In light of MLB moving the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta, here are three new homes the league should consider for the Midsummer Classic.
Well, in case you missed it, the 2021 MLB All-Star Game is on the move.
Which means Atlanta’s loss is about to be some other city’s gain. And probably quite quickly, given all the logistics a new host city will have to figure out with less than four months to go before All-Star Week.
For remember, it is not just a singular game being moved. The whole suite of All-Star events comes with it, from Fanfest, to the Futures Game, to the Home Run Derby, to the Midsummer Classic itself. Three of those at least take place at the same location- whatever stadium is selected. Fanfest though, at least in traditional years, might see more people in attendance than the rest of the events combined. Days of autographs, memorabilia sales, and interactive experiences for the fans means a large convention center, and plenty of hotels and attendees to book. Perhaps Covid-protocols end up canceling that event once again. But if not, those preparations need to start yesterday.
In addition to all of that, the actual MLB Draft is part of this package too now. This season was to be the debut of the latest attempt by the league to spice up the draft: holding it midseason and attaching it the All-Star festivities. Maybe a simple fix lies there too, in simply reverting to doing it the old way for one more year.
The Big Three events though need a new home for certain, and Rob Manfred needs to make a call on that ASAP. What follows are the three best fits for a new home for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.
The three best homes, with some caveats that is.
Undoubtedly, as political calculations factored into the decision to move the game in the first place, they will factor into where the game now goes. This article won’t attempt to play politics, beyond acknowledging that some cities and states weren’t considered on account of political realities. Primarily, that’s about whether or not a venue resides in a state considering changes similar to those made by the State of Georgia.
Health policies are still a factor as well. Personally, I toyed with the idea of suggesting Toronto, before remembering that Canada still doesn’t want the Blue Jays there. Much less thousands of Red Sox and Yankees fans spilling across the border. Domestically, plenty of states with prime locations have far more stringent health and safety guidelines than others right now.
And as for the Texas- they just got to host the World Series. There might need to be an investigation if more MLB love is heaped upon the Lone Star State.
With that said, let’s get creative. Here are the three best fits I can see for the new home of the 2021 All-Star Game, starting with…