Major League Baseball pulls 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta in response to Georgia's new voting restrictions

CBS Sports

The All-Star Game and first-year player draft won't happen in Georgia this year in response to the state's recent new voting restrictions that have called undemocratic and designed to reduce the number of Black voters. The move comes two days after President Biden appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter calling on MLB to move the All-Star game. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement: "Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box. In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States. We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game's unwavering support."