MLB’s decision to move All Star Game out of Atlanta honors Hank Aaron

Politics and sports have run parallel for more than a century.

In opposition to Georgia’s new voting laws, Major League Baseball announced Friday that Atlanta will be stripped of hosting the league’s 2021 All Star Game this summer. It’s arguably the boldest decision from MLB since integrating its sport in 1947 with Jackie Robinson.

Despite the MLB considered to be one of the more conservative sports leagues alongside the NFL, even more conservative than NASCAR, the league decided to take a stand.

“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,’’ Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement announcing the decision. “In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States. We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.’’

In the past week, Georgia state legislature signed the “Election Integrity Act,” which includes a slew of…