(CelebrityAccess) — Major League Baseball announced it plans to relocate the 2021 All-Star Game from Georgia to a yet-to-be-announced location.
The decision follows last week’s passage of S.B. 202, a Georgia law that has drawn widespread criticism for imposing new restrictions on voters in the state, a move that largely favors Republican candidates.
In a statement released on Friday, Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said:
“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.
“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.
“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.”
The game, which is planned for July 13, 2021, was to take place at Atlanta’s Truist Park, home field of the Atlanta Braves.
Following news of the planned move, the Braves organization said they were “disappointed” by the decision.
“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 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. Our city has always been known as a uniter in divided times and we will miss the opportunity to address issues that are important to our community,” the Braves said.
