Introduction
Part Two - How Did This Happen? (Seriously.)
Nobody was expecting Michael Jordan to start a baseball team in 2026. Not after the Hornets. Not after NASCAR. Not after his retirement
from public ambition itself.
But then again, nobody expects Michael Jordan —
he simply decides.
The Nashville Stars expansion bid came quietly at first: a neatly packaged, investor-backed offer filed through a new holding company called
Jump 23 Sports Group. The materials were clean. The branding was slick. The money was, as always with MJ,
undeniable. There was no cinematic trailer. No press junket. Just a faxed letter to Rob Manfred that reportedly read:
“Expansion is coming. Give me the ball.”
Within two weeks, the deal was done. Insiders say the league couldn’t move fast enough. Jordan offered everything MLB wanted — money, attention, legitimacy, and a high-profile presence in a media-friendly market. The Stars would bring baseball back to a historically Black city with deep sports roots and musical legacy. Better yet, they'd be fronted by the man who turned Nike into a religion.
One owner reportedly grumbled,
“We’re not just letting him in — we’re letting him win.”
Rob Manfred smiled through it all, called the move
“a home run for the league,” and made a joke about getting Jumpman-branded bats. No one laughed. Jordan wasn’t there for the press conference. He doesn’t do public relations. He does power.
“This isn’t a retirement project,” one of Jordan’s lieutenants said. “This is a legacy move. A final flex. He wants to build something that outlasts even him.”
And just like that, baseball had a new face of ownership. Not a cartoon. Not a gimmick. A shark in suede loafers. The Ghost of Baseball Past had just bought into its future.
Miles Carver, senior correspondent — covers the collision of American culture, celebrity, and chaos. Rolling Stone September 2027 edition.