'21 All-Star Game, Draft moved from Atlanta

In response to Georiga's Controversial Voting Laws, Major League Baseball has decided to move the 2021 All-Star Game and Amateur Draft out of Atlanta.

Richard Wachtel

Apr 02, 2021 - 1 min read

Friday, April 2, 2021, Major League Baseball annoucned that they will be moving the 2021 All-Star Game and MLB Amuter Draft out of Atlanta.

In a press release Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. issued the following statement today regarding the 2021 All-Star Game: "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. 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."

Additionally, "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."

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The final paragraph of the press release states that: "We will continue with our plans to celebrate the memory of Hank Aaron during this season’s All-Star festivities. In addition, MLB’s planned investments to support local communities in Atlanta as part of our All-Star Legacy Projects will move forward. We are finalizing a new host city and details about these events will be announced shortly."

In March, Gov. Brian Kemp quickly signed a vast rewrite of Georgia’s election rules into law Thursday, imposing voter ID requirements, limiting drop boxes and allowing state takeovers of local elections after last year’s close presidential race. Minority groups believe that the new law in Georgia particularly seeks to make voting harder for the state’s large Black population, which was crucial to President Biden’s triumph in Georgia in November and the success of Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in the January runoff elections.