MLB Moves Playoffs Out of Atlanta Due to Voter Suppression Bill ARNAV VISHWAKARMA
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On April 2nd, the Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that it would be moving the 2021 All Star game and draft out of Georgia after the passing of a bill that would threaten voting rights for many Americans. The draft, which was scheduled to take place in early July, is a time when MLB teams draft amateur players. The All Star game is typically a highlight of the MLB Season and held around the mid-summer (the middle of the season) between fan-chosen rosters. This year, it was scheduled to be held in Atlanta, Georgia on July 13th, following the draft, but was relocated due to the state’s misalignment with MLB and ultimately American values. Georgia’s newly passed bill was quite controversial, as it severely limited the access to voting for many Georgians, specifically those belonging to minority/Democratic communities. The voting bill is quite extensive and intricate, but essentially grants the Republican controlled legislature more control over voting in the state by granting them power to suspend election officials; in effect, this provides an advantage for republicans. It also makes it significantly harder for many to vote by actions such as reducing drop boxes and its accessibility, banning mobile voting centers, providing voters less time to request absentee ballots, making it a misdemeanor to distribute food and water to voters in line, etc. The bill especially affects people of color, which is an issue that has plagued the voting scene in the United States from the nation’s beginnings. Voter suppression is an issue that the nation is familiar with, as it was founded with many not even having the right to vote. Even after the ratification of the 15th amendment in 1870, which prohibited governments from denying citizens the right to vote based on race, voter suppression continued well into the 1960s, and as demonstrated recently is even seen today. Women were only technically granted the right to vote with the passing of the 19th amendment, and suppression continued to exist for many with the form of literacy tests, poll taxes, accessibility to voting, etc. Taking note of the situation in Georgia, the MLB has stated that the bill’s implications do not align with the league’s values. While the league faced a fair share of criticism for the economic
PHOTO COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
Many other leagues, such as the NBA, WNBA, and NFL have also been able to use their platforms to push for change. ALL PHOTOS BY JASON CHEN
