SOBAN FAISAL
Special to The Leader
Major League Baseball has moved the 2021 All-Star game from Atlanta to Denver.
The move occurs roughly one week after the passing of S.B. 202 in Georgia.
This law perpetuates voter suppression by altering voting rules, targeting the voting rights of minority citizens, specifically Black citizens.
The decision to move the All-Star game comes from consultation with the MLB Players Association, Players Alliance and teams.
Ronan Wood-Gallagher, a senior at SUNY Fredonia said,
“I think in the past, maybe they would not have felt the pressure to change the All-Star location. So I think it just kind of shows how far they’ve come that now, major corporations will move their games like that to ensure that they’re standing with the right side of history and whether it’s genuine or not it is not for me to say, but the movement itself is good.”
While Wood-Gallagher may not think the MLB is making this location change out of the kindness of their hearts, he still agrees with this move as a protest against an unjust law.
The MLB Players Association ultimately backed up the decision to move the All-Star game, saying, “We want to make our voice heard loud and clear in our opposition of the recent Georgia legislation. That not only disproportionately disenfranchises the Black community, but also paves the way for other states to pass similarly harmful laws based largely on widespread falsehoods and disinformation.”
Not only are players behind this move, but so is one of the best to ever play in the NBA, LeBron James, who partially owns the Boston Red Sox, Tweeting, “Proud to call myself part of the MLB family today.”
Some had other concerns regarding this move.
Jordan Purvis, a senior and resident assistant at Fredonia said, “I do see how that would support the players and their fans of color. But it is tough for the Braves to be affected by this. I would hope that you know it could have been more talked about. So the commissioner is making a decision, and this is my opinion. Everybody else has had different opinions about it. Still, as I said, it’s great that they’re trying to support them, but at the same time, I feel bad for the fans of the Braves and the Braves organization because they were planning on having an All-Star game this upcoming summer, and it can’t happen now.”
Purvis supports the MLB’s decision, but feels for the Braves as they will be losing a lot of money and had nothing to do with the legislation.
But the MLB will still go ahead with their plans to support the local communities in Atlanta as they do every All-Star game.
It seems like the MLB got this decision right in a very tricky time in American history.