World Series Champion Dave Stewart Joins Music City Baseball Ownership Group

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Dave Stewart. Photo: Courtesy of Music City Baseball LLC

Three-time World Series Champion Dave Stewart is joining Music City Baseball LLC’s ownership group, leading its Diverse Equity Ownership Initiative.

Stewart will identify a collective of high-net-worth investors for joint ownership, prioritizing minority investors. He brings more than 40 years of experience in the MLB as a player, coach, agent, and front office executive. He has won three World Series titles as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue Jays, and since 2019 has served as an active board member and Baseball Advisor to Music City Baseball.

“The time has come for Black ownership in Major League Baseball. Now, more than ever, we need to change the dynamics and unlock access to ownership for minorities,” says Stewart. “We are creating a historic opportunity with the Nashville Stars, and I’m proud to lead our efforts to secure an ownership group that is aligned with our core mission, values, and legacy.”

There are currently no Black principal owners in MLB. While the league has not made any decisions regarding expansion or relocation to Nashville, the effort to focus on a diverse ownership structure mirrors MLB’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The proposed team name, the Nashville Stars, pays homage to the Negro Leagues teams that played in Nashville in the 1940s and 1950s. Stewart, in his search for owners, will honor that legacy and continue the ongoing partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

“We’ve added an ace to our pitching staff in this important effort to bring Major League Baseball to Nashville,” says Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and a Board member for Music City Baseball. “In this new role, he will break down barriers in MLB ownership and create a better, more equitable future for the sport. Dave embodies the true spirit of the Negro Leagues, not only in how he played the game, but also in the way he’s helped grow our game through his contributions as a coach, agent and executive–all reasons we inducted him into our Hall of Game in 2019.”

In addition to honoring the past, this initiative will help build the future of the game in a fast-growing region. The city of Nashville had the largest economic growth rate in 2021 of large U.S. metro areas according to Stessa, a data and analytics firm.

Adding Stewart to the group is a strong step to bringing an expansion team or relocated MLB team to Nashville which may not be for another five or more years.

Steven Boero
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