Darius Rucker’s Passion For Sports Is More Than Just A Hobby [Interview]

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Darius Rucker. Photo: Jim Wright

Nashville’s sports scene continues to grow and, along with this growth, comes the inevitable crossover of country music and sports.

In recent years, more and more country music stars have started showing off their sports team pride, whether they’re teams in Nashville or around the country. Dierks Bentley and Carrie Underwood have been Preds superfans for years, Scotty McCreery has shown off his Carolina Hurricane pride and Kane Brown is been one of the University of Georgia football’s biggest cheerleaders.

However, for Darius Rucker, his fandom precedes his music career and is so much more than a hobby. Its part of his life.

“Sports have been so important to me. Especially football,” Rucker shares with The Sports Credential. “I’ve been a football and a Miami Dolphins fan since I was five-years-old. I remember the day I became a fan, it feels like it was yesterday. For so many years I’ve just lived and died with them, and I’ve lived and died with the Gamecocks [from the University of South Carolina].”

He sums, “Sports, they just mean everything to me.”

Rucker, a product of the University of South Carolina, has been an avid Gamecocks fan for decades, being one of the school and the team’s biggest supporters. His band, Hootie & the Blowfish, was founded on the campus of South Carolina and have become synonymous with the university, signaling that Rucker’s musical roots with the school run deep.

Pending his touring schedule, Rucker is either at or watching every South Carolina game, but his passion and knowledge doesn’t stop with the Gamecocks. Rucker is a serious college football junkie.

Rucker was the guest picker on ESPN’s College GameDay when the show visited the school in 2012 before the heated rival matchup between South Carolina and the Georgia Bulldogs. He came prepared to to the show, knowing more than just a super fan and impressing hosts Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso.

Watch Rucker’s appearance as the guest picker on College GameDay in the video below:

“One of my favorite things I’ve ever come up with is that there are two times of the year for me. There’s football season and there’s waiting for football season,” he notes cheekily.

His passion for football and for the Miami Dolphins pushed the multi-Platinum entertainer to move into the world of clothing as he partnered with Fanatics to start his own line of NFL gear. With the collection, fans can buy shirts, hoodies and jackets for their favorite NFL teams that were made in partnership with Rucker.

NFL x Darius Rucker Collection by Fanatics.

“I didn’t think I’d have a chance to have a clothing line with the NFL, so it was huge for me,” Rucker explains. “Getting the clothing line meant the world to me, and it did so well last year that they wanted to do it again this year. I’m loving the clothes this year more than I did last year. It’s pretty cool so I’m excited.”

Rucker sees the Fanatics collection as another way to be part of the sports community. Just like music and his love for South Carolina football, the community is what makes these things so much more special.

In 2020, Rucker became involved in another sports community, joining Music City Baseball LLC’s (MCB) Music Advisory Board in an effort to bring Major League Baseball to Nashville. MCB has teamed up with a number of artists and country singers, including Luke Combs, Justin Timberlake and Brown.

MCB is also partnered with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, naming this potential team the Nashville Stars, honoring the Negro League teams that have played in the city under the same name.

“Nashville’s really becoming a big city and with that comes sports,” Rucker shares. “Being a part of the Nashville Stars and trying to bring a baseball team here is awesome.

Darius Rucker. Photo: Courtesy of Music City Baseball LLC

“I think Nashville and baseball is a no-brainer. It’s a great city for it, and it would be support more than a lot of teams are,” he continues. “Bringing the history and the legacy of the Nashville Stars, and keeping the old Negro League team at the forefront, is an important ingredient for me. I’m honored to be a part of it.”

Since 2016, Rucker has also been a partner with MGC Sports Agency where he offers insight and help in the recruiting process. In this role, he offers a perspective of what it’s like being in the entertainment industry, a Grammy award-winner, and an active, worldwide touring artist since the 1990’s.

With NIL exploding in the college football world, and as someone who began their career path in college, he offers a different perspective than most agents.

“I love the small role that I do have at the company,” he says. “I’m just over the moon, I can’t believe I get to do this, I have so much fun. When you sign the No. 1 NFL Draft pick in Trevor Lawrence, who plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars, it can’t help but be fun.”

Between College GameDay, South Carolina Women’s Basketball winning the National Championship, 18 SuperBowls and countless golf tournaments, it would seem hard to pick one game or one moment that stands out the most. For Rucker, though, singing the national anthem in front of a sea of fans at the World Series or the NBA Finals takes the cake.

“For me the thing that stands out the most is singing the anthem at the World Series, NBA Finals and the NCAA Finals,” Rucker explains. “Getting to do the anthem at those great events means the world to me. Being American and the sports fan that I am, every time I get to do the anthem is something very special.”

Between careers, family and life in general, some people’s fandoms tend to fall off as they get older and more responsibilities pile up. This is maximized in a career in the music industry, but sports are such an integral part of Rucker’s life that in no way has his fandom taken a backseat.

“I’m in five fantasy leagues,” Rucker quips. “When you love something as much as I love sports, you’ll find time for it. You’ll make time for it.”

Steven Boero
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