On episode four of Class is in Session with Doug Glanville presented by UI Health, Doug Glanville discusses the decision by Major League Baseball to move the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Colorado and how the Players Alliance is giving a voice to minority players and providing outreach in communities across the country. To watch the full episode, click here.

Guests for this episode include:

• Jason Heyward – Current Chicago Cubs outfielder, 12-year major league veteran and member of the Major League Player Committee for The Players Alliance
• Curtis Granderson – 16-year major league veteran and President of The Players Alliance
• Ken Rosenthal – Senior writer for The Athletic and MLB Network insider

Doug Glanville, the show’s host, creator and one of its executive producers, was nominated for a 2021 Sports Emmy Award for his “Enough” video essay and draws on his experience as a veteran MLB player, baseball analyst, writer, and college professor of sport and society as he interacts with this distinguished panel of guests.

“Having the opportunity to learn and engage with true insiders and their knowledge of the impact and motivation around MLB moving the All-Star Game is unique,” said Glanville. “Between Curtis, Jason and Ken, we get an education on all the factors at play and why it was so significant for MLB to take a stance. The conversations are deep and examine historical context through current player insight.”

During the wide-ranging discussion, Glanville and the panel of guests discuss what led to MLB’s decision to move the All-Star Game, the role of players in that decision and how The Players Alliance is going above and beyond to impact all communities, including Atlanta.

Jason Heyward, a native of the Atlanta area, shared his support for moving the game out of Atlanta, while acknowledging that he remains committed to his hometown:

“It’s cool to know that the Players Alliance will still be going to Atlanta, and will still be reaching out in these communities … I’m looking forward to being a part of that any way I can,” said Heyward.

Curtis Granderson, who currently serves as President of The Players Alliance, reiterated Jason’s message vowing to continue to support the Atlanta community:

“Our plan as the Players Alliance was to go to Atlanta regardless. It’s a heavy Black populated area in the game of baseball, a lot of our players are from the state of Georgia … so we had plans and we’re still going to see through those plans.”

About Class is in Session: A monthly show hosted by Doug Glanville, exploring the intersection between sports and larger society. Each month, Glanville sits down with a distinguished panel of guests, analyzing and providing solutions to the most challenging issues in the world of sports.

Previous episode topics include the lack of minority coaches in sports today (guests Dusty Baker and Herm Edwards), the impact and importance of establishing legacy as an athlete (guests Cameron Maybin, Chris Long and Dr. Edwin Moses) and the current state of NCAA amateurism (guests Sonny Vacarro, Prof. Kenneth Shropshire and Dr. Victoria Jackson).

About Doug Glanville: Glanville, a nine-year MLB veteran, is a Marquee Sports Network analyst and the host of “Class is in Session with Doug Glanville” presented by UI Health, a half-hour panel show exploring the intersection between sports and larger society. Glanville was selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 1991 MLB draft and made his major league debut with Chicago in 1996. After spending five-plus seasons with Philadelphia and Texas, he returned to the Cubs in 2003 and hit a go-ahead triple in the 11th inning of Game Three of the NLCS against the Marlins. He was the first African American Ivy League graduate to play in the MLB.

A writer and multi-media journalist, Glanville is a frequent contributor to numerous outlets, including ESPN, the New York Times and The Athletic, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut. His “Enough” video essay is nominated for a 2021 Sports Emmy Award (The Dick Schaap Outstanding Writing Award – Short Form) by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Glanville is the author of The Game From Where I Stand, an inside look at the human side of the game of baseball, and is outspoken on topics relating to the human condition, including culture, diversity, overcoming adversity, and community-building. He also teaches a course at the University of Connecticut titled “Sport in Society.” The highly praised course examines the relationship between sports, celebrity, and its impact on society. Glanville is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.