News of the MLB’s decision to pull this summer’s All-Star Game from Georgia over its sweeping new voting law reverberated among fans on Saturday, while Georgia Governor Brian Kemp vowed to defend the measure, saying that “free and fair elections” are worth any threats, boycotts or lawsuits.
The Republican governor told a news conference that the MLB “caved to fear and lies from liberal activists” when it yanked the July 13 game from Atlanta’s Truist Park.
He added that the decision would hurt working people in the state and have long-term consequences on the economy.
Photo: AFP
“I want to be clear: I will not be backing down from this fight. We will not be intimidated, and we will also not be silenced,” Kemp said.
“Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola and Delta may be scared of Stacey Abrams [who ran for governor against Kemp in 2018], [US President] Joe Biden and the left, but I am not,” he said, referring to companies that have also criticized the law.
Three groups have filed a lawsuit over the measure, which adds greater legislative control over how elections are run and includes strict identification requirements for absentee voting by mail.
It also limits the use of ballot drop boxes and makes it a crime to hand out food or water to voters waiting in line, among other provisions.
Critics say the law will disproportionately affect communities of color.
Georgia Republicans say the changes were needed to maintain voter confidence in the election system, and the governor said that opponents have mischaracterized what the law does.
Republican lawmakers made the revisions largely in response to false claims of fraud in last year’s elections made by former US president Donald Trump and his supporters.
Baseball fans appeared divided on pulling the game from Georgia.
Patrick Smith, a lifelong Braves fan in Ellisville, Mississippi, said he thinks the league made the right decision, adding that not taking a stand would have polarized some supporters.
“When governments restrict access to the ballot box, someone has to step in to encourage these entities to roll back those measures,” he said.
Lorre Sweetman, in Kahului, Hawaii, said it was a poor move by the MLB because it was not based on the new voting law, but on “political pandering” and misinformation.
While some fans upset about the decision have called for a boycott of professional baseball, Sweetman said she would not stop watching games and her three grandsons are still learning the sport.
Jeffrey Guterman, a retired mental health counselor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who calls himself an amateur baseball historian, said the decision shows that baseball is changing with the times.
“I’m surprised when people argue that moving it away from Atlanta is a bad move because it would bring lots of money to the area,” he said. “The question is what costs more, moving the All-Star Game or reinforcing the oppression of votes.”
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