Sports. Music. Sometimes, they go hand-in-hand.
We’ve heard the old adage that many musicians dream of being professional athletes, and many professional athletes dream of being musicians.
Add Bart Millard to that mix.
The MercyMe lead singer grew up in Texas as a Rangers fan. Now he’s using his many years of music experience to help advise Music City Baseball to bring Major League Baseball to Nashville.
“I love the fact that it’s Music City and I love the fact that there’s an advisory board of musicians behind this,” said Millard. “I think it’s crucial. That’s one of the things that sets us apart from other cities are the people advocating for this team. These are people who live in the city of Nashville. I love the fact that they lean into and say, ‘this is exactly who we are.’”
Millard is proud to have the opportunity to roll up his sleeves with the effort as well, enjoying the team environment with Music City Baseball’s entire roster.
“I’ve been blown away by how the whole team treats you as you’re their equal,” said Millard. “If you’re an advisor, it’s just amazing how sometimes I may feel like I’m bothering them if I have an idea and they’re like, ‘let’s set up a meeting.’ It’s really cool the respect they give you and not just go, ‘well he’s just a musician he doesn’t know much about baseball.’”
As a musician who grew up as a passionate baseball fan, he understands the beauty of baseball.
“Baseball is one of the last places where I think time stands still when you go to a game,” said Millard. “You go to a game and you see those dads bringing their kids to a game for the first time…it’s something long before I got married or became a dad, I saw that and said, ‘I want to do that one day the way my dad did for me.’”
As a father of five children, Millard understands the legacy his involvement in this effort can bring once his kids get older.
“I want them to take their kids one day and say, ‘my dad was a part of this.’”