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Pressure Builds on Bud Selig to Move 2011 All-Star Game
A steady thrum is increasing in volume outside Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig's door to move the 2011 All Star Game out of Phoenix. Recent laws passed in Arizona-from banning ethnic studies in the Tucson public schools to mandating that the police demand the papers of "suspicious" immigrants-have mobilized people to take the Boycott Arizona campaign to Selig's door.
In addition to written requests to move the game from the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Congressman Jose Serrano, whose district includes Yankee Stadium, more than 100,000 people have signed a petition asking Selig to make the move.
As Favianna Rodriguez of movethegame.org said to me, "Not only are more than a quarter of the League's players Latino, but so is a large part of the fan base. Now, in Arizona, these players and fans risk being harassed and even arrested on their way to the ballpark just because of how they look or their accent. We will not stand for laws like SB 1070, which treat Latinos like second-class citizens, and neither should Bud Selig."
Selig, after weeks of hemming and hawing, came out with his answer last week. When asked if they would move the game, he fumed, "Apparently all the people around and in minority communities think we're doing OK. That's the issue, and that's the answer. I told the clubs today: ‘Be proud of what we've done.' They are. We should. And that's our answer. We control our own fate, and we've done very well."
It's not clear what "minority communities" Selig is referring to, but if he believes that statement is going to isolate Major League Baseball from becoming ensnared in the immigration debate, he is being naive.
As Move the Game has documented, fifteen players have spoken out against the bill: Jorge Cantu, Augie Ojeda, Michael Young Frank Francisco. Alexei Ramírez, Adrian Gonzalez. César Izturis, Heath Bell. Rod Barajas, Scott Hairston. Joe Saunders. Bobby Abreu, Yorvit Torrealba, José Guillén, and Kyle McClellan.
Here's what Cantu told the Miami Herald: "This hits me in the heart. I do not accept it. It's a shame. It is sad news for my country, but not only Mexicans. Latin people. It's just a shame for all those people here looking for a better life. They are looking for a better standard of living, and this knocks down their dreams. It is really upsetting."
Of these players, Gonzalez and White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen have said that they would be boycott the All Star game if played in Phoenix.
The tension on the field is exceeded by what's happening off the field. The Arizona Diamondbacks have become the traveling road show for this legislation. This isn't because they have the word "Arizona" in their name. It's because their owner Ken Kendrick is a serious money man for the Republican Party.
We've now seen protests at every road stop of the D-backs since the law was passed: Denver to Chicago to Houston, to Florida to Atlanta. This coming Saturday, on a national day of action against Arizona's laws, there stands to be the biggest of these protests in San Francisco, where people will be marching on AT&T Park. Diana Macasa, one of the march organizers, said to me, "We're marching on the Diamondbacks because if Arizona shows us anything, it's that the attacks-no matter where you live-are escalating, and we want to send a message that this must stop now."
The players on the field and the protesters off know that Major League Baseball, with its utter dependence on both the Latino players and the economic bonanza of the All Star game, is susceptible to pressure.
As McClellan said, "The All-Star game, it's going to generate a lot of revenue. Look at what it did here for St. Louis. It was a huge promotion for this city and this club, and it's one of those things where it's something that would definitely leave a mark on them if we were to pull out of there. It would get a point across."l
This is what Bud Selig is up against. He is going to have to understand that whatever his final decision, there is no untangling sports and politics here. Players and fans will view his final decision as a political choice.
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29 Comments so far
Show AllI am still waiting for those sympathetic law enforcement officials to do an on-field sweep during a game. Say! Maybe during the All-Star Game. Ask all the players for their papers, maybe some of the audience as well, including Mr. Selig. And if they don't have their papers on them on them? Haul them off to jail, on prime time TV. That would get some attention.
Que buena idea!
Stop the hysterics! States do have the right, within the Constitution, to enact laws that do not violate Federal Laws. I have yet to see anything other than hysterics. If the law is unconstitutional let the courts decide.
Having said that, it's important to know that I too am a brown skinned Amerindian. Additionally, most Mexicans and South Americans are Amerindian mix-bloods or part-bloods. So I am no fan of racist ideology. However, if we are a Nation of Laws, then allow the Arizona law to be tested for constitutionality. If Democracy is not honored then Democracy is lost.
The Federal Government has failed the people of Arizona. It is their right in the absence of federal legislation to legislate at the State level.
The All-Star Game should not be moved on the basis of hysterics.
Nothing hysterical about fighting an unjust law. Move the game somewhere else.
Lets cut the BS.
Let's do talk about the fine people who want to "make a difference".
This is pure political & PR driven hysteria, whipped-up to sell tickets to an up and coming important demographic.
