MILWAUKEE — Unfortunately, it appears the 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game won't be coming to Milwaukee.
The Colorado Rockies' Coors Field will host the major sporting event, the Associated Press reported Monday evening, citing a source wishing to stay anonymous because MLB has not announced the move yet.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett pitched to the MLB Commissioner last Friday that Milwaukee should host the All-Star Game, as Hank Aaron spent much of his baseball career in Brew City. The league plans to pay tribute to the late Aaron during the event.
MLB announced late last week that it was pulling the game from Atlanta after Georgia Republicans passed a sweeping voting registration bill. The bill has been condemned by Democrats and voting rights advocates.
The bill will require an ID for all ballots.
Proponents of the bill say provisions will reduce lines for voting, and establish a minimum number of ballot boxes per county.
The economic impact for the game to be held in Milwaukee could have been substantial. Major League Baseball estimates the All-Star weekend will bring the host city between $37 and $190 million. Cobb County, Georgia tourism officials said they estimate the community will lose more than $100 million after the decision to relocate.
Mark Kass with our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal said the state and nation’s situation with the pandemic will play a big factor when it comes to money.
“It would be a significant thing for the city. Now, I’m not sure what the attendance would be, because who knows where we would be with COVID-19, but still, having that here with the spotlight, it would be tremendous for the city,” he said before the news broke late Monday.
Milwaukee restaurants and hotels were hoping the anticipated 50,000 visitors and a $200 million economic impact from the DNC would help them recover from the pandemic.
MLB did not hold a 2020 All-Star Game due to the coronavirus.
