The All-Star Game is officially coming to Coors Field.
MLB sent shockwaves through the sports world last Friday when they decided to move the 2021 All-Star Game from Truist Park in Atlanta in response to Georgia’s new and controversial voting laws that have civil rights groups concerned about its potential to restrict voting accessibility to minority voters.
In a statement, Commissioner Rob Manfred said that he discussed the matter with individual big leaguers and the Players Alliance, an organization of minority players formed after the death of George Floyd last May, before finally pulling the trigger on April 2 as “the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport.”
Since the announcement of the All-Star Game pulling out of Atlanta, speculation of where to take the Midsummer Classic ran rampant. Late this weekend, it looked as though we were finally headed towards an answer.
Per ESPN’s Buster Olney, hitter-friendly Coors Field in Denver was expected to be announced as the host of the 2021 All-Star Game, set to take place on July 13. Major League Baseball made this official on Tuesday afternoon.
Commissioner Manfred said in a statement, “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.”
The league said they picked Colorado because the Rockies “were already in the bidding process to host a future All-Star Game. The Rockies had supplied a detailed plan for hotel, event space, and security that took months to assemble, and MLB staff has made several site visits to Denver.”
The last time Coors Field hosted the All-Star Game was in 1998, when the American League beat the National League 13-8. PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Phoenix’s Chase Field, Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Chicago’s Wrigley Field and American Family Field in Milwaukee — site of the infamous 2002 All-Star Game tie — were also discussed as possibilities before Denver was ultimately chosen.
