This was a blog post I intended to make a while ago, while I was contacting the professional sports teams in Nashville. However, after yesterday’s encounter, it seemed appropriate to write about it now.
I grew up playing a variety of organized (and unorganized) sports in Pensacola, FL. Baseball, basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, and soccer are the most notable. Each one holds a special place in my heart and in my life. Sports taught me to be respectful and humble. They taught me about winning and losing. I was taught to be punctual and learned that there were consequences if I wasn’t. One of the biggest things I learned, was what type of coach I enjoyed playing under and what type of coach I wanted to be myself.
I played soccer for 13 years. I was 14 years old when Major League Soccer had its inaugural season. With names like Tony Meola, Carlos Valderrama, Brian McBride, Alexi Lalas, Eddie Pope, and Cobi Jones, it was all we could do to not pretend to be our idols while at practice. We were growing up playing the most amazing sport in the world, while the United States was starting it’s first professional league. Not to mention, the classic 35 yard penalty shootouts in the event of a tie (I miss those days. Bring it back.)
Unfortunately, there was no MLS team near my hometown. My friends and I never really had a team to follow. We kind of just watched the games on TV and rooted for whichever team our favorite players were on. About a year ago, I started putting out feelers in an attempt to shoot the pro sports teams in Nashville. I sent an email to the Titans, Predators, and when I heard Nashville won the bid for the newest MLS team, I jumped all over it and sent them an email as well. Being their first season, I felt like it was the perfect opportunity to get my foot in the door to shoot the games. While the Nashville Soccer Club was the only organization to actually get back to me, the news was negative. Apparently I had to be part of a reputable media outlet, to get a press pass. I think Jared Polin was the photographer who said to start a website with a blog, in order to get a press pass for pro sports teams, but I don’t think that’s good enough for the NSC.
Fast forward to yesterday. I was walking through Costco, doing some last minute Christmas shopping and happened to walk passed a couple who both had Nashville Soccer Club logos on their shirts. I asked them if they worked for the NSC, and the man said he did. I explained that I was a photographer interested in shooting the pro sports teams in Nashville and that the Nashville Soccer Club actually responded to me, but declined the offer and stated that I had to be part of a reputable media outlet. I told the man I had no idea what that meant, and that I just wanted to shoot the pro sports teams in Nashville. The man asked for my business card and I gave it to him. He told me he would look into it for me and be in touch with me. I’m not actually expecting to hear from him, but I have to admit I went home feeling a bit better about myself. I feel like I’m on the right track now. I have a website, a blog, business cards, an email dedicated to my name, etc. Even if this doesn’t pan out, I do feel more professional than I did a year ago (even if I’m not being paid for my work yet).
