His. marc Rubio
Marco Antonio Rubio: Republicans exploit MLB to move GOP All-Star Game lawmakers asking Biden administration for guidance on reopening cruise industry Amazon union vote count begins this week for Alabama warehouse MORE (R-Fla.) On Monday, he sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred asking if Manfred would relinquish his membership in the exclusive Augusta National Golf Club following the league’s decision to withdraw the game from the 2021 stars from Atlanta to protest Georgia’s controversial new voting law.
Rubio made a personal shot at the helm of MLB after Manfred said the decision to withdraw the All-Star Game and MLB Draft from Georgia was “the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport.”
“I am writing to ask if you intend to maintain your membership in Augusta National Golf Club. As you know, the only club for members is in the state of Georgia, ”Rubio wrote to Manfred.
Augusta National, the annual host of the Masters Tournament, one of the most prestigious golf tournaments, did not invite a black player to compete in the Masters until 1975 and the club did not admit its first black member until 1990.
Rubio hinted that Manfred was committed to a double standard in supporting the decision to withdraw the Georgia All-Star Game due to criticism that the state’s new voting law discriminates against black metropolitan city voters. of Atlanta.
Rubio said the decision to move the All-Star Game “will have a greater impact on countless small and minority businesses in and around Atlanta, than the new election law it will ever have.”
And he said it “stinks of hypocrisy.”
Rubio also said he has “no illusions” that Manfred will end his membership in August National because “to do so would require a personal sacrifice, as opposed to the awakened corporate virtue that meant moving the All Star Game from Atlanta “.
The Republican Party senator and potential White House candidate in 2024 also challenged Manfred to re-evaluate baseball’s relationship with China and Cuba, two countries with a history of human rights violations.
“Will Major League Baseball now end its commitment to nations that do not hold elections at all like China and Cuba? Will you end your lucrative financial relationship with Tencent, a company with deep ties to the Communist Party and actively helping the Chinese government to persecute and silence political dissidents? “Rubio wrote.
The Florida senator predicted that the MLB will not boycott China because it could cause a substantial drop in revenue.
“Taking the game out of the Georgia stars is an easy way to point out virtues without significant financial consequences. But speaking out against the Chinese Communist Party would mean a significant loss of revenue and being closed off from a lucrative market, ”he wrote.
His letter follows calls from Republican lawmakers, including the senator. Ted Cruz
Rafael (Ted) Edward Cruz: Georgia County says removing the All-Star game will cost 0M MSNBC Host tourism: Boehner seeks “crazy” GOP now is “too late.” (R-Texas), a hopeful fellow in the White House, and the senator. Mike Lee
Michael (Mike) Shumway LeeWhy some Republicans think vaccine passports will go back against Georgia County Democrats says removal of star game will cost tourism 0M GOP senators will push for end of antitrust state of the MLB MORE (R-Utah), to end MLB’s antitrust exemption.
“@SenMikeLee and I will be working hard to end MLB’s antitrust immunity,” Cruz tweeted Friday along with the #GowokeGobroke tag.
Lee tweeted, “It’s time for the federal government to stop granting special privileges to specific favored companies, especially those that punish their political opponents.”