Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
COLUMN: Celebrating all that’s great about Murfreesboro
10/8/2023 6:38:00 PM | Football, General
“If you live here, if you're involved in this community,” Deputy AD Lee De León says, “then we want to invite you to be a part of MTSU Athletics.”
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — There were a multitude of reasons why I took this job as Staff Writer with the Middle Tennessee Athletic Department in the Summer of 2021.
I wanted to tell stories again after some time away from writing brought on by the pandemic. And I wanted to continue to tell stories in sports, as I had done throughout my college years. And MTSU, from what I read and what I heard, seemed like an institution that would offer no shortage of interesting stories to write, while also taking care of me.
But what's kept me around the Blue Raiders, more than the championships I've covered or the remarkable student-athletes that have made this university their own, is the people of Murfreesboro. Which is why I was so excited to dive into the 'why' behind Middle Tennessee football's inaugural Faith and Family Night, scheduled for this Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Louisiana Tech.
Deputy Athletic Director for External Affairs, Lee De León, said the planning of the first Faith and Family Night started through the work of the office of the university president, Dr. Sidney A. McPhee. Through the work of assistant to the president for community engagement and inclusion, Dr. Monica Smith, the president's office has been reaching out to local leaders in places of worship around the Murfreesboro and Rutherford County community to better connect them with MTSU.
The president's office asked for Athletics to invite them and their congregations to Tuesday night's game, which ultimately lead to the official name being put on the game for the very first time. James Kentfield, Assistant AD for Ticket Operations and Sales, said his office has a long history of reaching out to local religious communities to set up group rates for them to attend Middle Tennesse Athletics events.
"The fun thing about coming to a sporting event is doing it in a group setting," Kentfield said. "It's always more exciting to be around friends and family."
Kentfield's work in the NBA, both with the then-New Orleans Hornets and the Orlando Magic, gave him familiarity with the Faith and Family Night concept, which was successful for both the teams and the communities they worked with each year.
"Places of worship have such a great sense of community already," Kentfield said. "Giving them another opportunity to come together outside of their traditional setting is a unique experience for them."
That sense of community from the dozens of places of worship around Rutherford County permeates in every part of the city, in my experience. Murfreesboro is a city that can be defined by its proximity to another (Nashville) and by the university itself at times. But the reason why it's one of the fastest growing cities in America is the sense of community that places like its houses of worship foster, which then makes everyday interactions at the car shop, the retail stores and city parks welcoming.
De León has long said the community of Murfreesboro, and the Middle Tennessee region more broadly, is one of the things that attracted him to his role at Middle Tennessee. And getting a chance to celebrate that community is one of many things that's exciting about this Tuesday's Conference USA matchup.
"We wanted to make sure that we celebrate all that's great about Murfreesboro," De León said. "The community feel, the incorporation of faith and family in Murfreesboro, as a young father, I know my family loves how family-friendly this community is, and we want to celebrate that on Tuesday night."
Fans coming to the game can expect a plethora of family-friendly activities designed especially for Faith and Family Night, including events, competitions, and other festivities, particularly an autograph session in the Family Fun Zone with Blue Raider student-athletes, including MTSU Men's Basketball.
The goal, De León says, is to have this game be an annual event for the diverse faith communities of Murfreesboro to come together as congregations and enjoy a game together, while also allowing MTSU as an institution to welcome them to campus, including those that might be visiting for the first time.
"We have a very diverse campus, a very diverse student body and a very diverse group of student-athletes that come from all different faith backgrounds," De León said. We welcome and embrace all of them.
"It's very important to welcome them, make them feel a part of MTSU and the Blue Raider Nation while also showing them that we can be great partners, that we can be the hometown team, whether you went here or not," De León said. "If you live here, if you're involved in this community, then we want to invite you to be a part of MTSU Athletics."
Local communities of faith and places of worship can purchase discounted tickets to the CUSA matchup against the Bulldogs Tuesday night. Tickets are just $11 for sideline reserve, which includes a hot dog and a drink ($34 value).
