Major sporting events could be moved out of the state of Georgia if calls from Civil Rights groups are to be listened to. Calls to move Th...
Major sporting events could be moved out of the state of Georgia if calls from Civil Rights groups are to be listened to.
Calls to move The Masters golf tournament and for the MLB All-Star game to be moved come after the state passed a controversial voting law Thursday.
Republican supporters say the new law is needed to restore confidence in Georgia's elections. Democrats say it will restrict voting access, especially for voters of color.
But the effects on sporting events could be felt imminently if demands are adhered.
The Masters is next month in Augusta Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is scheduled to be held this July in Atlanta. American League All-Star Jose Berrios of the Minnesota Twins, is pictured
Tiger Woods is pictured with the Masters Trophy during the Green Jacket Ceremony in Augusta, Georgia in April 2019. There are now calls for the competition to be moved or for players to boycott
The participants of the annual All-Star Game which was scheduled to be played in Atlanta in July are said to be open to discussing a change in venues, according to the Boston Globe.
'Players are very much aware of the Georgia voting bill, which places restrictions on voting that some believe will make it particularly difficult for black voters to reach the polls,' said Tony Clark to the Globe.
'As it relates to the All-Star Game, we have not had a conversation with the league on that issue. If there is an opportunity to, we would look forward to having that conversation.'
An op-ed written in the Los Angeles Times also made calls for the All-Star game to be moved by MLB.
American sports commentator Keith Olbermann tweeted that baseball must lead the #Boycott Georgia movement
Civil Rights groups including The National Black Justice Coalition have argued that golfers should refuse to play at the Masters, held annually at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia, unless the law is repealed.
'The PGA Tour and Masters Tournament have both made commitments to help diversify golf and address racial inequities in this country – and we expect them to not only speak out against Georgia's new racist voter suppression law – but to also take action,' the statement read.
Activists are also calling for people to boycott Atlanta-based companies such as Delta, Home Depot Coca-Cola, although the drinks maker has not specifically come out against the law just yet.
The Georgia mayor of Savannah, Van Johnson, said he would not be buying Coke products until the problem was resolved.
The Georgia mayor of Savannah, Van Johnson, said he would not be buying Coke products until the problem was resolved
The mayor of Savannah has said he will boycott Atlanta, Georgia-based company Coca-Cola
The director of films including Ford v Ferrari, Walk The Line, Logan, director James Mangold tweeted on Thursday, 'I will not direct a film in Georgia.'
The director said that he will hold off making any forthcoming films in the state of Georgia
Scott Dworkin, the Co-Founder and Lead Investigator of the Democratic Coalition has also added his support for a Georgia boycott
The director of films including Walk The Line, Ford v Ferrari and Logan, director James Mangold tweeted on Thursday, 'I will not direct a film in Georgia.'
He later clarified his comments telling The Wrap, 'Georgia has been using cash to steal movie jobs from other states that allow people to vote. I don't want to play there. I am not telling anyone else what to do. I just can't work there till this changes.'
'Georgia has been using cash to steal movie jobs from other states that allow people to vote. I don't want to play there,' Mangold said.
'I am not telling anyone else what to do. I just can't work there till this changes.'
The new law which was signed on Thursday by Republican Governor Brian Kemp makes sweeping changes to Georgia election law, including certain provisions that will require driver's licenses or state ID.
There are also new restrictions on ballot drop boxes and even a rule that it would make it illegal to give people waiting in line to vote food or beverages in a practice described as 'line warming.'
Activists are also calling for people to boycott Atlanta-based companies such as Delta, Home Depot and Coca-Cola
The drinks maker has not specifically come out against the new voting laws just yet
The daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., Bernice King, has said a boycott of Georgia companies would not have the right impact adding those on lower-income will be hurt the most
The daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., Bernice King, has said a boycott of Georgia companies would not have the right impact adding those on lower-income will be hurt the most.
'That would hurt middle class workers and people grappling with poverty,' tweeted King. 'It would increase the harm of both racism and classism.'
The new bill also sees the introduction of a number of new voting restrictions.
Among them, there will be new voter requirements to identify absentee ballots, state officials will have the ability to take over local election boards, and ballot drop box usage will be limited.
The law replaces the elected secretary of state as the chair of the state election board with a new appointee of the legislature after Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger rebuffed Trump's attempts to overturn Georgia's election results.
Voters are pictured in a long line that stretched around Atlanta's Metropolitan Library last year
It also allows the board to remove and replace county election officials deemed to be underperforming.
Georgia was one of the states of the most controversy during the most recent presidential election.
Joe Biden became the first Democrat in almost 30 years to carry the presidential election in the state.
Two runoff elections that unfolded in the aftermath of Biden's win helped turn the Senate in favor of the Democrats.
Many of Donald Trump's claims of election fraud focused in on Georgia and Trump demanded Kemp overturn the results of the election in the state, which Kemp refused.
Despite Trump's fraud claims being unsubstantiated, however, Republicans have focused on changing election laws across the country.
As of February, 43 states had bills introduced that would curb voting laws across the country.
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