With recent news of NFL players being suspended for gambling, it says to me the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame should reconsider the ban on Pete Rose from being in the Hall.
It isn’t because other professional athletes being caught gambling, might in some way diminish the fact he did a similar deed. To me it is more of a “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” idea.
I have heard of stadiums (and therefore teams) that have openly sought to have gambling companies located in their stadiums. Rose is banned because MLB issued a lifetime ban for violation of the no gambling rule. If they are so serious about this, they certainly shouldn’t allow gambling within the very facility their games are played in. Isn’t this a potential lure to the players to gamble?
In the research I did into Rose’s gambling, and what I remember; Rose only bet on his team winning, not on them losing. This would seem to eliminate the Chicago White Sox situation of the early 1900s, when some of their players made a deal with gamblers to lose the World Series.
An interesting theory about the White Sox betting scandal was the team owner paid his players so little, that this contributed to the decision of some of the players to go along with throwing the series with the Cincinnati Reds. Unfortunately, greed among franchise owners is not a thing of the past, as I feel is shown by willingness to allow betting companies to set up shop in stadiums.
I think it is a bit of overkill to bar the player who had more hits than any other from the Hall of Fame over the type of betting he was involved in at the end of his playing and coaching career.
Certainly, with Rose’s permission, some statement about how he earlier was banned for his gambling would be appropriate to place in his display. Along with this, a fee on any profits earned from betting within any stadium that would strictly be used toward public announcements of availability of gambling addiction treatment, as well as funds to help fund the cost of such treatment.
The Hall of Fame, of course, would have no control over the fees, since they are separate from Major League Baseball. This would fall on the greedy owners to institute such a fee.
When gambling businesses are the official representative of a major league sport, I believe these sports organizations have already sold out to gambling. So, they have no right to judge a player for doing personal gambling, as long as they are not “fixing” games, to make sure that they win their bet. Do not confuse this column with an endorsement for sports gambling, as I consider it and “fantasy leagues” both, a waste of a large amount of time that could be much better used.
While talking sports, let me add, as a Packers fan, I am so glad the Aaron Rodgers to the Jets thing is over. I won’t miss him and his antics.
Rodney Verdine is retired as the assistant director at the La Salle County Detention Home, but also had been a probation officer. He can be reached at newsroom@mywebtimes.com.