In a development that could cause the NFL and other sports leagues to expand the factors to be considered when potentially moving major events for political reasons, a group called the “Job Creators Network” has sued Major League Baseball and its union for relocating the July All-Star Game.
Baseball stripped the game from Georgia following the passage of a controversial voting-rights law.
The lawsuit, filed in New York City, seeks $100 million in compensatory damages and $1 billion in punitive damages. The Job Creators Network, which describes itself as a “nonpartisan organization whose mission is to educate employers and employees of Main Street America, in order to protect the 85 million people who depend on the success of small businesses,” claims that it “had to divert resources to address the grave harm to its Atlanta-area members” and “personnel from its fundraising efforts resulting in lower receipts.”
It could be a challenge for the Job Creators Network to prove that it has legal standing to sue, that the MLB and/or its union had some legal duty specifically to the Job Creators Network, that the duty was violated in some way, and that actual financial damages were suffered. Without those things, the lawsuit won’t last very long in court.
Without those things, the lawsuit may be nothing more than a publicity stunt, aimed at creating a headline around which those who have criticized baseball for its decision can rally, since the mere existence of a lawsuit could be interpreted by some as an indication that the lawsuit has merit.
Even if it doesn’t.