Braves Fans Mercilessly Boo MLB Commissioner During World Series Trophy Presentation for Yanking All-Star Game from Atlanta
It’s customary for commissioners of American sports leagues to get booed. Season openers, trophy presentations, the draft – if it’s a special occasion that requires a commissioner to appear, they can expect loud jeers.
The NBA’s Adam Silver is the lone exception, Major League Baseball’s Rob Manfred is not.
Tuesday night, the Atlanta Braves won their first World Series in more than a quarter-century, and when Manfred stepped to the podium for the trophy presentation, the commissioner received a brutal welcome. For Atlanta Braves fans and Manfred, the boos were more than just customary, they were personal.
Atlanta hosted Games 3, 4 and 5 of the 2021 World Series, but the city was also scheduled to host MLB’s All-Star Game earlier this year. Near the start of the season, Manfred and the league announced the game was being pulled from Atlanta in response to recently passed Georgia voting laws that many considered to be suppressive.
Manfred made his peace offering last week, when he egregiously supported Braves fans and their ability to continue the tomahawk chop, a gesture widely considered to be insensitive toward Native Americans. Braves fans continued “The Chop,” but they didn’t accept Manfred’s blessing as any sort of olive branch.
The GOP gloated over watching Atlanta in the World Series and Braves fans enjoyed taking a break from celebrating the championship to let their All-Star frustrations out on the commissioner Tuesday night.
Luckily for Manfred, the World Series Game 6 was played in Houston, so he was only forced to suffer through boos from travelling fans rather than a sellout crowd. But the jeers were still loud and purposeful.
Watch above via Fox
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