Major League Baseball drew both praise and criticism when it relocated the 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta, Georgia in response to the passage of the state’s “Election Integrity Act.”
MLB’s action was unique among the major sports leagues, and bold within the context of the league’s usual willingness to engage in politically motivated actions.
“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,” Manfred said at the time. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.”
The Associated Press reported that Manfred made the decision to move the All-Star events and amateur draft from Atlanta after discussions with individual players and the Players Alliance, an organization of Black players formed after the death of George Floyd.
With the 2024 All-Star Game less than a week away, a relevant question has emerged in light of the event moving to Arlington, Texas. The host club, the Texas Rangers, is the only MLB team that does not hold a “Pride Night” during the month of June. This has frustrated some within the local LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s a complicated relationship,” Rafael McDonnell of the Resource Center, a local LBGTQ+ advocacy organization, recently told the Associated Press. “As someone who grew up watching the Rangers, as someone who has gone to games since the 1970s, some of my biggest and best memories are going to games at the old Arlington Stadium with my late grandfather and listening to games on the radio in his backyard. It pains me that this remains an issue (after) all these years.”
Would relocating the 2024 All-Star Game in response to the Rangers’ unique stance toward Pride Night have been consistent with MLB‘s values? In a new Q-and-A with the Dallas Morning News, Manfred declined to clarify his approach to that question.
“Has MLB changed its approach to political activism over the last couple of years?” reporter Evan Grant asked Manfred.
“I’m not going to get into change, because that gets into a conversation about decisions that were made at a particular point in time,” Manfred said. “I will say this, I think that we do best when we focus on playing the game on the field, and making sure that fans in all of our markets feel welcome and positive about the game and continue to hold the game as a great form of entertainment.”
It’s a tough but fair question, and Manfred’s answer deflects attention from the core issue. It’s understandable that MLB would want to keep the focus of the All-Star Game on the field. Yet it willingly invited criticism, and shifted the public attention to the Georgia voting rights law, when it moved the All-Star Game only three years ago.
By leaving the question about the LGBTQ+ issue unanswered, Manfred missed an opportunity to take a stance on an issue important to many of its fans — and likely unimportant to others, while still clarifying the league’s values.
Uncommon Knowledge
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