Editing Tennessee (section)

==Sports==
{{multiple image|perrow = 2|total_width=300
| image1 = Night Settles on LP Field.jpg
| image2 = Bridgestone Arena Predators 2018.jpg
| image3 = FedExForum 2015.jpg
| image4 = CINvNSH 2018-10-20 - Ropapa Mensah, Tucker Hume, Matt LaGrassa, Alan Winn (40597451173).jpg
| footer = Tennessee's major professional sports franchises. Clockwise from upper left: [[Tennessee Titans]], [[Nashville Predators]], [[Nashville SC]], and [[Memphis Grizzlies]].
}}

Tennessee is home to four [[major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional sports]] franchises:<ref name=sportsleaguemaps>{{cite web |title=Sports Teams in Tennessee |url=https://sportleaguemaps.com/sports-teams-in-tennessee/ |website=Sport League Maps |access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> the [[Tennessee Titans]] have played in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) since 1997,<ref name=PFRTitans>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/oti/|title=Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans Team Encyclopedia|work=Pro-Football-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> the [[Nashville Predators]] have played in the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) since 1998,<ref name=HRPredators>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/NSH/history.html|title=Nashville Predators Franchise History|work=Hockey-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> the [[Memphis Grizzlies]] have played in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) since 2001,<ref name=BRGrizzlies>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MEM/|title=Memphis Grizzlies Franchise Index|work=Basketball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> and [[Nashville SC]] has played in [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS) since 2020.<ref name=FBRNashvilleSC>{{cite web|url=https://fbref.com/en/squads/35f1b818/history/Nashville-SC-Stats-and-History|title=Nashville SC Stats and History|work=FBref|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref>

The state is also home to seven minor league teams. Four of these are [[Minor League Baseball]] clubs. The [[Nashville Sounds]], which began play in 1978,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Nashville&state=TN&country=US|title=Nashville, Tennessee Encyclopedia|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> and [[Memphis Redbirds]], which began in 1998,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Memphis&state=TN&country=US|title=Memphis, Tennessee Encyclopedia|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> each compete in the [[International League]] at the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] level, the highest before [[Major League Baseball]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=IL&class=AAA|title=International League (AAA) Encyclopedia and History|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=March 17, 2022}}</ref> The [[Knoxville Smokies]], which have played continuously since 1972,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Knoxville&state=TN&country=US|title=Knoxville, Tennessee Encyclopedia|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> and [[Chattanooga Lookouts]], which have played continuously since 1976,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Chattanooga&state=TN&country=US|title=Chattanooga, Tennessee Encyclopedia|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> are members of the [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] classification [[Southern League (1964–present)|Southern League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=SOUL&class=AA|title=Southern League (AA) Encyclopedia and History|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=March 17, 2022}}</ref> Tennessee has two minor league [[Association football|soccer]] teams. [[Chattanooga Red Wolves SC]] has been a member of the third-tier [[USL League One]] since 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/sports/places/m-4189084|title=Sports in Chattanooga, Tennessee|work=Stats Crew|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> Founded in 2009, [[Chattanooga FC]] began playing in the third-tier [[National Independent Soccer Association]] in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last=MacCoon |first=Patrick |title=Chattanooga Football Club Announces It Will Be Joining a Professional Soccer League |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/breakingnews/story/2019/aug/15/cfc-announces-it-will-join-professional-soccer-league/501274/ |access-date=May 16, 2021 |work=Chattanooga Times Free Press |date=August 15, 2019}}</ref> The state has one minor league [[ice hockey]] team: the [[Knoxville Ice Bears]], which began play in 2002 and are members of the [[Southern Professional Hockey League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorhockey/t-11292|title=Knoxville Ice Bears Minor League Hockey Statistics and Roster|work=Stats Crew|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref>

