Five years ago Nashville was named the best pro sports city in America by the Sports Business Journal.

Now look at us.

Nashville’s major league pro sports teams have taken a collective nosedive to the bottom of the standings. Postseason playoff games in our city are like affordable housing or convenient downtown parking: they’re a thing of the past.

Why it matters: Despite the bad on-field products, Nashville fans still basically come out to support their teams.

All three franchises enjoy solid attendance marks, but they’re not rewarding their supporters with reasons to celebrate. There’s also the issue of tax dollars. Nashville and the state of Tennessee have ponied up billions to build pro sports venues and support the teams’ operations.

Flashback: In 2019 when we were named the No. 1 pro sports city, Nashville was basking in the glow of hosting the NFL Draft, while the Predators and Titans routinely reached the postseason.

Nashville’s pro sports scene was epitomized by the throngs of fans who flooded downtown in 2017 for the watch parties during the Predators’ thrilling run to the Stanley Cup finals. The Nashville SC was on the brink of launching and the overall pro sports vibes in Music City were better than ever.

Zoom in: Let’s start with the Titans.

The team’s streak of missing the playoffs is now at three seasons following the latest debacle. The Titans are now 3-10 this year under new coach Brian Callahan.

Finishing with the worst record in the league is not out of the question.

The Predators spent more money on free agents this offseason than any team in the NHL, a whopping $128 million according to Spotrac.

The big spending has not paid off. The Preds have the worst record in the entire league, with a measly 20 points. The first-place Minnesota Wild, by comparison, have 42.

The Nashville SC are not immune to Music City’s losing ways.

They missed the playoffs this year for the first time, finishing 13th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference. As a result, the team made a coaching change in hopes of getting back on track.

The bottom line: Diehard support + government tax breaks should inspire our teams to give Nashville fans the winning teams they deserve.