Please contact the MTSU Ticket Office at 615-898-5198 to order your tickets and take part in this great event.
I wanted to tell stories again after some time away from writing brought on by the pandemic. And I wanted to continue to tell stories in sports, as I had done throughout my college years. And MTSU, from what I read and what I heard, seemed like an institution that would offer no shortage of interesting stories to write, while also taking care of me.
But what's kept me around the Blue Raiders, more than the championships I've covered or the remarkable student-athletes that have made this university their own, is the people of Murfreesboro. Which is why I was so excited to dive into the 'why' behind Middle Tennessee football's inaugural Faith and Family Night, scheduled for this Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Louisiana Tech.
Deputy Athletic Director for External Affairs, Lee De León, said the planning of the first Faith and Family Night started through the work of the office of the university president, Dr. Sidney A. McPhee. Through the work of assistant to the president for community engagement and inclusion, Dr. Monica Smith, the president's office has been reaching out to local leaders in places of worship around the Murfreesboro and Rutherford County community to better connect them with MTSU.
The president's office asked for Athletics to invite them and their congregations to Tuesday night's game, which ultimately lead to the official name being put on the game for the very first time. James Kentfield, Assistant AD for Ticket Operations and Sales, said his office has a long history of reaching out to local religious communities to set up group rates for them to attend Middle Tennesse Athletics events.
"The fun thing about coming to a sporting event is doing it in a group setting," Kentfield said. "It's always more exciting to be around friends and family."
Kentfield's work in the NBA, both with the then-New Orleans Hornets and the Orlando Magic, gave him familiarity with the Faith and Family Night concept, which was successful for both the teams and the communities they worked with each year.
"Places of worship have such a great sense of community already," Kentfield said. "Giving them another opportunity to come together outside of their traditional setting is a unique experience for them."
That sense of community from the dozens of places of worship around Rutherford County permeates in every part of the city, in my experience. Murfreesboro is a city that can be defined by its proximity to another (Nashville) and by the university itself at times. But the reason why it's one of the fastest growing cities in America is the sense of community that places like its houses of worship foster, which then makes everyday interactions at the car shop, the retail stores and city parks welcoming.
De León has long said the community of Murfreesboro, and the Middle Tennessee region more broadly, is one of the things that attracted him to his role at Middle Tennessee. And getting a chance to celebrate that community is one of many things that's exciting about this Tuesday's Conference USA matchup.
"We wanted to make sure that we celebrate all that's great about Murfreesboro," De León said. "The community feel, the incorporation of faith and family in Murfreesboro, as a young father, I know my family loves how family-friendly this community is, and we want to celebrate that on Tuesday night."
Fans coming to the game can expect a plethora of family-friendly activities designed especially for Faith and Family Night, including events, competitions, and other festivities, particularly an autograph session in the Family Fun Zone with Blue Raider student-athletes, including MTSU Men's Basketball.
The goal, De León says, is to have this game be an annual event for the diverse faith communities of Murfreesboro to come together as congregations and enjoy a game together, while also allowing MTSU as an institution to welcome them to campus, including those that might be visiting for the first time.
"We have a very diverse campus, a very diverse student body and a very diverse group of student-athletes that come from all different faith backgrounds," De León said. We welcome and embrace all of them.
"It's very important to welcome them, make them feel a part of MTSU and the Blue Raider Nation while also showing them that we can be great partners, that we can be the hometown team, whether you went here or not," De León said. "If you live here, if you're involved in this community, then we want to invite you to be a part of MTSU Athletics."
Local communities of faith and places of worship can purchase discounted tickets to the CUSA matchup against the Bulldogs Tuesday night. Tickets are just $11 for sideline reserve, which includes a hot dog and a drink ($34 value).
Please contact the MTSU Ticket Office at 615-898-5198 to order your tickets and take part in this great event.
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