For the first time since 1998, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played at Coors Field in Denver, home to the Colorado Rockies. The game was originally set for July 13 in Atlanta at Truist Park but changed locations after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred felt pressure to move the game after Georgia passed its Republican-backed voting law.

Traditionally, the All-Star Game positively impacts the host cities. Fans, players, sponsors, and other individuals appear at the event, which provides business for local restaurants, hotels, and other places in the area. In the article Rockies to host the 2021 All-Star Game, four-time All-Star outfielder Charlie Blackman said, “Denver is probably a bit of a sleeper city. I would imagine we don’t get a ton of coverage nationally. I’m kind of worried everybody’s going to find out when they come here and see how awesome our city is, how pretty it is with the mountains and everything.” Because the game is set for July 13, the Rockies have had a short time to make detailed plans. They have plans for hotels, event spaces, and security as well as the support of the Colorado governor and mayor. 

Senate Bill 202 passed last month in Georgia and has been criticized for being restrictive to some residents of the state. The bill has also been praised for expanding some aspects of voting. This new bill shrinks the time that voters can request mail ballots; being able to request ballots six months before has now changed to only making the request 78 days out. “The main reason for the timing implement seems to be so that it can lessen the amount of time that the ballots are in circulation. There is an argument that many ballots were falsified, not received, rejected, lost, etc. in the last presidential election. Limiting the time that ballots are out in the public will limit the amount of time that issues can exist with mail-in ballots. Many states first experienced mail-in ballots during the 2020 Presidential election and so there are many bumps in the road in terms of how it was all handled,” said Brittany Turnbull. Limiting the number of people who receive ballots in the mail forces voters to request ballots. Citizens who request the ballots are the only ones who can get applications as opposed to every registered voter. Because of this new ballot system, polling places are expected to have long lines and longer wait times requiring more staff as well as more workers. New ID requirements will also be enforced. Aside from placing restrictions on voting, the new bill will be expanding voting options. The new law guarantees a minimum amount of drop boxes. MLB wants to support voting rights for all Americans and is against restrictions to the ballot box.

Rockies fans and other baseball fanatics in Colorado are hyped that the game is moving to Coors Field. Abby Copeland (23) said, “I’m excited that it [the MLB All-Star Game] got moved because it gives Colorado a change and something to look forward to but at the same time I’m not because I’m sure tickets are really hard to get.”