Arizona law spurs talk of All-Star boycott
Source: Agencies |
July 16, 2010, Friday
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THE television ratings for baseball's All-Star game were abysmal but Bud Selig has other worries concerning the annual Midsummer Classic.
MLB's longtime commissioner has to deal with a small but growing movement that wants to either boycott or move next year's All-Star game, in Phoenix, Arizona.
At issue is Arizona's pending immigration law, allowing police to check the immigration status of people they stop for other reasons, if they are "reasonably suspected" of being in the country illegally.
The law makes the failure to carry formal immigration documents illegal. It will be the first state law of its kind in the United States.
Rights groups argue that the new law, scheduled to take effect on July 29, is discriminatory. The US Justice Department is suing Arizona to stop its enactment.
Latinos, who comprise 27 percent of MLB's players, have begun to add their voices to the chorus of opposition.
Among them is Kansas City Royals pitcher Joakim Soria, a Mexican, who is in his fourth season in the majors.
"They could stop me and ask to see my papers," Soria said. "I have to stand with my Latin community on this."
Soria's manager, Oscar Suarez, who manages seven other Latino players, said their opposition to the law is not political. "The thing for them is it is more a humanitarian issue than mixing politics with sports," Suarez said. "They want people to be treated fairly, and pay their taxes and do things the right way in America."
The National Football League reversed a commitment to stage the 1993 Super Bowl in Phoenix after Arizona refused to recognize the birthday of civil rights icon Dr Martin Luther King as a national holiday.
Super Bowl XXX was played in Phoenix in 1996 after the state decided to adopt the federal holiday.
The Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the 2011 All-Star Game and associated festivities will pump US$67 million into the local economy.
The issue has put star and manager at odds in St Louis, with Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, a naturalized American citizen born in the Dominican Republic, opposed to the law, while manager Tony La Russa, supports it, describing illegal immigration as a problem the US government has failed to remedy.
The players' union also opposes the law.
Back on the diamond, there is a more fundamental problem, with Tuesday's All-Star Game in Anaheim, California, recording its lowest ratings since at least 1972.
MLB's longtime commissioner has to deal with a small but growing movement that wants to either boycott or move next year's All-Star game, in Phoenix, Arizona.
At issue is Arizona's pending immigration law, allowing police to check the immigration status of people they stop for other reasons, if they are "reasonably suspected" of being in the country illegally.
The law makes the failure to carry formal immigration documents illegal. It will be the first state law of its kind in the United States.
Rights groups argue that the new law, scheduled to take effect on July 29, is discriminatory. The US Justice Department is suing Arizona to stop its enactment.
Latinos, who comprise 27 percent of MLB's players, have begun to add their voices to the chorus of opposition.
Among them is Kansas City Royals pitcher Joakim Soria, a Mexican, who is in his fourth season in the majors.
"They could stop me and ask to see my papers," Soria said. "I have to stand with my Latin community on this."
Soria's manager, Oscar Suarez, who manages seven other Latino players, said their opposition to the law is not political. "The thing for them is it is more a humanitarian issue than mixing politics with sports," Suarez said. "They want people to be treated fairly, and pay their taxes and do things the right way in America."
The National Football League reversed a commitment to stage the 1993 Super Bowl in Phoenix after Arizona refused to recognize the birthday of civil rights icon Dr Martin Luther King as a national holiday.
Super Bowl XXX was played in Phoenix in 1996 after the state decided to adopt the federal holiday.
The Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the 2011 All-Star Game and associated festivities will pump US$67 million into the local economy.
The issue has put star and manager at odds in St Louis, with Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, a naturalized American citizen born in the Dominican Republic, opposed to the law, while manager Tony La Russa, supports it, describing illegal immigration as a problem the US government has failed to remedy.
The players' union also opposes the law.
Back on the diamond, there is a more fundamental problem, with Tuesday's All-Star Game in Anaheim, California, recording its lowest ratings since at least 1972.
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