Back in October, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred stated that he hopes two expansion teams will join the league by January of 2029.
One of those organizations pushing to be an expansion team is the Nashville Stars. The Director of Marketing for the Stars, Will General, spoke with World Baseball Network about the organization.
“Our parent organization, Music City Baseball, has been around since 2019,” General stated. “It is our goal to pave the way to bring Major League Baseball here to the great state of Tennessee and to the city of Nashville.”
The Stars and Their Negro League Roots
The Nashville Stars played in the Negro Leagues from the early 1930s through the early 1950s.
The Stars have a big-time partnership with the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City.
The Nashville Stars are regular donors to the museum.
General also talked about working with the President of the Negro League Baseball Museum, Bob Kendrick. According to General, Kendrick is a huge fan of the idea of the Stars being an MLB expansion team and honoring the Negro League legacy. He is also a board member of the expansion group.
“Bob [Kendrick], in his wisdom and foresight and in collaboration with John [Loar], said, ‘No, let’s do something bigger than this,’” said General. “’ Let’s work to name the next Major League Baseball franchise after a Negro Leagues team.’”
The Nashville Stars were a Negro League Baseball team. The team existed in Nashville from the early 1930s through the early 1950s.
Why is Nashville and the State of Tennessee a Great Spot for MLB Expansion?
Rendering of the Nashville Stars’ Ballpark
According to a fan poll from the Sports Business Journal, people thought Nashville was the best place for the MLB to expand to. The poll saw 37% of fans say that Music City was the best location.
General told World Baseball Network why he thought the Stars and the state of Tennessee are the best spot to be for the MLB’s next team.
“This town is the entertainment capital of the Southeast, of the East — call it whatever you want,” the Director of Marketing stated. “It’s where people want to play. It’s where people want to be. The tourism numbers are through the roof. The dollars spent here when people are vacationing are through the roof.”
General also mentioned that the city of Nashville is a two-hour flight from 80% of the population in the United States of America.
There is an abundance of Major League Baseball players who live in Nashville during the offseason.
“Nashville has the seventh-highest population of current big-league players in the offseason,” General told WBN. “So, everybody recognizes how great of a town this is.”
For more information on the Nashville Stars, visit mlbmusicity.com. The full interview with Will General is available on World Baseball Network’s YouTube page.
