Atlanta To Get All-Star Consideration At Some Point: MLB Commish

Atlanta GA

13 July, 2021

4:12 PM

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ATLANTA — On the day Atlanta was originally scheduled to host the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Commissioner Rob Manfred called stripping the city of hosting rights the hardest decision he's made in his role and promised the city would get All-Star Game consideration again in the future. The All-Star Game will take place Tuesday night in Denver, which was named the venue for the annual summer baseball showcase after Major League Baseball announced in April that Atlanta would not host the game in 2021. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Manfred said he hopes not to have to make another choice like he did in relation to moving the mid-summer classic. Atlanta was set to host the game after being awarded the All-Star designation two years ago. But Major League Baseball announced the game would not be played in the city after Gov. Brian Kemp signed the state's new voting law into effect. Shortly thereafter, MLB officials announced the game would be played at Coors Field in Denver. Kemp said baseball officials "caved" in electing the move the game out of Atlanta. On Tuesday, Manfred would not specify what would need to change in order for Atlanta to be named an All-Star host in the future. "I'm not going to get into what I would need to see changed," Manfred told reporters. "Atlanta is an important market for us, and it will certainly be an option at some point in the future." Manfred also declined to get into specifics on other states that have laws in place he may not agree with. "I'm kind of hoping (moving the game out of Atlanta is) going to be the hardest thing I'm asked to do, period," the commissioner told reporters. "Having said that, I'm not going to speculate who's going to pass what law and where we might take jewel events. It's hard enough to deal with it in the concrete, real time. I just don't think it's productive for me."