Induction Injustice

What a horrible two days for Cincinnati sports fans. On Sunday, my beloved Cincinnati Bengals not only lost to their AFC North division rival the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they also lost quarterback Andy Dalton for a few weeks due to a fractured thumb. As if that was not bad enough, Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, announced on Monday that he would not lift the ban from baseball on Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose thus essentially nullifying any hope that the “Hit King” might one day take his rightful place in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown. So why am I talking about these two topics?

With next week being the week of Christmas, I will be uploading two blog posts this week. Each will discuss either the Dalton injury or the continuation of Rose’s ban from baseball. Not jovial topics for Cincinnati sports fans during the “most wonderful time of the year,” but topics important enough to warrant discussion from me. This post is about Pete Rose’s continued banishment from Major League Baseball and the Hall of Fame.

I want to start this post by saying that I am a diehard fan of the Cincinnati Reds and believe that Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He had a career that many dream about and few actually achieve, and his accomplishments on the field are nothing short of legendary. I understand that Rose broke the rules established by Major League Baseball in regards to gambling. I understand that Rose agreed to and accepted the banishment from baseball and lied about his gambling for years. I understand that Rose has apparently not learned from his banishment as he continues to gamble on sports including baseball. What I cannot accept is the hypocritical nature of Major League Baseball.

MLB promotes fantasy sports gambling companies such as FanDeul and Draft Kings. They are fantasy sports sites in which users can gamble on baseball. This is clearly the pot calling the kettle black. MLB has a firm stance on being against gambling yet it promotes fantasy sports gambling companies and in turn receives revenue from these promotions.

Also, former big league stars such as Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire used performance-enhancing drugs during their playing days. This tainted the sport of baseball much like the Black Sox Scandal did in 1919. The outcomes of baseball games during the “steroid era” were in doubt not because of gambling like what the 1919 Chicago White Sox did, but because these “sluggers” were helping their teams win by cheating and not by talent. However, these cheaters are not banned from MLB and are still eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame while Rose, whose accomplishments on the field were due to pure baseball talent, is not.

In conclusion, I think it is completely ridiculous that Rose does not have the chance to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. While I understand MLB’s rule on gambling, I do not understand how it promotes fantasy sports gambling and allows former players who used performance-enhancing drugs to still have the opportunity for Hall of Fame induction. In my opinion, Rose does not even have to be let back into MLB. He should just have the opportunity to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I believe that the commissioner could have asked to have Rose placed on the ballot. If he receives the necessary amount of votes to get in, great. If he does not, at least he was given the opportunity. The decision by the commissioner to uphold the ban pretty much guarantees that the “Hit King” will never be enshrined in Cooperstown and proves that MLB is a hypocritical baseball entity.