HOUSTON – On the first day of the World Series, commissioner Rob Manfred said of Major League Baseball, “We always have tried to be apolitical.”
First of all, that is demonstrably untrue. The league has a Supreme Court-granted antitrust exemption. MLB funds politicians through a PAC, and owners contribute through their personal wealth. And yet still stadiums are subsidized by taxpayers. The league spent millions lobbying Congress for legal protection to underpay their minor leaguers, resulting in a provision in a spending bill signed by President Donald Trump. And when they suspended political contributions in the wake of the January 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol, was that not an act of politics?