Alabama QB Bryce Young was the center of attention in 2022 after winning the Heisman in 2021.

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Fresh off the NHL’s visit to Music City and the 4th of July fireworks show, Nashville returns to the national stage during SEC Football Media Days with its third Broadway block party in a three-week span.

Tuesday night’s SEC Kickoff by Regions event on Lower Broadway – which features an SEC Network telecast followed by a free concert – comes hot on the heels of the June 26-29 NHL Awards/Draft that utilized an outdoor stage and free concerts and the nationally televised Independence Day fireworks show.

This marks the first time the league has included a street party and live concert in its annual Media Days event. The music stage will be set up near Fourth and Broadway and festivities begin at 5 p.m. Following the 6 p.m. SEC Nation telecast on ESPN2 and SEC Network, Grammy-nominated band Midland will headline the free concert for fans starting at 7.

“We’re going to have some fun with the live shows down on Broadway. There’s going to be coaches, players. The biggest names in the SEC are all going to be down there,” says former Vanderbilt star Jordan Rodgers, who will be on the Broadway stage as one of the SEC Nation hosts alongside Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Marty Smith, Marcus Spears and others.

“We’re going to have some surprise guests probably pop on that you’ve probably heard of before, too. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m pretty stoked for it.”

So, no name-dropping of guests?

“You know what’s funny about football and celebrities, and especially Nashville and country music? Most of the time, it comes together in the last few hours,” Rodgers says. “I don’t have any confirmation as to who we’re going to have. I’ve heard some names get thrown around.

“Marty Smith will be doing a lot of the shows with me. That guy has more connections and country music and NASCAR and everything you could imagine,” Rodgers says.

“I bet Marty’s going to have one, maybe a couple of his buddies during the show. I would just say that there will definitely be a few people you’ve heard of in the Nashville scene.”

Pete Watters, coordinating producer for the SEC Network, says Nashville’s reputation for knowing how to throw a party will be part of the telecast.

“We love Nashville. We feel really at home there,” Watters says. “The people are great, the businesses are great and we see SEC Media Days as the official kickoff to the football season. College football in the Southeast is king and this event serves to snap fans out of the summer doldrums.”

Watters and SEC assistant commissioner Herb Vincent also point to the crossover appeal of SEC football and country music for fans.

“Our goal is to take (SEC Media Days) to different parts of the footprint and then when we’re there, blend the local flavor of the community with SEC football,” Vincent says. “And that’s the effort that we’re making with that Tuesday night television show and concert on Broadway.

“It’s important for us to engage with the local community, to get involved with the local flavor of the event and make that part of our SEC Football Media Days event.”

Adds Watters: “Nashville is a great place to go. The country music community loves SEC football and SEC fans love country music. The live show on Broadway is an extension of that.”

Scott Ramsey, president and CEO of the Nashville Sports Council and TransPerfect Music City Bowl, calls the block party “a way to showcase the SEC in Nashville and really promote all the great things about our city.

“We’re just trying to put the best foot forward for the city of Nashville,” Ramsey says, “and we’ll hopefully have another event that people have some great experiences at.”

SEC Media Days will be attended by more than 1,000 credentialed media members from cities across the league’s 14-university footprint. Make that more than 1,000 thirsty credentialed media members that will be loose on lower Broadway once the day’s interviews have ended.

Ramsey laughs at the old (and well-deserved) image of sports writers shutting down bars after deadlines have been met and says, don’t worry, the visiting media has a designated watering hole for the Tuesday night event.

“Actually, we do. Brad Sanderson and the Sandersons who own The Stage right beside where we’re going to have the (concert) stage on Broadway are going to offer a special for all the media for some drink specials that night and host them there,” Ramsey says.

The Ledger talked with several Nashville journalists and others about the local nightlife, the block party and the image of 1,000 media members haunting Broadway bars.

Mostly retired journalist Larry Woody recalls the earliest incarnation of SEC Media Days. From 1966-1983, the SEC flew a number of reporters to each league school on what was called the SEC Skywriters Tour. Woody has another name for it.

“It was kind of like a flying frat house party. We worked hard and we played hard,” says Woody, a three-time Tennessee Sportswriter of the Year at The Tennessean who now writes for Main Street Media newspapers.

“That’s a scary thought right there … a bunch of old journalists down there. That’ll be fun,” laughs veteran journalist Tony Barnhart, who appears on the 104.5-FM “Football Saturday” weekly sports talk show with host Doug Mathews, a former coach, and UT great Charles Davis. “All of us old guys that back in the old days, there was a lot of great fun to be had at these events and it looks like they’re trying to bring some of that back.”

WSMV-4 sports anchor Chris Harris says “there’ll be no shortage of stuff to do after people are finished either filing stories or doing TV live shots or whatever. So that will be nice.”

Teresa Walker of The Associated Press says she hopes visiting media members enjoy the Nashville nightlife but also offers a word of caution.

“You can have all the fun you want on lower Broad but you better make sure you do your job because that’s the reason you’re going to be there at SEC Media Days,” she says. “And that’s the mark of a true professional sports writer.”

Mathews, who played at Vanderbilt and coached at a number of schools, says the block party is another chance for Nashville to showcase its “destination” reputation.

“This is something new. I’m anxious to see how the block party turns out. I bet it’s a big, big deal – if it’s good weather, of course.”