February 26, 2026 – If Aaron Judge won a World Series in Nashville, he would earn more than he would in just about any other city. Why?
Take the recent Super Bowl, where Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold earned a bonus of nearly $180,000 for hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. But because the Super Bowl was played in Santa Clara, California, the state’s “jock tax” on his bonus and the salary from the days leading up to the game resulted in, astonishingly, a net loss for Darnold of more than $70,000.
Compare that to the state of Tennessee, which has no income tax: Athletes keep what they earn, especially when playing on the biggest stage.
That holds true every day of the year, both for athletes based in Nashville and those from visiting teams who visit periodically during a season. Preseason, regular-season and postseason games are all taxed the same, and the state tax number for games played in Tennessee is equal: zero.
So whether it’s a Super Bowl at the new Nissan Stadium, or whether the Stars are hosting a three-game series in July or the World Series, athletes won’t need to bear the “jock tax” — and any other state tax — for games that they play in Music City.
And that’s why — in addition to its countless corporate and cultural benefits — Major League Baseball in Nashville makes sense … and dollars.