2021 All Star Game in Atlanta logo the game is being moved from Atlanta because MLB is opposed to the voter suppression law voted in by the State of Georgia (image from mlb.com)

Baseball All Star Decision — Tolerating Politics in Sports

That’s Amaury Sports and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Major League Baseball has taken action to remove the All Star Game this year in Atlanta, because a decision in that State Legislation about voting ID. Yet, if I leave a couple of complimentary tickets to a friend of mine at a baseball game, they must show and ID in order to get the free tickets. Coca Cola, with headquarters in Atlanta, supports the boycott by baseball and the move to play the ASG someplace else besides Atlanta.

Yet, Coca Cola (a giant in the beverage industry) sell their products in China, a country which today is still one of the world’s biggest human rights violators. Coca Cola is one of the most well-know international brands in China with 150 million servings in that country every single day.

As of 2019, it is well documented that China and the CCP is a top worst offender in civil rights in China. They have murdered, jailed, and detained millions of people who won’t agree with the government of China. A simple web search will confirm this. This fact doesn’t seem to bother Coca Cola or any other big American corporation doing business in/with that country.

How much politics can we tolerate in sports? Baseball just started a season with limited fans in the stands, still some players are getting covid-19, ‘right off the bat’ Thursday night’s Opening Day game between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals has been postponed because some players were infected with covid-19.

Even as millions are vaccinating, there is still contamination and variants to deal with and we are postponing an All Star Game because of a legal political decision in one single State? Debating this is fine, but should not have sports in the mix, because baseball does better with Home Runs than Legislation.

MLB still has big contractual problems looming, after this season the CBA, (Collective Bargaining Agreement) will be “debated” by owners and union officials. That is where baseball should be debated, not in national politics. The 10th Amendment is left to individual States to make those decisions.

Baseball fans want to talk about baseball, watch baseball, attend games at their baseball parks in their cities; they do not want to talk about this stuff and be fed all this stuff. Atlanta should host the ASG; they worked for years to bring the Midsummer Classic to their great city.

And now the game is taken away from them? Hank Aaron passed on January 22, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was/is an African-American icon in American sports, a great American and in my opinion the “dignified” Home-run champion of Major League Baseball.

Aaron would have been honored in the city where he was buried, but that will not be possible. The relocation of the All Star Game will cost Georgia $100 million in tourism to that State and officials in Atlanta, Georgia said it would have been a big boost to their economy and would help with recovery after the pandemic.

The best alternative site for this July 13, 2021 ASG I heard was by the Mayor of Milwaukee, Tom Barrett. He told MLB his city wants to host the classic at Milwaukee’s Miller Park. The Mayor said Milwaukee is the city where Hank Aaron began and ended his career, which is absolutely correct, with the Milwaukee Braves and retired with the Milwaukee Brewers. I obviously do not live in Georgia, but as a baseball person this stuff worries me. Like baseball doesn’t have enough problems?

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s lead play by play Spanish radio talent on flagship station 1010 KIQI LeGrande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com