Based on media parroting of misleading and outright false narratives, and bowing to threats of boycotts and pressure campaigns, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced this week that, in protest of Georgia’s new election reform laws, the league would withdraw its All-Star Game and player draft out of Atlanta.
The decision sparked incredible blowback among many fans and Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate, some of whom immediately called into question whether MLB’s dubious exemption from antitrust laws should be revoked, Breitbart reported.
MLB bows to the mob, leads partisan boycott
There has been an inordinate amount of misinformation and blatant lies regarding certain provisions of Georgia’s new election laws, which prompted an avalanche of public statements of condemnation from dozens, if not hundreds, of “woke” corporations, including MLB.
In an absurd statement issued Friday, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said, “I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft.”
Needless to say, given that the inarticulable opposition to Georgia’s new laws is firmly rooted in vague falsities, that decision is not sitting well with those who understand not just what occurred in Georgia, but the bigger picture of “woke” corporations and non-governmental entities imposing partisan ideology on the population.
MLB’s antitrust exemption targeted
In response to the announcement, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) tweeted, “In light of @MLB’s stance to undermine election integrity laws, I have instructed my staff to begin drafting legislation to remove Major League Baseball’s federal antitrust exception.”
“An overwhelming bipartisan majority of Americans support requiring an ID to vote, and any organization that abuses its power to oppose secure elections deserves increased scrutiny under the law,” the congressman added.
For anything to actually happen, though, Duncan would need a helping hand from fellow Republicans in the Senate, and two members quickly stepped up to the plate to try and bring home this particular legislative proposal, Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Sharing Duncan’s tweet, Lee wrote, “Why does @MLB still have antitrust immunity? It’s time for the federal government to stop granting special privileges to specific, favored corporations — especially those that punish their political opponents.”
Echoing that, Cruz tweeted, “EXACTLY right. And @SenMikeLee & I will be working hard to END MLB’s antitrust immunity. #GowokeGobroke”
Fighting fire with fire
Also, suggesting that two can play the boycott and public pressure game, Cruz tweeted out a link to a list of corporate sponsors for MLB, and asked, “Do all of them oppose voter ID? Are all of them willing to be the woke enforcers of the corrupt Democratic Party? And do all hate the 75m who voted for Trump?”
For what it is worth, Fox Business reported that MLB, unique among the professional sports leagues, has enjoyed an exemption from antitrust laws since a 1922 Supreme Court decision that, in essence, determined that the league was simply a sport and not an actual business — a determination that certainly deserves to be reexamined and, if necessary, changed by way of legislation.
The post GOP lawmakers scrutinize MLB antitrust exemption following partisan withdrawal of All-Star Game first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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