Rubio Asks MLB Commissioner To Give Up Georgia Golf Club

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) wrote MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to put his money where his mouth is. Recently, the pro baseball league pulled out of Georgia for their All-Star Game, citing restrictive voter laws. Meanwhile, Rubio wondered if the MLB commissioner feels the same personally.  Given the MLB’s stance on Georgia, he asked Manfred to “relinquish his personal membership at Georgia’s Augusta National Golf Club.” 

RELATED: Trump Calls For Boycott of MLB, Woke Companies

Augusta is among the US’s premier golf destinations. Unlike most private golf clubs, Augusta is a for-profit corporation. It is home to a number of top-ranked players, and some of the wealthiest enthusiasts. Augusta National Golf Club manages around 300 members at any given time. However, membership is strictly by invitation, making it a very exclusive club. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is currently a member.  

‘Woke Corporate Virtue Signalling’ 

In his letter, Rubio pointed out the MLB”s hypocrisy. “I am under no illusion that Major League Baseball will sacrifice business revenue on behalf of its alleged corporate values,” Rubio said. He also called out the MLB Commissioner’s woke attitude. “Similarly, I am under no illusion you intend to resign as a member of Augusta National Golf Club. To do so would require a personal sacrifice, as opposed to the woke corporate virtue signaling of moving the All-Star Game from Atlanta,” he wrote. 

“Taking the All-Star game out of Georgia is an easy way to signal virtues without significant financial fallout. But speaking out against the Chinese Communist Party would involve a significant loss of revenue and be closed out of a lucrative market.” Rubio added.

Atlanta to Lose Millions in the Boycott

Rubio’s letter is a response to the MLB’s bizarre decision. Reportedly, the former host city, Atlanta, will stand to lose millions of dollars from the boycott. A black business owner, Tudy Rodney called it “crushing” that MLB’s decision to push through with the boycott. “We are trying to build back from a pandemic that happened last year, and something like this is not good for business,” Rodney told Fox 5 WAGA.

Estimates for the lost revenue fall between $37 million and $190 million. “Some dispute the high-end of those projections, it’s safe to say the city – especially lower-wage workers who would have worked the event – would have benefited greatly,” according to Breitbart News.

Joe Biden Endorsed The Boycott

MLB’s announcement to move from Atlanta to a new venue came the Friday after President Joe Biden said he “strongly” supported the plan. Speaking on ESPN, Biden said that “today’s professional athletes are acting incredibly responsibly” in relation to leagues such as the NBA. “I would strongly support them doing that. People look to them. They're leaders,” he said. 

Earlier in the interview, Biden called out the new voter laws in Georgia as troubling. “Look at what's happened across the board. The very people who are victimized the most are the people who are the leaders in these various sports, and it's just not right,” Biden said. He added: “This is Jim Crow on steroids, what they're doing in Georgia and 40 other states.”

Local Woke Companies 

Biden joined other groups in calling out Georgia’s new voter laws. In particular, the newly signed bill adds an ID requirement to absentee ballots and shortens runoffs in the state. Also, the new law removes the state secretary from the state election board.

Major Georgia-based companies also took exception to the new law. In fact, two Atlanta-based multinationals, Coca-cola and Delta Airlines, criticized the law, saying it’s unacceptable. Specifically, Delta CEO Ed Bastian termed the vote as something that did “not match Delta's values” via a company memo. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey told CNBC the new law was “a step backwards.” 

Trump Joins The Fray

In response to the MLB decision, former President Donald Trump issued a statement Saturday. He asked that in response to the MLB’s walkout, Americans should boycott Major League Baseball and other woke companies. “Boycott Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, JPMorgan Chase, ViacomCBS, Citigroup, Cisco, UPS, and Merck. Don’t go back to their products until they relent. We can play the game better than them,” he urged his followers.

Watch the CNBC News link where Major League Baseball announces they are canceling the planned All-Star Game in Atlanta and move it somewhere else in light of Georgia’s new voter laws:

Do you support Senator Marco Rubio’s suggestion to MLB Commissioner Manfred that he give up his Georgia golf club membership? In addition, will you join a boycott of the MLB? Let us know what you think by sharing your comments below.