Phillies: Justin Timberlake wants to bring MLB to Nashville
By Matt Rappa
The famous nephew of the Phillies’ John Timberlake wants MLB in Nashville
You may have heard of Justin Timberlake — a 10-time Grammy Award winner and nephew of John Timberlake, the Philadelphia Phillies Director of Florida Operations.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, the famous singer and avid sports fan is now the second member from the Timberlake family to have ties to Major League Baseball.
On Wednesday, Justin officially joined the push to bring MLB to Nashville through joining a group of investors and baseball executives known as Music City Baseball.
“I am thrilled to be involved in the movement to bring Major League Baseball to the great state of Tennessee,” Timberlake, who is already a minority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies NBA team, told the Tennesseean.
The halftime performer from the eventual Philadelphia Eagles-won Super Bowl 52 added that he believes in Music City Baseball’s vision to link baseball and music in a “unique way,” as well as to “unite and entertain people.” He continued: “I am excited to help generate awareness throughout the community as we share our vision for bringing MLB to Music City.”
Major League Baseball possibly expanding beyond its current set of teams to Nashville first gained traction at the 2018 All-Star Game, when Commissioner Rob Manfred named the city a “viable” market.
If Nashville is awarded an MLB franchise, its team name will be the “Nashville Stars” — in honor of several Negro Leagues baseball teams that played games in the city.
“We want to honor that legacy,” Music City Baseball said. “The name also recognizes that Nashville is home to numerous stars in music, entertainment and sports.”
John Loar, Managing Director of Music City Baseball, told the Tennesseean that he thinks Justin is interested in the “entertainment angle” that his group is presenting: forming a “world-class entertainment district” that includes a ballpark.
“Incorporating music and sports is interesting to him,” Loar continued.
It will be interesting to see the push to bring MLB to Nashville progress further, and just how much Timberlake being involved will help bring it closer to fruition.