In a surprising statement on Friday afternoon, Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball announced the league would not be holding its annual All Star Game in Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta location held some signifgance as there was to be a special dedication to Hank Aaron, the former Brave. Manfred wrote in its statement they “will continue with their plans to celebrate the memory of Hank Aaron during this season’s All Star festivities”. This was to be the first All Star game to be played in Truist Park, formerly SunTrust Park, which opened in 2017.
According to the statement from the commissioner the move is in response to the new restrictive voting laws that had been passed in Georgia in recent weeks.