- MLB announced that MLB.TV set viewership records for the first 18 days of the season.
- Donald Trump called for an MLB boycott after the All-Star game was pulled out of Georgia.
- The new viewership numbers show that Trump's word may not hold much weight among baseball fans.
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MLB saw record viewership numbers through the first 18 days of the season, even after Donald Trump called for fans to boycott baseball.
MLB announced on Monday that it's game-streaming app MLB.TV registered the most-watched 18-day period in its 20-year history with 1.3 billion minutes of streams from opening day on April 1 to April 18. That stretch included the seven most-watched days ever and the most-watched day in its history on opening day with 121 million minutes of streams.
-MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) April 19, 2021
MLB Network and ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts also saw respective increases of 12% and 33% in viewership from last season.
These historic numbers come just weeks after MLB decided to pull this year's All-Star game out of Atlanta, Georgia, protesting the state's controversial new election law.
The new law garnered backlash from president Joe Biden and other civil rights groups that argue it violates the 14th and 15th Amendments. This led to lobbying for major sports events to be pulled out of the state.
MLB was one of the few sports institutions to respond when it announced on April 2 that the All-Star game would be moved, costing Georgia potentially over $100 million in tourism.
The move garnered backlash from Republican leaders and the Atlanta Braves organization itself.
-Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 2, 2021
Most prominently, Trump encouraged fans to boycott MLB during an interview on Newsmax TV.
"I would say boycott baseball, why not," Trump said. "Now they've moved the All-Star Game because they thought the bill was too tough when it's not. I think a lot of people are giving up on baseball anyway … they shouldn't be hurting the people of Georgia."
Additionally, MLB's favorability rating fell 35 points among Republicans after the relocation, according to a recent report from research company Morning Consult.
Still, MLB's latest numbers defy the recent backlash from conservatives and could even indicate support for the decision to move the All-Star game from liberals and Democrats.
Biden said he would strongly support MLB's decision to pull the All-Star game from Georgia before MLB's official decision. Los Angeles Dodger manager Dave Roberts said he might not even participate in the game if it stayed in Georgia.
The 2021 All-Star game will now be played at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday, July 13.