Grab 'em by the wallet

On Friday, Major League Baseball announced the group would move the 2021 MLB Draft and All-Star Game from Atlanta over Georgia’s new draconian voting law that, said the New York Times, “will limit ballot access, potentially confuse voters and give more power to Republican lawmakers.”

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said:

Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box. In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States. We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.

The response from Republicans was quick and expected. Some GOP Senators are pushing to end MLB's antitrust exemption, and the usual suspects said things like:

Is this what they mean by “cancel culture?” Whatevs, Ronna.

Boycotting is a powerful means of making change (and it sprang from an Englishman land agent named — you guessed it — Boycott, who tried to mistreat Irish tenants, who weren’t having any).

Faith leaders have planned a boycott of Georgia-based companies, starting Wednesday. Those companies include (but aren’t limited to)

• Coca-Cola

• Delta

• Home Depot

The idea is to force Georgia-based companies to put pressure on political leaders, or to at least speak out as other companies, including Under Armour, HP, and Estee Lauder — and Coca-Cola and Delta, as well — have done. Pastor Ferrell Malone, Sr., of the Justice Initiative, is leading a boycott in rural Georgia. The Rev. Malone said:

We want to make sure this is not an Atlanta-only effort. We will take this boycott message to rural Georgia, by using a large bus and driving from county to county. We are saying if there are no votes, there will be no Coke.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian called the new voting restrictions “unacceptable” and "wrong" and "based on a lie." In retaliation, the George House of Representatives voted to rescind Delta’s multi-million dollar jet fuel tax break — a more or less symbolic act as the state Senate isn’t in session to second or squash the vote.

Boycotts always raise debate. In a USA Today piece, political powerhouse Stacey Abrams suggesting waiting, and said:

…one lesson of boycotts is that the pain of deprivation must be shared to be sustainable. Otherwise, those least resilient bear the brunt of these actions; and in the aftermath, they struggle to access the victory. And boycotts are complicated affairs that require a long-term commitment to action. 

You can learn more about other recent boycotts here. And read more about the Grab Your Wallet Alliance here.