MLB moves All-Star Game from Atlanta over voting law

ATLANTA – Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, a high-profile event that had been scheduled for Truist Park in July, will be moved out of Georgia.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the decision Friday in response to the state’s new voting law.

“I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating (the event),” Manfred said. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.”

The push to move the game had gathered momentum after several large corporations condemned the voting law and President Joe Biden said he would “strongly support” relocating the event.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who last week signed the new law and two years ago participated in a ceremony awarding the All-Star game to Atlanta, blasted MLB’s decision to move the game.

“Major League Baseball caved to fear, political opportunism and liberal lies,” Kemp said in a statement. “Georgians – and all Americans – should fully understand what the MLB’s knee-jerk decision means: cancel culture and woke political activists are coming for every aspect of your life, sports included.”

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms predicted MLB’s decision is “likely the first of many dominoes to fall, until the unnecessary barriers put in place to restrict access to the ballot box are removed.”

Manfred’s announcement ended several years of planning by the Braves to host the All-Star Game and related activities. The Braves said Friday they were “deeply disappointed” by MLB’s action.

“This was neither our decision nor our recommendation, and we are saddened that fans will not be able to see this event in our city,” the Braves said in a statement. “The Braves organization will continue to stress the importance of equal voting opportunities, and we had hoped our city could use this event as a platform to enhance the discussion. … Unfortunately, businesses, employees and fans in Georgia are the victims of this decision.”

MLB is “finalizing a new host city” for the game and will announce details “shortly,” Manfred said.

“We will continue with our plans to celebrate the memory of Hank Aaron during this season’s All-Star festivities,” Manfred said in a statement. “In addition, MLB’s planned investments to support local communities in Atlanta as part of our All-Star Legacy Projects will move forward.”

He said that over the past week MLB officials have had “thoughtful conversations” with teams, current and former players, the MLB Players Association, the Players Alliance and others about moving the game.

“I am disappointed that the game was moved from Georgia,” said Democratic state Rep. Teri Anulewicz, who represents Smyrna and the Truist Park area in the Legislature. “At the same time, I absolutely understand the disgust and frustration with our leadership in Georgia that ultimately led to this decision,”

She had urged the All-Star Game to remain in Georgia and on Friday urged other events not to abandon the city.

Stacey Abrams, voting rights activist and former gubernatorial candidate, said she was “disappointed” in MLB’s decision to move the game but proud of its stance on voting rights. State Republicans, she said, “traded economic opportunity for suppression.” She urged events and productions to “come and speak out or stay and fight.”

The state’s new far-ranging election law includes a new ID requirement for mail-in votes, curbs the use of ballot drop boxes and gives the Republican-controlled Legislature more power over local elections officials. It also bans volunteers from handing out food and water to voters waiting in lines and expands weekend voting in some rural counties.

Kemp and other supporters say the overhaul will increase confidence in Georgia’s voting system after then-President Donald Trump falsely claimed he had won the election. Election officials, including Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, say there’s no evidence of widespread fraud and three separate recounts upheld the result. A spate of legal challenges by Trump supporters were tossed out of courts at every level.

Democrats and voting rights advocates say the restrictions in the new law aim to suppress turnout from voters of color after November and January elections ended in stunning GOP defeats in Georgia, once a reliably Republican state. Left-leaning organizations have filed four separate lawsuits asking federal judges to declare the law an unconstitutional violation of the Voting Rights Act.

The All-Star Game was to have capped a several-days-long series of events in and around Truist Park. In addition to the game matching National League stars versus American League stars on July 13, All-Star events were scheduled to include the Futures game featuring top prospects, the Home Run Derby and a baseball fan festival called Play Ball Park.

MLB’s amateur draft also had been scheduled for July 11-13 in Atlanta. That, too, will be moved elsewhere, Manfred said.

The Braves and Cobb County began pursuing an All-Star Game as soon as the stadium opened in 2017 and were officially awarded the 2021 event amid great fanfare in 2019.

“We are deeply saddened and very disappointed with the decision to move the (game) out of Georgia,” Sharon Mason, Cobb Chamber president and CEO, said Friday. “Our county, region and state were excited and ready to host fans and experience our community with many events planned.

“This decision will have a negative impact on the frontline workers and local businesses located around Truist Park and our region that were looking forward to the economic boost from these events. It is important that we support our local businesses now more than ever.”

Georgia companies and events have faced growing threats of boycotts from voting rights advocates who say local corporations should have done more to oppose the legislation before it was signed into law. Coca-Cola and Delta sharply criticized the new legislation on Wednesday, so infuriating Republican leaders that there was a brief attempt to rescind a lucrative tax break that benefited the airline.

Some critics of the law have also increasingly focused on the sporting industry, pushing the NCAA and the World Cup to forgo Georgia for future premier events.

Baseball’s All-Star Game has been held in Atlanta twice – in 1972 at Atlanta Stadium (later renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium) and in 2000 at Turner Field.