[[File:Vandy10.jpg|thumb|left|alt=The Tennessee Volunteers, the football team of the University of Tennessee|[[Tennessee Volunteers football]]]]
The state is home to 12 [[NCAA Division I]] programs. Four of these participate in the top level of college football, the [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|Football Bowl Subdivision]].<ref name=NCAA>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/ncaa-member-schools |title=NCAA Member Schools |website=NCAA |access-date=June 20, 2021 |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514122312/https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/ncaa-member-schools |url-status=dead}}</ref> In Knoxville, the [[Tennessee Volunteers]] college teams play in the [[Southeastern Conference]] (SEC) of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA).<ref name=NCAA/> In Nashville, the [[Vanderbilt Commodores]] are also members of the SEC.<ref name=NCAA/> The [[Memphis Tigers]] are members of the [[American Athletic Conference]], and Murfreesboro's [[Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders]] play in [[Conference USA]].<ref name=NCAA/> Nashville is also home to the [[Belmont Bruins]], members of the [[Ohio Valley Conference]] (OVC) but moving to the [[Missouri Valley Conference]] (MVC) in July 2022; [[Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers|Tennessee State Tigers]], OVC members with no plans to change conferences; and the [[Lipscomb Bisons]], members of the [[ASUN Conference]].<ref name=NCAA/> Tennessee State plays football in Division I's second level, the [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|Football Championship Subdivision]], while Belmont and Lipscomb [[List of NCAA Division I non-football programs|do not have football teams]].<ref name=NCAA/> Through the 2021–22 school year, the OVC also includes the [[Austin Peay Governors]] from Clarksville, the [[UT Martin Skyhawks]] from Martin, and the [[Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles]] from [[Cookeville, Tennessee|Cookeville]]. UT Martin and Tennessee Tech will remain in the OVC, while Peay will move to the ASUN. The [[Chattanooga Mocs]] and Johnson City's [[East Tennessee State Buccaneers]] are full members, including football, of the [[Southern Conference]].<ref name=NCAA/>

Tennessee is also home to the [[Bristol Motor Speedway]], which features [[NASCAR Cup Series]] racing two weekends a year, routinely selling out more than 160,000 seats on each date.<ref>{{cite news |last=Durr |first=Tim |title=7 historical facts you need to know about Bristol Motor Speedway |url=https://www.foxsports.com/nascar/gallery/7-historical-facts-you-need-to-know-about-bristol-motor-speedway-041817 |access-date=May 16, 2021 |work=[[Fox Sports]] |date=April 18, 2017 |location=Los Angeles}}</ref> The [[Nashville Superspeedway]] in Lebanon, which previously held [[Xfinity Series|Nationwide]] and [[IndyCar Series|IndyCar]] races until it was shut down in 2011, reopened to host the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last=Davis |first=Chris |title=Fans cheer NASCAR's return to Nashville Superspeedway |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/fans-cheer-nascars-return-to-nashville-superspeedway |work=News Channel 5 |date=June 20, 2021 |access-date=June 20, 2021}}</ref> Tennessee's only graded stakes horserace, the [[Iroquois Steeplechase]], is held in Nashville each May.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/life/2015/04/23/iroquois-steeplechase-historical-tradition/25545809/ |title=Iroquois Steeplechase is a historical tradition |author=Jen Todd |date=April 23, 2015 |work=The Tennessean |access-date=May 2, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210516220708/https://www.tennessean.com/story/life/2015/04/23/iroquois-steeplechase-historical-tradition/25545809/ |archive-date=May 16, 2021}}</ref> The [[WGC Invitational]] is a [[PGA Tour]] golf tournament that has been held in Memphis since 1958.<ref>{{cite news |last=Giannotto |first=Mark |title=PGA Tour expected to announce plans for a WGC event in Memphis on Thursday |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/2018/04/09/pga-tour-expected-announce-plans-wgc-event-memphis-thursday/500273002/ |access-date=May 16, 2021 |work=The Commercial Appeal |date=April 9, 2018 |location=Memphis, TN}}</ref>