Baseball Union and Players Speak Out Against SB1070

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5943/baseball_union_and_players_speak_out_against_sb1070/

Wednesday May 5 12:59 pm


Leon Jose Bicchieri (C) leads immigrant rights supporters during a rally outside Wrigley Field before the start of the Cubs' game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 29 in Chicago, Ill. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

27 percent of MLB players are Latino; half of league's teams hold spring training in Arizona

By Akito Yoshikane

As immigrants and workers across the country gathered over the weekend to speak out against Arizona's controversial new immigration law, the latest blowback from the legislation has extended into the sports world.

Arizona is home to several sports teams and events, and many leagues now fear their employees may get entangled in the mess created by Senate Bill 1070, passed last month. Suddenly, many of the Latino and foreign-born players have found themselves at the confluence of the immigrant and workers' rights issues shared by the millions who protested the bill on May Day.

Arizona is no stranger to controversy in the sports world. In 1992, the NFL decided not to hold the Super Bowl in Phoenix as planned after the state refused to acknowledge Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday.

This time, baseball has been at the forefront of the issue, with many players speaking out against the law, which allows authorities to detain and question anyone they suspect is undocumented. Critics say it essentially legalizes racial profiling of Hispanics.

The legislation is particularly poignant issue for America's pastime, where approximately 30 percent of the players are Latino, and 27 percent of players in the MLB are foreign-born players that come from countries including the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Cuba.

While the league has remained mum so far, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) issued a statement opposing Senate Bill 1070. "We hope that the law is repealed or modified promptly. If the current law goes into effect, the MLBPA will consider additional steps necessary to protect the rights and interests of our members," said Michael Weiner, the union chief.

FULL story at link.