In 2021, Major League Baseball pulled its All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to sweeping changes to Georgia’s voting laws, which critics condemned as overly restrictive.
The laws limited where voters can drop off ballots, required additional layers of identification for absentee voters, narrowed the eligibility for provisional ballots, and authorized the state legislature to override local election officials. The law also made it a crime to provide food or water to voters waiting in line to cast a ballot.
Many saw the restrictive laws as something that would disproportionately impact the Black community.
“I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB draft,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said at the time. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.”
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had previously said he would consider declining the honor of managing the National League team if the game had stayed in Atlanta.
“When you’re trying to restrict African American votes — American citizens — that’s alarming to me to hear,” Roberts said.
Fast-forward to 2025, and the All-Star Game returns to Atlanta (announced in 2023), scheduled for Tuesday, July 15, at Truist Park. The decision to bring the game back to Georgia was made despite no changes being made to the laws that had prompted the relocation of the 2021 game.
On Monday, Pat McAfee was, for some reason, hosting All-Star Media Day on MLB Network, which included a Q&A session with media. McAfee fielded questions from reporters for Roberts, who is managing the NL squad, and New York Yankees skipper Aaron Boone, who is managing the AL team.
The presumably lighthearted media session took a serious turn when journalist Jen Ramos Eisen asked Roberts why he and MLB had returned to Atlanta to play the All-Star Game, despite no changes to the laws that had prompted them to reschedule the event last time.
Pat McAfee, Dave Roberts went full company men when faced with a tough question by @jenramose.online about why the MLB All-Star Game was back in Atlanta despite no change to Georgia’s disenfranchising voting laws.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) July 14, 2025 at 11:47 AM
“The All-Star Game was moved out of Atlanta in ’21 because of a law that former President Biden described as ‘Jim Crow in the 21st century,’ and it was framed as a protest. Dave, in the 2021 MLB Network special on Stop Asian Hate, you said, and I quote, I think it’s just being relentless with our voices. This is not something that’s just an isolated moment in time that we’re talking about. It’s something that needs to be talked about on an ongoing basis, and be relentless with it. What happened to being relentless with it, and why are we still in Atlanta when this is on the books?”
“It was hard to understand,” said McAfee, attempting to make sense of the articulately stated question before asking them to repeat it.
The oft-outspoken host who often rails against “suits” and corporate entities then towed the company line with a word salad defense of Atlanta.
“I believe the question was a political question about laws that are on the books and everything like that,” said McAfee. “The All-Star Game was taken out, now it’s brought back. Interesting.
“I don’t know if any of us are the experts or the ones that should be giving answers on that, but respect and appreciate the way you feel about it. I would assume that there was a reason or some conversation that was had by the MLB and the state that all parties thought that this would be a wonderful host city for the All-Star Game. I think everybody is all very excited to be back in the beautiful city of Atlanta, I think. I don’t want to speak out of pocket for anybody, but I do believe.”
He then let Roberts answer the question, and the Dodgers manager also wanted to keep politics out of the game this time, despite being a vocal proponent of the issue last time.
“I think Pat answered it perfect and honestly. I appreciate the question. I appreciate your thoughts. I do feel that I’m excited to be here. I think that it’s a great city. I think baseball fans are excited to be here and celebrate these great athletes,” said Roberts. “I’m not a politician. I do feel that everyone has their right to voice thoughts, but right now I really choose to just focus on the players in the game and be excited to be here. For me, to be able to manage these guys and to manage against these guys, I’m honored.”
“And with that being said, great for sports to showcase Atlanta, and we’re lucky to be here,” added McAfee before moving on.
MLB has been accused on several occasions of acquiescing to President Donald Trump and right-wing agendas recently. Considering that nothing changed in Georgia between 2021 and 2025, it stands to reason that the game’s return to the state, Monday’s “stick to sports” responses, and the “please don’t be mean to Atlanta” sentiment in their answers to a genuinely fair question also speak to this.
And while many would like to keep politics out of baseball, recent events have served as a timely reminder that such a thing has always been impossible.