The 2021 All-Star Game will to be held in Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday. The game is scheduled for July 13. MLB announced last week it was moving the game from Atlanta in response to new voting laws passed in Georgia.
This will be the second All-Star Game in Denver, following the 1998 Midsummer Classic. MLB explained the decision in a statement:
MLB chose the Rockies because they were already in the bidding process to host a future All-Star Game. The Rockies had supplied a detailed plan for hotel, event space and security that took months to assemble, and MLB staff had already made several site visits to Denver. In addition, Governor Jared Polis and Mayor Michael Hancock have both committed to provide the necessary facilities and services needed to support this year's festivities.
Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said: "Major League Baseball is grateful to the Rockies, the City of Denver and the State of Colorado for their support of this summer's All-Star Game. We appreciate their flexibility and enthusiasm to deliver a first-class event for our game and the region. We look forward to celebrating our sport's best players and entertaining fans around the world."
Major League Baseball chose to pull the festivities from Truist Park in Atlanta as a gesture of protest over the recent passage of voting laws in Georgia. Those laws are widely perceived to be too restrictive and particularly burdensome toward Black voters.
Upon announcing the decision to move the game from Atlanta, Manfred released the following 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."
Soon after, the Braves also released a statement expressing disagreement with MLB's decision:
The Braves statement regarding the moving of the MLB All-Star Game: pic.twitter.com/0Iapm3eIre
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 2, 2021
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who signed the bill into law, also denounced the league's decision to take the game out of Truist Park.
Former Marlins president David Samson weighed in on the All-Star Game move on the latest Nothing Personal with David Samson. Listen below:
The MLB Draft had also been scheduled to take place in Atlanta during that same time period. Presumably, that event will also be relocated to Denver.
