Biden says he’d support MLB moving All-Star game out of Georgia due to voting bill
"I think today’s professional athletes are acting incredibly responsibly. I would strongly support them doing that," the president remarked.
President Joe Biden has shared he would support major league baseball moving its All-Star game out of Georgia in protest of the recent voting bill.
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According to The Hill, POTUS gave remarks on opening day of the MLB season where he shared his backing of a potential boycott.
“I think today’s professional athletes are acting incredibly responsibly. I would strongly support them doing that,” Biden remarked, according to the report. “The very people who are victimized the most are the people who are the leaders in these various sports. And it’s just not right.”
He continued to describe the legislation by saying “This is Jim Crow on steroids … what they’re doing in Georgia.”
MSNBC reported the league is considering feedback from teams, and executives about relocating the game, currently scheduled to take place on July 13 at Truist Park, the Atlanta Braves home field.
League commissioner Rob Manfred shared there are no firm details on the MLB’s plans thus far. He and MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark plan to have “substantive conversations.”
“I am talking to various constituencies within the game and I’m just not going beyond that in terms of what I would consider or not consider,” Manfred said.
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The loss of the MLB All-Star game could be major to Georgia’s economy. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, taxpayers would see about $2M in expenses but the county would see a “robust return” on the investment.
“In the past, hosting cities have experienced an economic impact ranging from $37M to $190M,” wrote Cobb County Chief Financial Officer William Volckmann in a memo issued to the county manager, according to AJC.
“Many of our surrounding hotels/motels are already completely sold out and the travel and tourism industry, restaurants, and event venues will certainly benefit from the All-Star Game.”
theGrio reported Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, signed a new bill into law that adds a variety of voting restrictions, making casting ballots harder and disproportionately affecting Black and brown Georgians, who tend to vote Democratic.
Senator Raphael Warnock, drew from his pastoral roots to make an analogy between the signing of the controversial new election bill and the story of Jesus and Palm Sunday.
“It’s Palm Sunday, and Jesus confronts the powers, and we all have a decision to make. There was a governor that he confronts in that moment named Pilate. And the governor has a decision to make,” Warnock said on CNN on March 28.
“I think that all of us has a decision to make: Are we going to stand on the side of truth and righteousness and justice? Are we,” asked Warnock, “going to stand up on the right side of history? This is a defining moment in the American nation, and all of us have a role to play.”
According to theGrio, the children of renowned civil rights activists Martin Luther King Jr., U.S. Rep John Lewis, and Rev. Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian have all spoken out about the bill.
This article contains additional reporting from theGrio’s Biba Adams
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