MLB Continues to Receive Backlash from Small Businesses in Georgia

Georgia businesses are continuing to speak out against Major League Baseball’s (MLB) decision to move the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver, following a voting law that was signed by Governor Brian Kemp. 

Business owners and state leaders deemed the decision to move the game a detrimental blow to small businesses across the city. 

Tudy Rodney of Rodney’s Jamaican Soul Food, based in Atlanta, told FOX 5 Atlanta’s, “Good Day Atlanta,” that the move by the MLB was “crushing.” 

“We’re trying to build back from a pandemic that happened last year, and something like this is not good for business,” he said. “Rodney’s will suffer.”

Job Creators Network CEO, Alfredo Ortiz, told “Fox and Friends” that the MLB’s move “absolutely” leaves a pit in his stomach.

He also said that the projected cost on the state of pulling the All-Star Game from Atlanta was “upwards of $100 million.”

“A lot of these were minority-owned businesses that were really looking forward [to] and desperately needed this kind of revenue in-stream,” Ortiz said. “And all because, quite frankly, there was a misinterpretation or misunderstanding or, quite frankly, just an outright lie of the law that was passed here in Georgia on voting rights.”

Each year, the host of the MLB All-Star Game reaps significant rewards as tourists and fans flock to the selected city. In 2019, Cleveland collected $65 million from the event, while Washington, D.C. made $68 million hosting the 2018 All-Star Game.

“Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views. 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,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.

1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.

2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.

3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.