More Than a Baseball Team: How Matt Millward Helped Transform the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

From rebranding the franchise and opening Atrium Health Ballpark to navigating the pandemic and strengthening community ties, Millward has helped redefine the role of a Minor League Baseball team.

Matt Millward featured at Atrium Health Ballpark prior to the inaugural 2021 baseball season. Photo credit: Charlotte Business Journal.

Matt Millward has spent a lifetime around baseball.

From playing Little League as a child to visiting nearly every Major League Baseball stadium and countless Minor League ballparks across the country, Millward has spent 19 years building a career around the game he loves.

Ask Millward what makes baseball special, and his answer comes quickly.

“It’s not the most action-packed game like football or hockey or basketball, but it’s a pure game,” Millward said. “It’s America’s pastime. It’s a game where you can sit and drink beer and have a bag of peanuts and a hotdog and a conversation with the person next to you.”