Citi, FedEx and the rest of the corporate whores use sports in general as a tax write-off anyway. They get ungodly amounts of free time every single night on the public airwaves that promotes their clubby little sports cartel. Each (television) broadcast newsblock of 99.9% of every major broadcast station in America gives nearly one third* of its airtime to sports. Not local issues, but to support the sports cartel. And that's what it is. Their team and sponsors logos splashing across the screen an every angle and opportunity. Free promotion. Think of the amount of time they get for free, hogging the airwaves as our wars go on, while the gulf turns black, while our treasury is looted, while real local needs go ignored.
Meanwhile, (they) have free tickets to the games to use and to give out to their boyz on The Hill, Wall & K Streets. They can spend the day at the game – instead of working. Maybe they're shuckin' & jiving to each other about their next scam. Oops! I mean "bubble". Oops! I mean "financial program" while "watching" the game.
These guys, "standing-up" for some moral cause while their playaz are strung out on steriods and other crap? $10 beers? $8 mystery-meat hot dogs? Gee, somehow I'm not seeing the connection between "good" they want to do and evil here, except one: $.
No, I don't mind sports (if it doesn't include me having to help subsidize it. And it IS subsidized by taxpayers on all fronts.) And remember, American Idol takes up an hour+ each week, baseball takes 3+ hours a day – minimum. So before harping on the general useless programming that distracts us, think of baseball, first.
Baseball – in my opinion, and given how broad and deep its tentacles run – is one of the most heavily subsidized businesses in the nation. Socialism for the rich (free tickets & booze) and capitalism for the rest ($10 beers & $8 mystery-meat hot dogs. And tickets aren't free)
Standing-up? Morality? Baseball? My ass.
Just my opinion, I could be wrong.
*Some stations have additional "special" sports programming that follow the regular newscasts.
Mystery-Meat hot dogs? Thank God for baseball!
This is a ridiculous argument.
So, if the courts decide that some particular action is legal, people should just doff their caps, and submit?
If the states should have a right to pass laws, as long as those laws are not unconstitutional, then yes, people have a right to call for the moving of the AS game.
Or is protest unconstitutional in your opinion?
Protest is about the most American thing we all do.
I believe he is simply saying the hysterics being displayed about this law, which contains nothing new and in fact contains more protections than the Federal law, are a bit absurd.
If people protest holding the game in Arizona and can convince the Commisoner to move it, whats wrong with that? If people protest by not attending if its moved, whats wrong with that?
There is nothing unconstitutional about this law in any way, nor is there anything unconstitutional about protesting it. As fact, wouldn't protesting it be a most Constitutional thing to do?
If you've yet to see anything other than hysterics then you're not looking very hard. Or perhaps it depends on how you're defining hysterics. Perhaps protest is 'hysterical.'
If you're Native American then you should know that the US has not only passed many unjust laws but also determined many laws 'constitutional.' So that's clearly not the answer. The only thing that has ever moved us towards more justice and equity are social movements based on protest and advocacy. This is, I think, what Dave is calling for.
The Internment of Japanese Americans during WW11 was ruled as "Constitutional". This just one example but a very obvious one.
Now imagine it 1942 and we had people argue against that action claiming it wrong, unjust, racist.
Would this be hysterics and would such pepole be advised to wait on the courts ruling?
The fact remains there are bad laws and it the duty of any citizen of any country to protest such and there nothing wrong with anger when doing so.
Right, a nation of laws! I hope that includes the right to boycott if I consider this law to be unjust. The unjust part of the law is its propensity to discriminate brown or black citizens and fail to catch a white, Canadian, South African, Russian, or Moldavian illegal to say the least. That is what I am concerned about. There is likelihood that this law will turn the clock 60 years back.
"The unjust part of the law is its propensity to discriminate brown or black citizens and fail to catch a white, Canadian, South African, Russian, or Moldavian illegal to say the least. That is what I am concerned about. There is likelihood that this law will turn the clock 60 years back."
I'm quite curious to know exactly where you find this "propensity to discriminate brown or black citizens" in the Arizona law? Could you quote the part you are speaking of?
Tell me how the how the cops are going to identify “illegal” from citizens without infringing on the right of the latter and I will tell you how discrimination based on race works when the police try to enforce a law that is ambiguous as Arizona's is. Here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/25/deportation-nightmare-edu_n_588788.html ) is an example of what I was taking about. The police was right to detain this citizen for a suspected criminal offense but they would not let him free after he posted bail and produced documentation that he was a US citizen until his congressman had to intervene. I know you want to believe that it is just by coincidence that he was a Latino as well.
