Major League Baseball announced Friday that it is moving the 2021 All-Star Game and 2021 draft out of Atlanta in protest of a new Georgia law that has raised concerns about its potential to disproportionately disenfranchise minority voters.
In a statement, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is “finalizing a new host city and details about these events will be announced shortly.”
A source told ESPN that the All-Star Game is still planned for Los Angeles in 2022 and won’t be moved up to fill the void this summer.
“Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views,” Manfred said as part of his statement. “I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft.
“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box. In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States. We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law last week a sweeping, Republican-sponsored bill that includes new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative control over how elections are run. The bill, which also famously prohibits the distribution of food and water for voters waiting in line, was signed into law on March 25, with protestors outside the Capitol calling it “Jim Crow 2.0.”
The following day, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said he “would look forward” to discussions around moving the Midsummer Classic — slated for Tuesday, July 13 — out of Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. Five days after that, President Joe Biden, appearing on SportsCenter the night before Opening Day, said he would “strongly support” such a decision because of a law he described as “Jim Crow on steroids.”
Despite moving the All-Star Game, Manfred said “MLB’s planned investments to support local communities in Atlanta as part of our All-Star Legacy Projects will move forward.”