The protests against Arizona's controversial new immigration law have centered largely around the state's sports franchises, so Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has turned to ESPN.com to make the case against an economic boycott of the state.

"Economic boycotts are an inappropriate and misguided response to an issue that is clearly worthy of proper public debate and discourse," Brewer wrote in an op-ed on the sports website. "Put simply, history shows that boycotts backfire and harm innocent people."

The law, Brewer acknowledged, is not "the entire solution" to illegal immigration or the other problems Arizona faces due to a porous border, but it is intended to spur Washington into action after ignoring the issue for years.

"Arizona is left with little choice," she wrote. "Imagine a sporting event in which rules have been agreed to for 70 years, but the umpires refuse to enforce those rules."