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.”
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.
Discussions about moving the game came to the surface after Georgia recently passed new strict voting laws, which critics say are designed to give up voting for black voters. The new law requires a photo ID to vote on the absentee ballot, which was used by more than 1.3 million voters in Georgia during the coronavirus pandemic. It also limited the locations for dropbox locations and limits the time voters have to request an absentee ballot.
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.