Another hometown hero was exiled from the hallowed halls of Ohio sports history in disgrace, but the sentiment has started to shift in his favor in recent years. In fact, lawmakers in Ohio have started a campaign to legitimize the accomplishments of Cincinnati native and baseball legend, Pete Rose, who received a lifetime ban from the MLB due to illegal gambling.
Pete Rose receives support from Ohio House of Representatives
Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in hits, received a lifetime ban from the league after he admitted to gambling illegally during his playing and managerial days back in 2004. 20 years later, the popular belief is that the MLB and the Hall of Fame plan on lifting his ban posthumously, with Rose currently 84 years old.
Many Cincinnati Reds fans and baseball followers in general would like for Rose to receive his flowers while he’s still around to enjoy them. That includes Ohio House Representatives Bill Seitz and Tom Young, who are co-sponsoring a resolution to formally request that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred remove Rose’s lifetime ban.
The MLB has drummed up plenty of controversy regarding some of its rigid rules, some of which are considered archaic to the modern day fan. That includes the league’s wishy-washy treatment of Rose, who is oftentimes honored as a legend, but continues to be officially exiled from the MLB and its Hall of Fame.
Rose has repeatedly expressed his desire to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, having applied for reinstatement to the league to renew his eligibility for honor four times in the past. He’s even sent an official letter of apology to Commissioner Manfred in hopes of earning the league’s forgiveness.
MLB now endorses gambling but continues to shun Rose
The league’s ban of Rose only looks more and more hypocritical with each passing day, as the MLB and the sports world as a whole continue to embrace gambling and even encourage it since its federal legalization. Like all major sports leagues in the U.S., the MLB is heavily dependent on its sponsorships from sports betting companies, and gambling will continue to play a huge role in the growth of the sport and the league moving forward.
As the MLB progresses further and further with its syndication with sports betting, it makes less and less sense to uphold Rose’s lifetime ban for partaking in Ohio online sports betting when it’s practically become a central part of the sport now. That hypocrisy was cited by Ohio House Representative Seitz, who added that Rose is clearly deserving of Hall of Fame induction based on his career accomplishments:
“From the standpoint of talent in the game, there’s nobody better. Period.”
While resolutions have no real legal power, getting support from public figures like Seitz and Young should help get Manfred’s attention, as well as generate buzz among other fans who wish to see Rose inducted into Cooperstown.
