Major League Baseball is transferring the 2021 All-Star Game and the 2021 Atlanta draft in response to the controversial Georgia 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,” said Commissioner Rob Manfred in a statement. “The Major League Baseball fundamentally supports the right to vote for all Americans and is opposed to restrictions on the ballot box.”
The All-Star Game is one of the major events in the league and the city of Atlanta will be losing considerable financial gain. Previous cities saw up to $ 60 million in economic impulses, according to data from Baseball Almanac.
Discussions on how to move the game emerged after Georgia recently passed new strict electoral laws, which critics say aim to deprive voters of color. The new law requires a photo ID to vote by ballot, which more than 1.3 million Georgia voters used during the coronavirus pandemic. It has also limited the locations of deposit boxes and limits the time voters have to request an absentee ballot.
The league has not yet announced a new host city, but said the decision is in the process of being finalized. The All-Star Game is scheduled to take place on July 13 and will also pay tribute to baseball legend Hank Aaron.
Khristopher J. Brooks contributed to the report.