The effort by Music City Baseball to bring MLB to Nashville in the form of the Nashville Stars received a boost after an endorsement from the Greater Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce.
It’s safe to say that Major League Baseball has never seen an effort like that of Music City Baseball to procure a MLB team. The core argument isn’t necessarily that Nashville would be a great addition to MLB because Nashville is an outstanding market (though it is a hot one), but because of an emphasis on Negro Leagues history and recognizing the historic wrongs in the sport. The Nashville Stars name is an homage to an old Negro Leagues team, and the investors are looking at building a ballpark at Tennessee State, a historically black land-grant university in Nashville. (There are three sites under consideration.)
Part of the movement: an endorsement from the Greater Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce, which issued a letter confirming the move earlier this month. (You can read it here.) The key phrase:
“The pursuit by Music City Baseball of a Major League Baseball franchise for the city of Nashville, is laudable, when coupled with the fact that serious focus and consideration, from the inception of the idea, has been to name the team the ‘Nashville Stars.’ Culturally, knowing the rich history of baseball in Nashville that springs forth from the Negro Leagues, Music City Baseball’s efforts in this area encourages inclusivity, diversity, and honors an amazing legacy while opening the doors of opportunity.”
Music City Baseball certainly has been cultivating a public presence in some uncertain ballpark times for both Oakland and Tampa. Many in baseball see expansion as an inevitability once both ballpark situations are resolved, but so far there’s been no public wooing of either team by Music City Baseball officials. (Same with the Portland MLB group.) Probably a pretty smart move for the long run.
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