Of all types of entertainment, sports games such as baseball are usually regarded as strongly divorced from politics. However, as the article by Fay Vincent (2021) has shown, political issues percolate even in games, shaping the choices made by players and, more importantly, their leaders, to a significant extent. Robert Manfred’s experience in managing both political and baseball-related issues becomes evident as soon as he starts assessing the outcomes of the specified decision. Although the commentary that Robert Manfred, a former Baseball Commissioner, makes in his article, seems to stem mostly from his personal beliefs and philosophy, his experience in managing the game and the related events may have affected his opinion due to the thorough understanding of the nuances of boycotting and the people whom the specified decision affects most.
Namely, while he accepts the necessity to voice disapproval of Georgia’s racist law, Manfred also recognizes the repercussions, including the fact that viewers and other stakeholders not involved in the conflict will suffer first and to the greatest extent: “The only people hurt by Mr. Manfred’s decision will be Atlanta’s stadium workers and local vendors” (Vincent, 2021, para. 4). Additionally, Manfred embraces the dubious nature of the choice to boycott the state of Georgia specifically despite the fact that other countries have demonstrated even more despicable attitudes toward the issue of equality in law: “If Georgia is racist, how can baseball talk of doing business with China?” (Vincent, 2021, para. 5). Therefore, Manfred’s experience in managing games has given him the perspective to view the situation objectively. Thus, despite being based mostly on common sense and his political and ideological convictions, the decisions made by Robert Manfred, as well as his opinion concerning the Major League boycotting the entire state, seems to have been shaped by his understanding of the nuances of the sport.
Reference
Vincent, F. (2021). Rob Manfred’s all-star error.The Wall Street Journal.