Athlete activism is at an all-time high in the wake of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Athletes in all levels of play are taking their status and platform and using it to create real social change. What Rob Manfred and Major League Baseball just pulled off is something completely different. The MLB commissioner announced Friday, April 2 that the 2021 All-Star game would be moved from Atlanta in the wake of new voter suppression laws. The move has been criticized by many and lauded by many more. As Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times explained, Manfred made a striking and correct statement by not playing it safe and using an entire league to take a stance:
He could have appointed a blue-ribbon commission to study the matter. He could have waited a few weeks to see if the political storm died down. He could have issued a strongly worded statement and moved on. He could have done nothing, hiding behind the notion that he would be no more qualified to denounce a state law than a president would be to criticize a pitching change. On Friday, the commissioner of baseball instead made the bold, decisive and proper choice: Just eight days after Georgia enacted a law that makes it harder to vote, Manfred yanked the 2021 All-Star game from Atlanta. (Shaikin)
Leagues take stands all the time. Look no further than this past year with the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida where the league, as pressured by the players, transformed the entire experience into a platform for the Black Lives Matter movement. These movements will always have their detractors, people who stand to lose anything or genuinely dislike the overlap between politics and sports. But sports have always been apolitical from the very beginning. Now the dial is just turned up to 11, and it is all for the better. Athletes come from predominantly poorer backgrounds with around 86% of college athletes living below the poverty line. That allows them to speak on issues affecting the communities they were raised in far better than a politician born with a silver spoon in their mouth. These issues typically go underrepresented because those in power do not see the issues or care nearly as much as they do about the issues facing their wealthy voters/donors.
This move is special, though, because it came straight from the league. Yes, there was the request of the players and team, but it was not a necessary step like the one in the NBA Bubble. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver would have been unable to carry out a resumed season if he refused to implement the protests into the very nature of the bubble (e.g. Black Lives Matter written on the court, players wearing custom jerseys with social justice statements instead of nameplates, etc.). The players made it clear that they wanted to use the Bubble as an opportunity to extend their protests and to use their platforms and would have refused to play without the ability. Saying that, however, it was still a move that Silver backed and would have mostly undertaken regardless of the pressure, as the NBA typically is a front runner in player empowerment and social justice initiatives. The MLB is going above and beyond, and in doing so, likely alienated some of its already dwindling audience, all to take a stance on an issue Manfred said opposes the basic values of the league.
The only negatives here deal with what it means for the future. Leagues typically have billionaire white owners many of whom lean Republican, or at least donate that way. With all the power in their hands (do not be fooled that the players hold the majority or even close to it), who is to say they will not support conservative initiatives targeted at keeping people of color down, like increasing policing and criminality of drugs. Restricting voting, the very thing this move by the MLB is protesting, is something that predominately targets people of color to keep them from voting in strong numbers. If the NFL decided tomorrow to move the 2022 Super Bowl out of California because of their expanded voting rights, Conservatives would applaud the move as much as Liberals supported Manfred. While the MLB should be commended for taking a stance against inequality, people should not be so quick to applaud when we know that many of the team owners are Conservative and may undermine what the league is trying to protest. Future moves by leagues are something that fans need to watch diligently to prevent a fiasco like what nearly happened when the NFL was debating banning anthem protests post-Kaepernick due to pressure from the owners.
I commend the MLB took this stand considering as Acacia said, their audience is definitely more Republican demographically. Maybe I'm wrong to make that assumption but I honestly don't think I am, but regardless, this move is a necessary stand even though it hasn't had a material impact as of yet. Loss of revenues from travel and sales may be a start in enacting change, so lets hope!
I was happily surprised when the MLB took a stand. I would not have expected any of the major sports leagues to make a political statement, least of all the MLB. The MLB's audience is primarily white and Republican, especially compared to the NFL and NBA. However, this move was very important and sent a very clear message. While it may not have impacted the Georgia voter suppression laws in a way that we can identify right now, every time someone speaks up it encourages others to do the same. It may be years before we see the larger picture and ripple effect of this action.
I think it's really great that many of these athletes are recognizing issues that are closer to them than we may initially realize. It is unfortunate that no change ever really happens without the build up of pressure from the athlete's but at lease they have found a way to leverage their position and gain some of the power in the league back. Without the payers, there is no game, and the executives know that. So while they have such influence over league, it's really inspiring that these athletes use it to bring about social and political change.