Hundreds of Middle Tennesseans gathered near in East Nashville Saturday to paint the city’s first rainbow crosswalks as a celebration of LGBTQ pride.

The event, which was sponsored by Metro Councilman Clay Capp, drew scores of elected officials, community members and a couple of protesters.

The crosswalk intersection at 14 and Woodland Streets is in front of the Lipstick Lounge, which opened in 2003 is one of only 20 lesbian bars in the U.S.

Tennessee football’s James Pearce Jr. headlines a list of the top 25 returning players in college football for 2024 season.

The Tennessee Volunteers are entering an exciting 2024 season. They will have some new faces on both sides of the ball while also returning several key contributors from a season ago. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava has garnered quite a bit of attention this offseason as he prepares to be the full-time starter, but edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is perhaps the most notable name amongst the group.

Pearce Jr. has been labeled as one of the top players in college football and as a potential first-overall pick for the 2025 NFL draft. He is the focal point of Tennessee’s defense and will play a huge factor in the Volunteers’ success this season. 247 sports released their list of top 25 returning players for the 2024 college football season, and Pearce Jr. came in at number one on the list. Here is what the outlet wrote about him:

“Pearce ranks in a tie for the fourth most sacks amongst returning players after he racked up 10 last season as the SEC’s top edge rusher. He is the early favorite to come off the board first at the 2025 NFL Draft.”

Last season, Pearce Jr. racked up 14.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and 28 total tackles as a sophomore. Some outlets are claiming he is the best player in college football, and he is certainly one of, if not, the best edge defenders in the sport.

Brett Kollmann annually ranks hundreds of prospects for the NFL Draft cycle and has gotten an early start on his homework for next year’s class. He took to X on Tuesday afternoon to give Pearce an interesting NFL comparison. Aldon Smith.

The San Francisco 49ers selected Aldon Smith with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He made an All-Pro first-team during his second season in the NFL, tallying 19.5 sacks and becoming one of the league’s breakout stars. Off-field concerns derailed his career, but his playing heights were extremely high. Pearce was a consensus All-SEC first-team selection during his sophomore season and hopes to achieve even greater things next year.

If Pearce Jr. goes first overall, he would be the first Volunteer to do so since 1998 when quarterback Peyton Manning was the first name called. He has already joined an elite list of college football players, but he has the opportunity to do some very special things in 2024 and put him even higher up on those lists and deeper into Tennessee history books.

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The SEC football’s 10-year television contract with ABC and ESPN is worth about $3 billion. So, you might conclude the conference is set for life.

You might conclude that if you have been living in a cave. Not that there’s anything wrong with living in a cave, but it could give you a warped sense of financial matters.

Inflation is on the rise. Expenses are, too.

College football will soon begin sharing its revenue with college football players. Imagine that.

Revenue sharing won’t mark the end of NIL deals. Players will continue to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness. My guess is they will capitalize more next year and the year after that.

You think $300 million a year in TV revenue for an entire conference assures your member schools of financial security? Don’t be silly.

One thing I have learned from covering college sports for decades: Colleges never have enough money – no matter how much television networks are willing to throw their way.

Fortunately, the NCAA is aware that colleges – despite the ramped-up television deals – remain at risk for abject poverty.  I assume that’s why it will allow corporate-sponsor advertisements on football fields this regular season.

This decision wasn’t impulsive. Both an NCAA panel and a committee signed off on this in a wonderful example of bureaucratic collaboration.

Don’t get the wrong idea. Players won’t have their helmets tattooed with business logos. Nor will the Aflac duck be permitted to waddle along the sideline with a football coach.

Only three corporate advertisements will be allowed – one at the 50-yard line and two other smaller ones in yet-to-be-named spots. And I’m sure such advertisements will be subtle and tasteful, so as not to detract from the natural beauty of a football field.

Maybe, that’s how it will start out. But that’s not how it will end up.

Who finds one oil well on his property and proclaims: “We’re good now. Let’s go plant some trees.” Instead, they will search feverishly to find more oil-producing wells.

Once colleges realize how much money they can rake in from corporate advertisements, do you think they will shout to the heavens: “That’s all we need”?

If you answered “yes,” go back to your cave.

I envision a field fraught with commercials since there is so much open space available for the taking. As any self-respecting corporate CEO will tell you, open space is lost money.

I envision future fields with a corporate sponsor every 20 yards. A national car manufacture could sponsor one 10-yard line. A major insurance company could sponsor a 30. Of course, goal-line advertising will cost more.

ADAMS: College football players, not other athletes, should receive their revenue sharing

And why not put the goal posts to work, too?

A corporate banner could be draped over the crossbar. Corporate flags could dangle from the top of the uprights, which will be the focal point of millions of viewers when a game-deciding field-goal attempt flies through the sky.

The sky will remain unspoiled by corporate logos – at least, until some clever CEO figures out how to put that open space to work.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.