Out of The World Series, and Into The Intense Spotlight
The controversy surrounding the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal from the 2017 World Series. And the MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred’s, handling of the entire situation has taken another step as Lebron James has weighed in on the issue.
James took to Twitter today to speak his mind about the revelations that have shook the professional baseball world recently.
Rumors about the Astros had been circulating for years, with other teams also being rumored to have used the tactic.
It wasn’t until an article published in The Athletic that reported the details of the scandal that the MLB launched a full investigation into the matter. The investigation confirmed that the Astros had used sign-stealing to get an advantage on their opponents.
This isn’t just some finger-pointing accusations; this is real, quantifiable evidence that is showing they cheated.
Not Exactly The Spitting Image of Grace Under Pressure
Manfred has come under fire recently for how he handled the news that the Astros used sign-stealing tactics to win their way to winning the World Series.
While a few coaches and managers around the league have faced punishment for the cheating, the MLB has not punished any of the players from the team nor have they made an announcement about revoking the Astros’ title.
This has caused several players to become, most notably the players who were on the Los Angeles Dodgers team who lost to the Astros in that series.
To make matters worse, Manfred drew further ire from players and fans. When he chose to call the Commissioner’s Trophy a “piece of metal” in an interview defending his actions so far.
That could honestly be the worst part of all of this. Sure, his inaction on punishing any of the players who were involved in the scandal is bad, but his referring to the championship trophy – which is named after his job position – as irrelevant. It shows a severe lack of respect or care for the sport he is running.
Very Few People Reach That Goal of a “Piece of Metal”
For most players in the MLB, if not all, that trophy is the ultimate goal. It’s their symbol of success and hard work; raising that trophy up is their dream.
Having the commissioner disregard so easily gives great cause for concern about the league. Manfred has since apologized for his comment about the trophy, but the damage has been done.
In a week where Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, is being applauded for his care in reformatting the All-Star Game that was held on Sunday, Manfred is facing some tough issues.
And now, arguably the world’s biggest athlete is calling him out in front of millions. It is his responsibility now to do something with that and make the changes that need to be made. It is a dark time for baseball right now, but Manfred has the power to make it brighter.
He just has to care enough to do so.
