For a great many Americans, today is essentially a holiday, for this is the first day that Major League Baseball returns in the flesh.
This is Opening Day, and, after the COVID-abbreviated season that we experienced last year, baseball fans are extremely ready to get on with it.
Despite the lessened threat that the pandemic poses to the MLB, there is still some very real controversy abound for professional American baseball this year. For starters, the MLB has now suggested that they could move the All Star Game out of the Atlanta Braves’ stadium after Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed an incredibly unpopular and restrictive voting rights bill into law last week.
On ESPN this week, President Joe Biden not only gave the league the green light, but seemed to give them a shove in that direction.
Host Sage Steele asked, “Mr. President, what do you think about the possibility that baseball decides to move their All-Star Game out of Atlanta because of this political issue?”
Biden responded, “I think today’s professional athletes are acting incredibly responsibly. I would strongly support them doing that. People look to them. They’re leaders. Look at what’s happened with the NBA as well. Look at what’s happened across the board. The very people who are victimized the most are the people who are the leaders in these various sports. And it’s just not right.”
The new law also received heavy criticism from the CEO’s of Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola – both companies who are headquartered in Atlanta.
