Major League Baseball moved the 2021 All-Star Game and 2021 draft from Atlanta in response to controversial Georgia new voting law, the competition announced on Friday.
“I have decided the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is to move this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports the right to vote for all Americans and opposes restrictions on the ballot box.”
Discussions about moving the game surfaced after Georgia recently passed a strict new voting law, which critics say is intended to deprive voters of color. It requires photo ID to vote in absentia, which more than 1.3 million voters in Georgia did during the coronavirus pandemic.
The new law limits the locations for dropboxes and the time voters have to ask for an absentee ballot. It also prohibits the distribution of food and water to voters within 50 meters of a polling station or within 7 meters of a voter standing in line, a particularly controversial provision as there are often longer lines to vote in disproportionately black districts.
Manfred’s decision came two days after President Biden agreed to move the game out of Atlanta in an interview with ESPN.
“I think today’s professional athletes are acting incredibly responsibly. I would strongly support them in doing that. People look at them. They are leaders,” said Mr Biden. The president has called the new Georgian law “Jim Crow on steroids.”
However, some Democrats in Georgia expressed disappointment with the move. The All-Star Game is one of the most important events in the league and the city of Atlanta will lose significant financial gains. According to data from the Baseball Almanac, cities have seen as much as $ 60 million in economic stimulus in the past.
“Like many Georgians, I am disappointed that MLB is moving its All-Star game; however, I commend the players, owners and league commissioner for their statements. I urge others in leadership positions to do likewise,” said Stacey Abrams , one of the state’s most prominent Democrats and a voting rights activist.
Senator Raphael Warnock called the move “the unfortunate consequence” of the passage of the law.
The Republicans in Georgia, meanwhile, are not withdrawing. In a press conference on Saturday, Governor Brian Kemp declared “culture cancellation” as the root of Manfred’s decision.
“Safe, accessible elections are worth the threats. They are worth both the boycotts and the lawsuits. I want to be clear – I will not withdraw from this fight,” Kemp said. “What are they going to do when the Braves get into the playoffs? Are they going to move the damn playoff game? Are they going to move it 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 awake companies that interfere in free and fair elections.”
The league has not yet announced a new host city, but said the decision is currently being finalized. Scheduled for July 13, the All-Star Game will still pay tribute to baseball legend Hank Aaron.
Khristopher J. Brooks contributed to the reporting.