Music City Baseball: The Quest for Major League Baseball in Nashville

Although Major League Baseball hasn’t seen expansion since 1998 with the addition of the Diamondbacks and Rays, it seems to be on the horizon yet again, with commissioner Rob Manfred hinting at an imminent change to 32 teams in recent years. While expansion hasn’t officially been announced, an enthusiastic management group based in Nashville is confident about its chances. The group? Music City Baseball. 

Beginning with the group's formation in 2019, managing director John Loar has championed the idea of Major League Baseball in Nashville. The concept has only gained momentum since, with Loar and the rest of his coalition introducing their envisioned team as the Nashville Stars Baseball Club. With dedication and buy-in from the community, Music City Baseball has given Nashville a fighting chance to be Major League Baseball’s newest city. 

In an interview with fbcreports, Dr. Chris Bacon--the group’s Director of Communications and Advancement--offered insights into Music City Baseball's aspirations and overall standing in the expansion process.

PLANS AND SUPPORT

Major League Baseball has not given preference toward any potential expansion cities. As a result, efforts by Music City Baseball may seem premature until expansion is officially announced. In reality, the group's hands-on contributions to the process have paved the way for an official expansion opportunity.

Jump-starting the search for a potential location for an MLB-ready stadium, the group announced a partnership with Lincoln Property Company in early 2025. “Our goal is to do the work needed to prepare the market and share information,” said Bacon. “That includes identifying potential sites”.

Additionally, Bacon emphasized that “[the] goal is to build a facility with the best acoustics, the best elements that go into a venue like that, that baseball can also be played in”. With the MLB season spanning just over six months, “you have to think beyond the 81 home games plus playoffs if you're lucky”. An elite entertainment center, like that of the group's vision, provides means for revenue and community engagement year-round.

(Pictured above: Broadway Street - Nashville Tennessee)

(Photo credit: Adinda Uneputty via flickr)

Accompanying the large goals of Music City Baseball is a star-studded roster of music industry advisors, a necessity in Nashville. With famed musicians like Justin Timberlake, Darius Rucker, and Luke Combs pledging their support to the initiative, the idealistic vision of the management group has slowly become a reality, with dedicated support from some of Nashville’s heroes.  “It's hard to get anything entertainment in this city without buy-in from the music industry,” added Bacon. 

The group has significant backing on the baseball side of operations as well, with figures like Bruce Bochy, Mike Shildt, Don Mattingly, and Dave Dombrowski working as advisors. 

College programs like Vanderbilt have paved the way for a potential expansion team in Nashville, with head coach Tim Corbin offering local expertise to Music City Baseball’s efforts. Paired with baseball viewership and fan attendance reaching new highs in the state, the baseball advisor team helps lay the foundation for Major League Baseball in Nashville. “People love their baseball here,” described Bacon. “Soon as you enter this state, you start seeing the love for the game all over the place”

NASHVILLE STARS

Aside from the work they’ve done to prepare themselves for MLB’s expansion, the story and brand that Music City Baseball has chosen to accompany their efforts truly separates them from their competition. Alongside a partnership the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Music City Baseball has pledged itself to advance appreciation and understanding of the Negro Leagues by honoring the original Nashville Stars: a Negro Leagues team that played in the early 1940s and 1950s. 

“It was very important to us to look for and identify a story that connected with Nashville,” explained Bacon. “This is a perfect time to where you can honor the Negro Leagues because the Negro Leagues aren’t just a sports story, but an American story.”

With their adoption of the Nashville Stars mantle, Music City Baseball is on track to introduce the first MLB team named for a Negro Leagues team. “On our end, we have to help tell that story,” added Bacon,

It’s that tie to the community and Nashville’s history that has helped garner support for what Music City Baseball hopes to accomplish. “[This is] a brand that can have a national appeal rather than just something that is centrally in Nashville,” said Bacon.

That national appeal is already evident, with their newly introduced New Era cap garnering sales in two international countries and 34 states. The overwhelming support for a team without players, one still years away from playing, speaks volumes to the importance of the Nashville Stars brand. That brand has been propelled into the national spotlight, all thanks to the continuous efforts of Music City Baseball. 

Even with other groups in Portland, Salt Lake City, and Charlotte offering enticing packages, Nashville tracks as an ideal location for an MLB team. Already a national center of entertainment, the package Nashville offers stands out.

After all, Major League Baseball is a business. A city like Nashville where you can catch a ball game, go to the Grand Ole Opry, and walk up and down Broadway provides an excellent tourist opportunity for many. While Major League Baseball in Nashville is not yet a guarantee, the Stars are aligning for the perfect opportunity for Music City.

(Data found in: mlbmusiccity.com)

Quotes found via: fbcreports interview with Dr. Chris Bacon

Cover photo credit: Music City Baseball