Major League Baseball announced Friday that the 2021 All-Star Game and Draft in Atlanta would be moved out of the city and out of Georgia entirely after that state took it upon themselves to make it harder for people of color to vote.
Unsurprising considering this is the same state that elected Marjorie Taylor Greene to congress but I digress.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred released the following statement in regards to the League’s decision:
“Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views. I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft.
“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box. In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States. We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.
“We will continue with our plans to celebrate the memory of Hank Aaron during this season’s All-Star festivities. In addition, MLB’s planned investments to support local communities in Atlanta as part of our All-Star Legacy Projects will move forward. We are finalizing a new host city and details about these events will be announced shortly.”
A new host city hasn’t been determined yet, however, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, the city of Los Angeles will be exempt from this year’s considerations since the Dodgers will be hosting the 2022 game.
The Braves were said to be “deeply disappointed” by the decision which if I could play violin I would. Perhaps your disappointment is something you can take up with your racist state government.
“The Atlanta Braves are deeply disappointed by the decision of Major League Baseball to move its 2021 All Star Game.
“This was neither our decision, nor our recommendation and we are saddened that fans will not be able to see this event in our city. The Braves organization will continue to stress the importance of equal voting opportunities and we had hoped our city could use this event as a platform to enhance the discussion. Our city has always been known as a uniter in divided times and we will miss the opportunity to address issues that are important to our community.
“Unfortunately, businesses, employees, and fans in Georgia are the victims of this decision.
“We will continue to support the community legacy projects which have been planned and are in process.”
In any sense, this isn’t the first time a major professional sports league has moved an event outside a state after bigoted policymaking.
In 2017, the NBA moved their All-Star Game out of North Carolina after a law was implemented that targeted the rights of the LGBTQ community. In 2011 the MLB was considering moving the All-Star Game out of Arizona after racist immigration policies, however, then-commissioner Bud Selig ultimately opted not to do so.