Major League Baseball moves All-Star 2021 game and 2021 Atlanta draft in response to controversial Georgia the new voting law, the league announced on Friday.
“We have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is to move the All-Star Game and the MLB project this year,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes ballot restrictions.”
Discussions about moving the game came to the surface after Georgia recently passed a new strict voting law, which critics say is designed to give up voting for black voters. A photo ID is required to vote in the absentee ballot, which more than 1.3 million voters in Georgia did during the coronavirus pandemic.
The new law limits the locations for the ballot boxes and the time in which voters must request an absent ballot. It also prohibits the transmission of food and water to voters less than 150 meters from a polling station or less than 25 meters from any voter standing in line, a particularly controversial provision because there are often longer lines. to vote in disproportionately black venues.
Manfred’s decision came two days after President Biden approved the move to Atlanta in an interview with ESPN.
“I think today’s professional athletes act incredibly responsibly. I would strongly support them to do that. People look at them. They are leaders,” Mr Biden said. The president called Georgia’s new law “Jim Crow on steroids.”
However, some Georgia Democrats have expressed disappointment with the move. The All-Star game is one of the major events of the league, and the city of Atlanta will lose with a considerable financial gain. Past cities have seen economic growth of up to $ 60 million, according to data from the Baseball Almanac.
“Like many Georgians, I am disappointed that MLB is moving its All-Star game; however, I congratulate the players, owners and the league commissioner for their expression. I urge others in leadership positions to do the same. said Stacey Abrams, one of the state’s leading Democrats and voting rights activist.
Senator Raphael Warnock called the move an “unfortunate consequence” of passing the law.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s Republicans are not backing down. At a news conference on Saturday, Gov. Brian Kemp condemned the “cancellation of culture” as the root of Manfred’s decision.
“Safe and accessible elections are worth the threats. They are worth the boycotts, as well as the trials. I want to be clear – I will not withdraw from this fight,” Kemp said. “What will they do if the Braves enter the playoffs? Will they move the bastard out of the playoffs? Will they move him to other states with more restrictions than us?”
The move was also criticized by former President Trump, who in a statement called on his supporters to “boycott baseball and all the awakened companies that interfere with free and fair elections.”
The league has not yet announced a new host city, but said the decision is being finalized. The All-Star game is scheduled to take place on July 13 and will continue to pay tribute to baseball legend Hank Aaron.
Khristopher J. Brooks contributed to the reporting.