Major League Baseball moves the 2021 All-Star Game and the 2021 Draft out of Atlanta in response to Georgia’s controversy new voting law, the league announced Friday.
“I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is to relocate this year’s All-Star Game and MLB draft,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports the voting rights of all Americans and opposes restrictions at the polls.”
Discussions about the movement of the game emerged after Georgia recently passed a new strict voting law, which critics say is designed to deprive black voters of their rights. It requires photo identification to vote by absentee voting, which more than 1.3 million Georgia voters did during the coronavirus pandemic.
The new law limited the locations of drop-down boxes and the time voters must request an absentee ballot. It also prohibits the distribution of food and water to voters within 150 meters of a polling station or less than 25 meters from any voter who is in line, a particularly controversial provision, as there are often longer lines to vote. in disproportionately black enclosures.
Manfred’s decision came two days after President Biden approved the move to the Atlanta game 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,” Biden said. The president has called Georgia’s new law “Jim Crow on steroids.”
However, some Georgia Democrats expressed disappointment with the decision. The All-Star Game is one of the major events in the league and the city of Atlanta will lose with a considerable economic gain. Past cities have experienced up to $ 60 million in economic boosts, according to data from the Baseball Almanac.
“Like many Georgians, I am disappointed that MLB is relocating its All-Star game; however, I congratulate the players, owners and commissioners of the league for expressing their voice. I urge others in leadership positions to do so. so do you, ”said Stacey Abrams, one of the state’s most prominent Democrats and a voting rights activist.
Senator Raphael Warnock described the measure as “the unfortunate consequence” of passing the law.
Republicans in Georgia, meanwhile, are not backing down. At a news conference on Saturday, Gov. Brian Kemp denounced “canceling the culture” as the root of Manfred’s decision.
“Safe and accessible elections are worth the threats. They are worth the boycotts and lawsuits. I want to be clear: I’m not going to back down in this fight,” Kemp said. “What will they do if the brave get into the playoffs? Will they move the damn playoff game? Will they move it to other states with more restrictions than we have?”
The move was also criticized by former President Trump, who in a statement called on his supporters to “boycott baseball and all the awakened businesses that interfere in free and fair elections.”
The league has not yet announced a new host city, but said the decision is coming to an end. The All-Star Game is scheduled to take place on July 13 and will still be a tribute to baseball legend Hank Aaron.
Khristopher J. Brooks contributed to the reports.