Rockies' Coors Field to host MLB All-Star Game after league moves event from Atlanta

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The Colorado Rockies will host the 2021 MLB All-Star Game after the decision to move the event from Atlanta over Georgia’s new voting law, officials confirmed Tuesday.

The Rockies and Major League Baseball officially announced the move after it was reported Monday that Governor Jared Polis and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock were working to land the "Midsummer Classic."  

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"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. 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," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

Rockies Chief Operating Officer Greg Feasel said the organization was "excited" to host the event.

"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," Feasel said.

The 1998 All-Star Game was played at Coors Field. The American League defeated the National League, 13-8. Cleveland Indians' second baseman Roberto Alomar was named MVP of the game.

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Manfred made the announcement to strip the Atlanta Braves of the event on Friday in response to the mounting pressure to change the location of the July game in response to Republican-backed election reform legislation recently signed by Gov. Brian Kemp.  

"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," he said in a statement last week.

"Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box," he continued. "Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support."

Republicans argued the legislation was necessary to shore up confidence in the election process.

Georgia was one of the key states that the Trump campaign focused on as it homed in on unproven claims of voter fraud during and after the 2020 presidential election. Biden narrowly won Georgia by roughly 12,000 votes.

When voting restrictions are compared with Georgia, Colorado’s voting rules require polling centers to be open 15 days before the election – similar to Illinois. But absentee ballots are received automatically, which is far less restrictive than many other states, Georgia included.

As previously reported by FOX Business, the game generates a healthy amount of economic activity for the host city, so it is not a surprise lawmakers are jockeying to get their respective stadiums on the MLB’s radar.

The Cobb County Travel and Tourism Bureau estimated the losses from MLB's decision to move the game out of Atlanta would exceed $100 million.

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The 2020 All-Star Game hosted in Los Angeles was canceled due to the coronavirus. The game the year prior in Cleveland was estimated to have generated $65 million in regional economic activity. The 2013 event in New York had a massive local payday – estimated at $191.5 million.

Fox News’ Brittany De Lea contributed to this report.