The 2011 MLB All-Star Game will still be held as planned in Phoenix next year, which is not the most popular decision in the baseball community. This is not necessarily new; when the immigration law was first enacted, there was dismay about Phoenix as the All-Star location and pressure for MLB to move the All-Star Game. However, nothing happened. In mid-May, commissioner Bud Selig announced that the game would stay in Phoenix.
However, with the on-going 2010 All-Star Game, the 2011 ASG in Phoenix has been revisited. Some of the Hispanic-born have drawn notice to Arizona's immigration law and are hesitant to participate in the 2011 ASG, if selected. In a report today, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Yovanni Gallardo vowed to boycott an Arizona All-Star game. Other players such as Joakim Soria and Jose Valverde would also support a Latino boycott.
In other news today, Selig received 100,000 petitions to move the games from Phoenix. There has been increased media coverage about the possibility of moving out the All-Star Game. The Washington Post called for Selig to take a stand against bigotry and intolerance. The article also mentions the fact that nearly a third of major leaguers are Hispanic born. The politicization of the 2011 All-Star Game was also part of Amy Nelson's ESPN's Outside the Lines story today focusing on the civil rights aspects of Arizona's Immigration Law.
The extent of the law or if it gets overturned, would help build momentum for a boycott or suppress the notion all together. I'm not sure if the All-Star Game should be moved from Phoenix just because of the law or not. Every National League team (half the teams in baseball) play at least one series in Phoenix, so latin players are constantly playing baseball there with nothing changed yet. However, the law hasn't taken effect yet, either so it is hard to tell how things will change.
Arizona's Immigration Law (SB 1070) can be read here.
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