Jazz Chisholm Jr. at Yankee Stadium, movement with grace and rhythm that feels almost too otherworldly by the lights. We watch in awe as this gifted athlete displays his talent to the fans, yet, not all know that he battles his music in his heart. In the silence of the bleachers and beyond the roar of the crowd, there is music as a humble sanctuary for Chisholm amidst the crushing demands of pro sports.

A guy that has the stat line of .256/24 HRs, 73 RBIs, the Yankees slugger is shining more than ever in the Bronx. But while his game on the diamond is show-stopping, the never-diminishing pressure of his performance, or sometimes just pure boredom, leads him to the recording room.

“People forget that athletes have lives too, you know,” he reflected recently, “We don’t really do as much except go to the baseball field and put our work in, but after that, a lot of time is ours. We get bored too, and we like to have our own kind of fun.”

Athletes are often contained in the four walls of a box called professionalism that doles out its restrictions on self-expression. Jazz Chisholm Jr. echoes this sentiment well: “Mentally, I feel like it just makes me be me even more. Before I started doing music, it was more like, yeah, I’m being me. But at the same time, it feels like something’s just not right… I feel like I’m still in some type of box that I can’t get out of.” Music becomes his avenue to break free from these constraints, allowing him to embrace his identity fully.

His last campaign was proof of the resilience he always has. Chisholm worked his way through injuries and inevitable slumps that come in just about any sport. The pressure increased, but so did his resolve. His key was music in how he could survive. “Yeah, I get to have my fun on the baseball field, but outside that baseball field, I still have to not be myself because I’m professional,” he says. Music offers him the freedom to be unapologetically himself, beyond the expectations of his profession.

The Harmonious Escape: How Music Fuels Chisholm’s Soul

Chisholm’s love for music is not merely a passion—it is who he is. Music provides a method for him to exhale from the baseball grind and be able to decompress. Whether it’s the guitar strumming, writing some lyrics, or the music playing in the background that keeps his mind and soul on a different plane of consciousness.

In August last year, he told journalist Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports, “I go home and I forget about baseball. I’m not a baseball player outside of baseball. Just rapping about my life outside of it.”

Aside from music, the Yankees player loves anime as deeply as music. “If you ask my parents, I’ve been watching anime from when I was three years old,” he shared in an interview. His favorite anime is “One Piece” and who knows, with the live adaptation getting a new season, we might spot the slugger on Netflix in some form, maybe taking part in it’s soundtrack!

So the next time you cheer for your favorite athlete, remember the person beneath the jersey. Celebrate not only their achievements on the field but also the diverse passions that make them who they are.