All-Star Game is moved out of Atlanta
Move is made in response to Georgia enacting law restricting voting rights
In an unprecedented move for the sport, Major League Baseball announced Friday it was pulling this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft from Atlanta in response to the controversial Georgia law restricting voting rights.
This year’s game was scheduled for July 13 at Truist Park, with the Futures Game and Home Run Derby scheduled for the days before. A new host city will be announced at a later date.
The 2020 All-Star Game was scheduled for Dodger Stadium but was canceled entirely when the COVID-19 pandemic shut the sport down and a shortened 60game season was scheduled. The Dodgers are now scheduled to host the game in 2022. According to a team source, the Dodgers are not interested in hosting this year’s game.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced the decision to pull the game from Atlanta just eight days after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law an overhaul of state elections that includes restrictions on voting by mail, requires a driver’s license to apply for an absentee ballot, limits the number of drop boxes, gives the state greater control of local election systems and prohibits volunteers from giving away food or drink to voters waiting in lines.
Opponents say the law unfairly targets minority voters.
In his statement Friday, Manfred said he made the decision to protest the Georgia law after discussions with the MLB Players Association, individual players and the Players Alliance, an organization of Black players formed last summer during the protests against unequal justice.
“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,” Manfred said.
“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.”
The Atlanta Braves released a statement expressing their displeasure with MLB’s decision.
“The Atlanta Braves are deeply disappointed by the decision of Major League Baseball to move its 2021 All-Star Game,” the statement said. “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.
“Unfortunately, businesses, employees and fans in Georgia are the victims of this decision.”
The NFL, NBA and NCAA have moved major events in response to laws in various states in the past. But MLB has no history of doing this.
NATIONALS-METS SERIES POSTPONED >> The entire season-opening three-game series between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets was called off on Friday because of a COVID-19 outbreak on the 2019 World Series champions, who had four players test positive and another five quarantining after contact tracing.
The Nationals announced the postponement of games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at their stadium. That news came a day after Thursday night’s opener was scratched just hours before it was supposed to begin with Max Scherzer pitching for the Nationals against Jacob deGrom of the Mets in a matchup between the recipients of a combined five Cy Young Awards.
“We’re in crisis management mode,” Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said in a video call with reporters Friday.
More than a third of the 26man roster submitted for Opening Day is affected by the outbreak and wouldn’t be able to play at this point. Rizzo said players who didn’t make the team will get called up from the Nationals’ training site in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
“Our depth is going to have to shine,” the GM said.
A total of four players have tested positive for the illness caused by the novel coronavirus — including one Rizzo said Thursday was considered merely a “likely positive” — and another five are under quarantine after contact tracing determined they potentially could have been exposed, too. A staff member is also in quarantine.
Rizzo has not identified any of the players involved — and said he will not.
The Nationals did not report a single positive COVID-19 test throughout their six-week spring training camp that ended at the start of this week. The team flew from Florida to Washington on Monday; the first positive of the current outbreak came from testing that day.
“A virus is a virus. It’s very contagious. So I think it could happen in many, many different ways. I don’t think it’s a breach of protocol or inadequate protocols,” Rizzo said. “But it’s something that happened. We’re going to try to find out how it happened and investigate it and see if we can stop it from happening again.”
Major League Baseball and the players’ union issued a testing update Friday, saying there were four new positive tests — three players and one staff member — from the 14,354 tests administered over the past week across all of the sport, a 0.03% rate.
One of Washington’s players had a fever, according to Rizzo, but others involved were not showing symptoms.
“The player with the fever is doing fine. He’s feeling much better. Close to normal,” he said. “And the other players feel fine.”
Washington’s next scheduled game would be Monday at Nationals Park against the NL East rival Atlanta Braves, and Rizzo said he expects Scherzer to start.
“We are planning to play Monday,” Rizzo said. “That’s our plan. Although this is a day-by-day thing.”