Business involves itself in politics, and sometimes for a worthy cause

Tom Purcell, in his recent column, opines, “You can’t escape politics anywhere now — not even in America’s once great pastime, baseball. … Baseball was once a welcome escape — an oasis from the rough and tumble of politics. But no more.” He is bemoaning that MLB (like Coca Cola and Delta) opposes Georgia’s recently passed voter restriction laws and that they should stay out of politics.

Purcell is right about one thing, baseball is “no more” the “once great pastime” it was in the past. MLB is big business, involving hundreds of millions of dollars — collecting licensing fees, selling national broadcasting rights, and distributing fees to the teams.

Since the Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” decision in 2010, big business can and does spend unlimited amounts in politics to lobby for their own best interest which is invariably to protect and increase profits.

I applaud the current actions and advocacy of MLB, along with CocaCola and Delta, concerning Georgia’s recent voter suppression laws. If only corporations always advocated for democratic principles like voting rights, social equity, and human rights, regardless of how it might affect their profits. However, profit motive is “virtue neutral” so the effect of corporate political lobbying can be (and often is) destructive to society just as easily as it can be helpful.

It is wor th noting that Coca-cola has consistently spent millions to defeat public health legislation that would reduce Americans’ soda intake and save lives; and that Delta has lobbied hard to oppose employee unionizing.

Big business is continually immersed in politics to fur ther its own interest.

At least in this par ticular case MLB stands for a wor thy cause, advocating for the protection and preser vation of voting rights, the ver y basis of our democracy, even if it may be primarily driven by a motive to protect and preser ve their profits by pleasing the paying customers, baseball fans who happen to value voting.