The NBA All-Star Game 2021 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, on March 7.
Major League Baseball said it’s moving this year’s All-Star Game and the MLB Draft from Atlanta to show its concern for voting rights.
“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,” Commissioner Robert Manfred Jr. said. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.”
Manfred didn’t specifically mention Georgia’s new election law signed by Governor Brian Kemp on March 25, which its supporters called a measure to restore “integrity” after unfounded allegations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election and opponents called an act of voter suppression.
Kemp responded with a series of tweets criticizing the move. MLB “caved to fear, political opportunism and liberal lies,” he wrote. “I will not back down. Georgians will not be bullied. We will continue to stand up for secure, accessible elections.”
“The Atlanta Braves are deeply disappointed” by the decision, the team, which would have hosted the All-Star Game in its stadium, said in statement. “We are saddened that fans will not be able to see this event in our city.” The team said it “will continue to stress the importance of equal voting opportunities.”
Manfred said his decision follows “thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others.” He said MLB is “finalizing a new host city.”