Nashville SC unveils Tempo the Coyote as official team mascot

Nashville SC embraced the meme on Wednesday, unveiling Tempo the Coyote as the official team mascot. From the press release:

“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.“

Coyotes have been a popular choice among fans for a potential mascot going back to the Metro Council hearings for the soccer stadium. In 2018, an opponent of the stadium said of the site, “There’s coyotes breeding there. They probably go in the neighborhoods around them and eat the neighborhood dogs and cats. They might endanger children too!”

A coyote wandering into Music City Center only added to the… meme? legend?

There’s room for debate on mascots in soccer, but Nashville SC clearly knew what their fans wanted on this one.

Author: Ben Wrightis the Director of Soccer Content and a Senior MLS Contributor for Broadway Sports covering Nashville SC and the US National Team. Previously Ben was the editor and a founder of Speedway Soccer, where he has covered Nashville SC and their time in USL before journeying to Major League Soccer since 2018. Raised in Louisville, KY Ben grew up playing before a knee injury ended his competitive career. When he is not talking soccer he is probably producing music, drinking coffee or hanging out with his wife and kids. Mastodon

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