After the controversial decision to move the Midsummer Classic from Georgia’s Truist Park, MLB officially announced the 2021 MLB All-Star Game will be held at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies.
MLB is pulling the 2021 All-Star Game from Truist Park and the Atlanta Braves after the Republican legislature and governor placed new restrictions on voting rights in the battleground state–part of a movement by several local and national corporations (Delta, Coca-Cola) in decrying the new legislation. The decision rapidly turned into a culture war, with Gov. Brian Kemp warning that cancel culture threatens the freedoms of all Georgians, and corporate leaders in Georgia hailing the decision. The politics are complex, to be sure.
Despite some early sentiment toward holding the game at Milwaukee’s American Family Field, as Henry Aaron is set to be honored at the game, Coors Field was selected because the city had submitted information about hosting the All-Star Game in future years. Los Angeles’s Dodger Stadium is set to host the 2022 All-Star Game, while the Philadelphia Phillies are set to host in 2026.
“Major League Baseball is grateful to the Rockies, the City of Denver and the State of Colorado for their support of this summer’s All-Star Game,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said via press release. “We appreciate their flexibility and enthusiasm to deliver a first-class event for our game and the region. We look forward to celebrating our sport’s best players and entertaining fans around the world.”
“We are excited to host this year’s All-Star festivities at Coors Field,” Rockies Chief Operating Officer Greg Feasel said via press release. “We are confident that our organization along with the city, state, VISIT DENVER and the Denver Sports Commission are capable of putting on this premier event in a relatively quick time frame because of the preparations that had already been done. Summer in Colorado is something everyone in the country should experience, and we embrace this opportunity to show off our beautiful ballpark and everything our city, state and region have to offer.”
Coors Field last hosted the All-Star Game in 1998.
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