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8/29/2023
Darius Rucker Expands Fanatics Collaboration Into MLB & NCAA: ‘I Love It’
The singer also discussed his upcoming new album Carolyn's Boy, saying, "I'm ready for this record."
Rylee Johnston
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Darius Rucker x Fanatics Cindy Ros
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Darius Rucker doesn’t just want fans singing his latest single “Fires Don’t Start Themselves” this summer, he’s also sharing his love of sports in the form of an expanded collaboration with Fanatics and BCL Entertainment. Except this time, instead of solely focusing on NFL merchandise, they’ve dipped into MLB and select NCAA team merch. And yes, this collection also includes teams besides the 57-year-old singer’s personal favorites.
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Starting Tuesday (Aug. 29), you can show off your favorite MLB team and love for the “Wagon Wheel” singer just in time to watch the latest baseball games. This also marks the third year that Rucker has teamed up with Fanatics to create an exclusive collaboration that combines music and sports, which, for the singer, has felt like a major achievement.
“To do it for a third year and expanding into other things besides the NFL — college and baseball and all that stuff — I love it,” Rucker tells Billboard. “I got my own clothing line — that’s unbelievable.”
What can fans expect this time around? The collection includes everything from T-shirts, jerseys, flannel and more that are available in all MLB teams and select NCAA teams. To check out the full collection, click here, or check out the MLB collaboration here, and get ready to show up to your next baseball game in style.
Billboard chatted with Rucker to learn more about what to expect from the collaboration, as well as his upcoming album Carolyn’s Boy (due out Oct. 6) and more.
Billboard: Is there anything you thought should absolutely be in the MLB and NCAA line?
Rucker: The warmer stuff for the fall and the winter I thought was really important because that’s where you wear them. You wear them to the football games and in the class, so I thought the warmer stuff was really important for football and then the other way for baseball. Baseball is usually in the summer, so you need the short sleeves and stuff like that.
Darius Rucker x Fanatics Cindy Ros
What’s it like expanding into NCAA?
I went to the University of South Carolina and I’m a huge supporter of South Carolina. Getting into colleges is just amazing because there’s so many great universities out there. The fans are rabid about them and getting into that market, I think is just awesome and I can’t wait to have Darius Rucker shirts for [University of Kentucky] and all that stuff — it’s going to be really cool.
Is there a specific piece from the line you’re most looking forward to?
The thing that I always wear a lot of is the hoodies — they make such cool hoodies. Like, last year, we had this great zip-up hoodie that I still wear. I never take off the stuff that they’ve been sending me. The hoodies are great, the sweatshirts are great — I wear pretty much everything we put out.
Outside of the collaboration, how do you feel about your upcoming album?
I’m ready for this record. It’s been five or six years since I’ve had a record out in country music, so I’m really excited to get Carolyn’s Boy out. Putting records out is always exciting because you work so hard on them and they’re such a big part of your life, and all you want to do is get it out to the people.
Is there a particular song you’re excited for people to hear?
There’s a song called “Never Been Over” that’s a little different than anything I’ve ever done that I’m really looking forward to people hear. But for me, that’s why I don’t pick singles — I love every song on the record. I’m ready for everybody to hear all of it.
And you’re also getting ready for a second year of the Riverfront Festival. How does that feel?
Oh, very excited. I’ve been wanting to bring a festival to Charleston for years, and finally we did it last year and it was a big success. We’re doing it again this year and have got some really great acts. Lainey Wilson and Turnpike Troubadours are just great bands, and so I’m really excited. Charleston seems to be excited, ticket sales are awesome and I’m looking forward to this big time.
What’s it like bringing something like this to your hometown?
Oh, great. Anytime I do something like this with Charleston, it just feels awesome because I’m bringing great things to the city I was born in and still live in. And to see everybody excited about it makes it even better.
What’s the best part about running your own festival?
Just going to see the bands. I love going there and just watching everybody play because usually you don’t get to see these bands because they’re traveling and you’re traveling in different places. But at a festival like that, you get to see everybody one right after the other and that’s great.
And looking at your tour so far, what’s been your favorite memory?
Meeting Bono with Willie Nelson in Dublin, that was just surreal. The fact that I actually could actually say that happened is surreal. Meeting Paul McCartney, meeting Al Green — those are moments that I’ll just never forget. I mean, those are the guys that made me want to be a musician, and here I am friends with them. That’s pretty unbelievable.
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