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Head of La Raza Calls for MLB Commission Selig To Move 2011 All Star Game Out of Arizona

Posted May 24, 2010 by Ted Hesson
Categories: National

Amid the calls to boycott Arizona over their draconian new immigration law, one of the events that has gotten the most attention has been the 2011 MLB All Star Game, scheduled to be played at Chase Stadium, the Arizona Diamondback’s home field in Phoenix.

So far, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has been evasive when questioned about the law, which will invite racial profiling. That’s a shame, since his silence shows a disregard for Latino baseball players and their families.

In a recent ESPN column, Janet Murguia of the National Council of La Raza called for Selig to take a stand against “bigotry and intolerance”:

To clear things up for Mr. Selig, the call for moving the All-Star game is not an attack on Major League Baseball or some kind of threat. Proponents of the move are instead urging MLB to stand up for its players, its front office personnel and its fans who have been singled out and targeted for abuse and harassment by the state of Arizona thanks to its new law, SB 1070, which allows police to stop anyone they “reasonably suspect” of being undocumented. What is happening in Arizona is not a debate over how to best deal with a broken immigration system; it is a violation of our civil rights and our most fundamental values as Americans.

The Major League Baseball Players Association understands that. That’s why it quickly issued a statement in opposition to SB 1070. Padres first baseman and perennial All-Star Adrian Gonzalez and White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen have already said they will not play in Phoenix next year.

We are not asking MLB to weigh in on America’s immigration policy; we are asking the league to take a stand against bigotry and intolerance. Selig should stand up for the hundreds of players who form the backbone of today’s game but whose last names and appearances put them at risk of being stopped by law enforcement every time they happen to play the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. He should stand up for the millions of Latino fans who fervently support the teams that make up the league.

Admittedly, relocating the All Star Game won’t be an easy endeavor for Selig, who would risk politicizing himself and the sport that he represents.

But what the commissioner may not realize is that, in this case, inaction also has political repercussions. The passage of SB 1070 shows a blatant disregard for the civil rights of Latinos in Arizona, and that’s something that should greatly concern Selig, who runs a league that’s rife with Latino superstars, not to mention loads of Latino fans.

Selig should ask himself this question: If he and the other members of baseball’s brain trust were deciding the location of the 2011 game today, would they still choose Arizona?

Tags : arizona, diamondbacks, mlb, sb 1070, selig

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