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President Joe Biden has stated that he would support Major League Baseball if they moved the 2021 MLB All-Star Game out of Atlanta, Georgia.
“I think today’s professional athletes are acting incredibly responsibly. I would strongly support them doing that,” Biden told ESPN.
Last month, state legislators pushed forth sweeping legislation that would make it more difficult for many to vote. Among other things, Republican-backed SB 202 limits the use of dropbox voting and requires voters to submit IDs in order to vote by mail. SB 202 will also put the state board of elections completely under Republican control. As a result, the process of disqualifying or discounting ballots will be primarily determined by Republican legislators.
“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,” Biden said.
“This is Jim Crow on steroids … what they’re doing in Georgia.”
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has publicly said that he is considering moving the game, but he has not gone beyond that as of yet.
“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,” he said.
For the time being, the game is set to take place in Atlanta on July 13.
