In the new dictionary section next to the word “irony,” Pete Rose’s pictures should be added.
The Cincinnati Reds’ best player has been banned for life from Major League Baseball gambling, including playing, coaching, managing or being placed on the Hall of Fame ballot for voter consideration.
But a few days ago, his former team, for which he competed for most of his long career, announced that BetMGM, the sports betting and IGAming operator, has become an “Official Sports Partner.”
As if that wasn’t enough to qualify as number 1 in the steel division, BetMGM will open a sportsbook at Great American Ball Park in 2023.
Betting on basketball, baseball, football, hockey, you name it, was once pretty much only in Las Vegas. In the past few years, following court decisions, many states have legalized sports betting and cut special deals between betting operators and the governing bodies of major sports organizations. It’s basically impossible to watch a game on television these days without seeing an ad for some sort of betting site.
Given the prevailing climate, one cannot blame the Reds for looking to increase revenue. And the Reds certainly didn’t disappoint in their respect for Rose, the all-time major league hitting leader inside the club’s Hall of Fame and Pete Rose Way adjacent to the ballpark.
No, it’s Major League Baseball being called hypocritical when developments like ballpark betting rooms continue. MLB is definitely a match for gambling. Love may not be involved, but vows are exchanged.
Clearly, the nature of sports fans and the climate of sports has changed since Rose was exiled from baseball in 1989. Now 81, Rose has been out for 33 years after spending 24 years playing and between 1984 and 1989 managing.
A lifetime .303 hitter, winner of two home runs, rookie of the year honors, MVP honors, an icon of passion in the game, Rose is known for owning the all-time hitting record, breaking a seemingly impossible mark. unbreakable. until Ty Cobb finished with 4,256 hits.
Given the full view of sports betting by the general public and MLB, not to mention his time served, it would be appropriate for the governor’s office to honorably release Rose and restore him to good baseball standing.
Obviously, Rose will not play his age. He also won’t be managing a team again, especially since he appears to be in declining health. Over the past two years, Rose has made statements indicating that his health is deteriorating and he is essentially disabled. Most of all, his active participation in basketball was exercising his right hand to sign autographs.
In fact, the practical issue is that Rose, whose recognition on the field long ago would have been eligible for election to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, will be put on the ballot for possible election in his lifetime.
Members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox team that swept the World Series are still banned for life, with their names on them for trying to lose. But compared to Rose’s case, the result is that “Shoeless” Joe Jackson was never considered for the Hall of Fame, an institution that did not even exist yet when he was playing. Jackson died in 1951, but some are still trying to bring him back.
Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa have been labeled as steroid users, a trick to improve performance. MLB didn’t ban it, but the voters took revenge in enough numbers to keep them from putting it in place.
Pete Rose searched every corner of the field. He broke the rules, but he didn’t cheat. Next season, he can stop at Major League Baseball Park and legitimately bet on the Reds to win, just like the other 40,000 fans in attendance.
Even those who argue Rose originally deserved his MLB reign should favor a rollback because the world of baseball betting has changed during his lifetime.
