The All-Star Game is a game held in July which includes two teams from the National League and the American League. Only the top players get chosen to participate, and there has to be at least one player from each of the regular season teams to represent their team. For the 2021 season, the game was supposed to be played in Atlanta, Georgia, but something unfortunate ended up happening. On April 2, the Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that the All-Star Game would be relocated out of Georgia after the state passed a law that limited the number of ballots when voting. The new voting law in Georgia contains restrictions on absentee voting while expanding early voting opportunities. It also includes banning Sunday voting, a tradition for Black voters following church services, and getting rid of no-excuse absentee voting. Many changes were made, which led to outrage and eventually the removal of the All-Star Game from Georgia. 

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement to ESPN, “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. Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.” He explains that the MLB must support voting rights, so removing the original playing spot for the All-Star Game was necessary. Manfred believes that this was the right thing to do to show that the MLB does not accept these restrictions when voting for future elections.

Players on the Atlanta Braves also altered their jerseys to hide the All-Star Game patch on their right sleeve during their game on April 4. Later, the Braves expressed their disappointment and released a statement saying, “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 sudden change has many fans upset at the change and deeply saddened by the news since it is always exciting for a team to hold an event like the All-Star Game.

President Biden chimed into the discussion and supported the decision made by the MLB. The White House said on his behalf, “The President has made his concerns about the bill passed in Georgia clear, given its extreme provisions that impact the ability of so many citizens to cast their votes. He said earlier this week that if Major League Baseball decided to move the All-Star game, he would certainly support that decision – and now that MLB has made that choice, he certainly does.” Even the president believes that Georgia is not doing the right thing by passing the new voting laws. When the MLB announced the news about moving the game to another state, Biden supported the decision and believed that what the MLB chose to do was the right call.

The new spot for the All-Star Game will be at Coors Field in Colorado, the home of the Colorado Rockies. It is sad for fans of the Braves to not be able to experience an All-Star Game in their home in Georgia. If Georgia continues to pass laws like this and upset the MLB, there may never be another All-Star Game in Georgia ever again.