Grisham earns Fan of the Match against his hometown team
Brian Taylor (left) with Aaron Grisham on the day of the USL announcement.
This week’s Fan of the Match Aaron Grisham will readily admit that his heart was a little conflicted last Saturday, but at the end of the day his belief in the Boys in Gold proved overpowering as the Memphis native watched Nashville upend his hometown team in 2-0 fashion at First Tennessee Park
“It was definitely special for me,” Grisham said. “On one hand, I have to like the thought of my hometown having a thriving team, but now that they’re playing the team from my home, I wanted Nashville to throttle them. A little part of me is sad that Memphis couldn’t even score, but that part is minuscule.”
As for how Grisham saw his allegiances shift from Memphis to Nashville, it started in a way that happens for many. He moved to Murfreesboro to attend Middle Tennessee State University, and it was there that he was first introduced to the original Boys In Gold, Nashville FC.
“Brian Taylor introduced me to NFC and it’s been a passion ever since,” Grisham revealed. “I had already been a casual fan of the U.S. team, and I had a small rooting interest in the Chicago Fire in MLS, but it all changed with NFC. I wasn’t able to attend any matches that very first year, but the second season, I ended up doing some video work for the team. Now that they’ve gone professional, I get to be more of a supporter on match days.”
Grisham continues to use his video skills, first professionally with 247 Sports, and in addition to that he’s gained some traction in the NSC community with his knack for creating social media videos for the Boys in Gold.
“It lets me stay involved and bring out my creative side,” Grisham said, chuckling. “I try to do what I can to help the Roadies, including parodies, memes, hype videos and anything like that. I’m not very creative when it comes to grabbing the paintbrush, whether it’s in real life or in Photoshop, but I can help with videos.”
Grisham is a staple in the Roadies community, and it plays a big role in pulling him into the supporters end week-in and week-out.
“We’re one big, happy, dysfunctional family,” Grisham said. “We’re going to show up, hang out, maybe have some beverages and try and stay involved in the community. We want to be a big club, of course, but I’d also really like to continue to have that small-town feel. I think that kind of sums up Nashville these days. It’s why I keep coming back.”