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Preserving History: Why We Must Acknowledge Baseball's Past
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Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says bans from the sport should end at death. That means Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson could be in the Hall of Fame. And I think they should be. Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa too.
Their absence creates a false version of history.
Rose bet on games. Jackson was part of the Black Sox scandal. Bonds, McGwire and Sosa used performance-enhancing drugs. No doubt. But they also hit milestones that shaped the sport. They filled stadiums. They made headlines. And in the case of Bonds and McGwire, they helped save baseball after the 1994 strike.
None of these men are perfect. But they were giants. And their stories are inseparable from the game itself.
Leaving them out is like vacating titles in college sports. It lets institutions pretend something we all witnessed didn’t happen.
Jordan Peterson says, "Tell the truth, or at least don't lie." That is the standard we should hold the Hall to.
Put their flaws on the plaque. Add context. But don't erase the story.
What do you think? Should the Hall of Fame reflect what really happened?
Let me know in the comments and check out more at jamesbrowntv.substack.com.
On that note, I’m James Brown, and as always, be well.
Takeaways:
- The discussion emphasizes that the Hall of Fame should include figures like Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson despite their controversies.
- Rob Manfred's assertion that bans from baseball should last only until death raises significant ethical questions regarding the Hall of Fame's inclusivity.
- The exclusion of prominent players like Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa from the Hall distorts the historical narrative of baseball.
- The podcast advocates for acknowledging the flaws of players while also celebrating their substantial contributions to the sport.
- Jordan Peterson's principle of truthfulness is proposed as a standard for evaluating Hall of Fame eligibility.
- The conversation suggests that leaving out controversial figures allows institutions to deny historical events that shaped baseball's legacy.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Rob Manfred
- Pete Rose
- Shoeless Joe Jackson
- Barry Bonds
- Mark McGuire
- Sammy Sosa
- Jordan Peterson
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