Knoxville seeded No. 1, MTSU No. 8, Vanderbilt No. 8, Chattanooga No. 11 and UT Martin No. 13) were part of the NCAA bracket.

Only New York with six teams had more.  The 2014 Final Four was a sellout featuring two undefeated teams in the Championship Game, with Connecticut defeating Notre Dame 79-58.

Not only did the Final Four have a tremendous economic impact, the $3 million raised for the effort instituted legacy programs in Nashville to promote women in sports.  It was more than three games.

The 2024 Selection Sunday, the brackets included the same Tennessee teams (Tennessee seeded No. 6, MTSU No. 11, Vanderbilt No. 12, Chattanooga No. 14 and UT-Martin No. 16).

Tennessee tied California and Texas with 5 teams, again showing the depth of talent playing in our state.

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A lot has happened in the women’s game since 2014.

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A report commissioned by the NCAA found that the NCAA’s efforts to support and profit from its Division I men’s programs had limited the growth and value of the women’s game.

A March Madness branding in 2022 and similar showcasing of the men’s and women’s games helped increase the fan base.  A new multimillion dollar television deal begins next year, which will further bolster resources.

Now, the game is more popular than ever with drastically improved television ratings, bigger television contracts and sellout arenas.  Basketball players have a huge social media presence and NIL deals.  There is not a basketball fan who does not know Caitlin Clark, other star players and high-profile coaches.

In 2014, the Women’s Final Four was so successful in Nashville that it was a predecessor to the hosting of future events, such as the NHL All Star Game and the NFL Draft.

The locations for Final Fours through 2031 have been determined. Thereafter, Nashville is the perfect city, with a new Titans’ stadium in place, to host the first Women’s Final Four in a stadium with over 60,000 seats.

Just like in 2008, the city leaders can come together to win the bid to host and showcase Nashville’s support of the women’s game. With a downtown campus that will now expand across the Cumberland River, the largest gathering ever to attend the Women’s Final Four is on the horizon.  Enjoy the games!

Nashville attorney Margaret L. Behm served as a co-chair of the 2014 Women’s Final Four.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: March Madness: Nashville, grow Tennessee women's basketball success