A lawsuit has been filed against Major League Baseball (MLB) seeking $100 million in damages. Business advocacy group Job Creators Network (JCN) has filed a 21-page lawsuit in a federal New York City court against MLB for moving the All-Star game out of Atlanta.

The suit seeks either $100 million in damages, or the immediate return of the All-Star game to Atlanta. The $100 million is the estimated loss of economic impact to the local businesses, many of which are minority-owned for moving the game.

Alfredo Ortiz, president and CEO of the Job Creators Network said in a statement, “MLB robbed the small businesses of Atlanta – many of them minority-owned – of $100 million, we want the game back where it belongs.” The non-partisan Job Creators Network was founded by Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus; Home Depot’s corporate headquarters are based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ortiz added, “this was a knee-jerk, hypocritical and illegal reaction to misinformation about Georgia’s new voting law, which includes Voter-ID. Major League Baseball itself requests ID at will-call ticket windows at Yankee Stadium in New York, Busch Stadium in St. Louis and at ballparks all across the country.”

To politicize the MLB All-Star game, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked such havoc on small business owners is nothing short of immoral. “Small businesses in this community had valid contracts relating to the All-Star Game and other events, the result of two years of planning and all that was ripped away by fear and misinformation spewed by political activists,” said Ortiz.

Explaining the hypocrisy, arrogance and complete ignorance of the decision, Ortiz adds, “Many states, including Colorado where the game has been moved to, have similar or more restrictive election laws. This move essentially tells fans of teams in many other cities that they can never again host the All-Star Game; it’s hypocritical, illegal, and we won’t stand for it.”