The Atlanta Braves and the city of Atlanta have lost the rights to host the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.
If I would have told you that previous statement a few months ago, you would have certainly thought that COVID was rearranging all of our plans and rearing its nasty head again.
Turns out that could not be farther from the truth, at least in this scenario.
MLB and Rob Manfred announced Friday afternoon that the game would no longer take place in Atlanta with the Atlanta Braves hosting due to new voting laws passed and put into place by the state government.
This article is not intended to become political, and I will not get into detail about the law, but it is without a doubt fair to say that this entire thing is a blow for the Atlanta Braves, the city of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and frankly the entire Southeast.
We were not sure on what the capacity would be nor had we many clues on what to expect in the summer heat when many people would be going through the Truist Park gates to watch either the Home run derby or the Mid-Summer classic with the best players in the world battling it out on the field. It will not happen at all in Atlanta anymore.
Commissioner Rob Manfred: "(MLB) fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box...We will continue with our plans to celebrate the memory of Hank Aaron during this season's All-Star festivities."
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 2, 2021
Announcement of host city to come
For me personally, my mind wonders to a few things. I would presume that the Atlanta Braves will no longer be carrying the patch on their sleeve proudly displaying the 2021 All-Star logo. Second, obviously, it is a personal feeling for everyone but will some Braves players feel obligated to now skip the game entirely no matter what?
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the league and the Atlanta Braves had to have some sort of big plan to honor Hank Aaron in Atlanta before the game this year. While they certainly still will honor him, it will not be quite the same as it should have been in Atlanta.
I am sure just like me, many of you are bummed by this news and feel the game should have taken place in Atlanta no matter any law recently passed. I for one was extremely looking forward to going to some festivities and proudly displaying our beautiful new ballpark for the world to see.
Again, sadly, that will not happen — at least not in 2021.
Please keep the comment section civil. Let’s all remember we are here for our love of Atlanta Braves baseball.