Major League Baseball has been hemorrhaging fans for years, so last week the
Commissioner took another step toward the sport’s extinction by deciding to virtue signal opposition to the passage Georgia’s new ballot security law by moving the All-Star game from Atlanta to a more “woke” location.
“MLB fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions at the ballot box,” the league said in a statement Friday announcing its decision.
President Shoeless Joe Biden initially referred to the bill as “Jim Crow on steroids” the day after its signing, but went even further Wednesday night, saying he would “strongly support” moving the game out of Atlanta in protest.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas quickly became the first conservative to respond in kind. In a letter to the Texas Rangers Gov. Abbott declined the baseball club’s invitation to throw out the first pitch at the home opener in Arlington and assailed Major League Baseball’s adoption of “false political narratives” about Georgia’s new election integrity law.
Abbott also said he will no longer participate in any event held by Major League Baseball, and the state will not seek to host the All-Star game or any other MLB special events.
“Major League Baseball adopted what has turned out to be a false narrative about the election law reforms in Georgia, and, based on that false narrative, moved the MLB All-Star game from Atlanta,” Abbott wrote Rangers president and chief operating officer Neil Liebman, according to reporting by Robert T. Garrett of the Dallas Morning News.
Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York was quick to suggest the league move its 2021 All-Star Game to New York after it pulled out of Atlanta to protest the new Georgia election integrity legislation.
But the league may want to think twice before choosing New York if voting rights are its top concern wrote Emily Jacobs of the New York Post.
According to Ms. Jacobs’ analysis:
New York offers eight fewer days of early voting than Georgia.
The Empire state also requires an excuse to request an absentee ballot, while Georgia does not.
Democrats expressed outrage after the bill banned the distribution of food and water to voters within 150 feet of their polling places, but under current law in New York, passing out of food and water over $1 in value is prohibited.
The two states do differ in terms of voter ID requirements, though, with voters in the Peach State needing to provide valid identification in order to vote in person or by mail.
In New York, identification is only required to register to vote in federal elections.
Former White House Press Secretary and longtime sports aficionado Ari Fleischer @AriFleischer tweeted:
I would not want to be the city that gets to host the All-Star game in lieu of Atlanta. Unfortunately, the location will instantly be judged by political, not sports, standards. I suspect half the country will celebrate and half will boycott. It’s a lose-lose.
Ari has a point, for Major League Baseball and most potential All-Star Game sites it is a lose-lose, but Texas Governor Greg Abbott looks like he found a way to turn it into a win. We urge other Republican Governors to join Abbott in rejecting the All-Star Game and in boycotting Major League Baseball.
Major League Baseball
All-Star Game moved
Georgia voter law
Georgia elections integrity law
Atlanta
Joe Biden
Gov. Greg Abbott
Neil Liebman
Chuck Schumer
New York election law
Absentee balloting
Most of these corps haven't got leadership today, they have sell out CEO's who think they are going to get some kind of deal if they do a politician a favor....It's not the biz of a company in the private sector to carry water for a elected official......
It's unfortunate that Major League Baseball has lost its way. They forgot what business they were in and are certain to destroy themselves. I agree with most comments made before me. I've been a Detroit Tiger fan my whole life, even when living in other states. I'll just find other ways to entertain myself and I'm sure I'll miss the sport. Except it doesn't appear to be a sport anymore....... Golf is still great and I love the sport. May they stay true to their sport.
Malcolm X“The white liberal is the worst enemy to America, and the worst enemy to the black man". !
Malcolm X“The white liberal is the worst enemy to America, and the worst enemy to the black man". ...
Malcolm X“The white liberal is the worst enemy to America, and the worst enemy to the black man". .