"Tell me how the how the cops are going to identify “illegal” from citizens without infringing on the right of the latter"
Pretty simple, if you can't produce identification, which we are all asked for when we are stopped, they have a pretty good idea. Is it infringing on anyoes right if you are stopped for speeding and asked for your drivers license?
Of course there is the chance that some will be discriminated against.
No more so than with any other law. In fact this law contains more protections than most. And if you are stopped for reason and have no identification of any kind, if you diodn't suspect them, you wouldn't be too smart.
All you have to do is produce some kind of identification, drivers license, SS card, Library Card and its no problem.
And every time a Latino is stopped its not a racist incident. Considering the ethnic make up of Arizona, the number of Latinos stopped shouldn't be a surprise.
baseball?
seriously?
who cares?
What you said doubled.
I do! Like soccer there is a certain beauty to the game that many Americans do not understand and appreciate. And I'm not only talking about the professional level. It appears to be a simple kids game but is, in reality, very complex. I don't know of many people that can handle failing 7 out of 10 times but that's what a ball player has to do in regards to batting. It's definitely a mind game of a game.
OYE
yes, please know that I, too, appreciate the fine points of the game...I played for a number of years...
my point is one of priority, privilege and professionalism...
professional baseball has, in my opinion, long worn thin whatever 'importance' it may have once had...
and, in light of current horrific events, to focus on such is distracting...
there will always be the beauty, as you suggest, of the movement of the ball and the bodies, and the thinking around...what fun to hit, or chase and catch, a long fly ball...the intricate strategies of pitching, hitting and baserunning...
however, many, many things need to change...
peace
Corporate whores, drugs = artificial ambiance and artificial results. No wonder they have all those empty seats.
Hell, move it to Mexico. In fact, move the whole league to Mexico – and leave it.
Migration all over the world is being driven by overpopulation. Nearly 7 billion humans is far too many. Overpopulation drives poverty, pollution, crime, conflict and ecologic collapse. Several major life support systems of the Planet have already been pushed beyond capacity.
We have reached a turning point in History where population increase can no longer be tolerated. But overpopulating nations will never change their ways as long as they are allowed to dump excess population on neighbors.
Mexico clearly has a policy of creating a greater mexico in the USA, but they do not allow migration from central America to create a greater central America in mexico.
Many in Arizona clearly feel they are being invaded by huge numbers of illegal mexican migrants.
Extremely destructive and murderous mexican drug gangs should warrant a large military response from the US government. Obama just sent 1200 troops to the Mexican border.
He did, but personally I'd feel a lot better if he sent them to arrest the Corporate officers and owners that are exploiting these folks and causing the problem in the first place.
Actually, Arizona is part of Mexico. The Americans took it by illegal force in the 1840s.
Cherry picking your facts, bonepeople?
Originally, no one "owned" the southwest - because no greedy humans were there to lay claim to it! When the Native Americans migrated to the area, they didn't feel that they "owned" the land. It was only with the conquistadors that the concept of land ownership came to the area.
Lots of claims, little evidence.
The problem with the overpopulation ranting is that as people get richer, and have fewer kids, they consume more resources.
Personnaly, I dont see what the big deal is.
California has a similar law in thier penal code.
They just dont enforce it.
http://law.onecle.com/california/penal/834b.html
DonJuan said "Personnaly, I dont see what the big deal is. California has a similar law in thier penal code. They just dont enforce it."
Actually it doesn't say quite the same thing. The law in California applies only to a specified group of people, to wit, "regarding any person who is arrested." So they have to have been arrested for something else in the first place. While AZ's law applies to everyone who is suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.
Additionally, the AZ law allows for stopping anyone solely on suspicion of being in the US illegally, and requires that they not be released until they prove they are lawfully present in the USA.
These are the parts that are different, and these are the parts that most find objectionable.
If laws dont apply to everone, then they apply to no one.
So you want to take it out on Arizona huh? OK, give them the old Moe Howard two finger eye poke and move the game to Mexico City. That should piss em off real good.
"It's just a shame for all those people here looking for a better life"
That baseballer is delusional. Oh sure, some immigrants come to the USA for the golden carrot. But from Mexico today, most come out of desperation and disgust because the USA is destroying their livelihood by illegally dumping petro-corn on their home market. The Mexican government is too corrupt to stop it.
"there stands to be the biggest of these protests in San Francisco"
My estimate is that for every residential structure and for every property owner in San Francisco there are four Latino immigrants cleaning toilets, walls and floors in San Fransisco. San Franciscans don't want class equality. They want the immigrants to scrub their toilets for them, with smiles on their faces. It's perfectly consistent with San Franciscans voting Pelosi and O'Bamba in 2008.