Major League Baseball

Hispanic players unlikely to boycott

Published Jul. 8, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Major league players still oppose Arizona’s controversial immigration law, though their union boss said not to expect any boycott of Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

"Our nation continues to wrestle with serious issues regarding immigration, prejudice and the protection of individual liberties," Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Michael Weiner said in a statement released on Friday. "Those matters will not be resolved at Chase Field, nor on any baseball diamond; instead they will be addressed in Congress and in statehouses and in courts by those charged to find the right balance among the competing and sincerely held positions brought to the debate."

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 into law in April 2010, legislation that sought to give state law enforcement officers authority to enforce immigration law. But lawsuits — including one led by the Department of Justice — have kept key provisions of the law from being implemented.

That’s good enough for the MLBPA, which railed against SB 1070 a year ago and said it would take "additional steps necessary to protect the rights and interests of our members." About a quarter of major league players are Hispanic.

"SB 1070 is not in effect and key portions of the law have been judged unlawful by the federal courts," Weiner said on Friday. "Under all the circumstances, we have not asked players to refrain from participating in any All-Star activities."

That includes Monday’s Home Run Derby, where Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is expected to participate. Gonzalez told AOL a year ago that he would forgo the All-Star Game and that MLB should look at moving spring training facilities out of Arizona.

"We are very sensitive to the issues surrounding SB 1070,” MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said. “We hope that the
All-Star Game brings all fans of baseball together in celebration of the National Pastime."

The players may not be mounting a protest at baseball’s midseason exhibition, but other groups will make their voices heard. Members of Los Comités de Defensa del Barrio (Committees in Defense of the Barrio), Puente Arizona and other grassroots groups are expected to hold protests outside of Chase Field throughout the festivities.

"I wouldn’t say we're disappointed the players aren't taking a stand," Tupac Enrique Acosta of Los Comités de Defensa del Barrio told FOXSports.com. "We still have high aspirations and our commitment remains steadfast. There are certain principles of justice you stand up for."

After Arizona passed its law, other states have followed with similar legislation, including Georgia. Many of those laws, however, are also on hold due to legal challenges and the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s largest Hispanic rights group, claims efforts in as many of 27 other states have been abandoned due to public outcry.

National Council of La Raza’s Clarissa Martinez said her organization has not seen to target MLB, but is glad to see local groups using the Midsummer Classic as a soap box.

"America’s pastime plays such a significant role, especially in the Latino community," Martinez said. "Still, there’s been deafening silence from Commissioner (Bud) Selig on this issue."

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball