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A new op-ed in USA Today calls on the National Football League, National Basketball Association and National College Athletics Association to boycott Georgia over controversial changes to the state’s voting laws.
In the piece, USA Today Sports Race and Inequality Editor Mike Freeman commends Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred’s decision to pull the MLB All-Star Game from the city of Atlanta.
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“If you want to know what courage looks like, look at Major League Baseball right now. They saw the naked, jingoistic racism of voter suppression in Georgia, and in response, decided to move this year’s All-Star game from the state,” Freeman wrote, later adding the move is “what guts look like.”
In turn, Freeman blasted the “cowardice” of the Atlanta Braves organization, which released a statement Friday saying they were “deeply disappointed” by the MLB decision and were “saddened” that their fans would not be able to enjoy the July game.
“The Braves organization will continue to stress the importance of equal voting opportunities and we had hoped our city could use this event as a platform to enhance the discussion,” they wrote.
“Unfortunately, businesses, employees, and fans in Georgia are the victims of this decision,” the Braves said.
Freeman said he was surprised the Braves were “able to use a laptop with their fingers shaking so much from fear of the voting suppression extremists” and called their press release a textbook definition of the phrase “tone deaf.”
He also hit at the Braves’ assertion that Atlanta has “always been known as a uniter in divided times,” writing that their claim “shows a level of historical ignorance that is stunning from people who should know better.”
“Atlanta may have been the center of the civil rights movement but to say it has always been a ‘uniter’ is a farce,” said Freeman. “No city in the South has always been a ‘uniter.’ No city in America has.”
It is notable that the Braves have come under fire before, announcing they would keep their more than 100-year-old name last summer amid a national conversation about racially insensitive logos and monikers.
Jul 20, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Sean Newcomb (15) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports – 13076250
However, they said they would…
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