Sports in an All-Forgiving Mood
How will we react if next summer in Cooperstown, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Carlos Beltrán receive Hall of Fame plaques?
Hall of Fame Controversies and Actions
There is ongoing speculation about whether the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will take steps if Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups is convicted for alleged involvement in a gambling and money laundering scheme.
Notably, O.J. Simpson was never removed from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only person expelled from any of the four major U.S. sports Halls of Fame appears to be Alan Eagleson.
In hockey, Bobby Orr’s corrupt agent resigned from the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998, just before the Board planned to expel him.
Baseball’s Climate of Forgiveness
Currently, baseball seems especially forgiving. Consider the Fenway Park dugout: Alex Cora, regarded as one of the best Red Sox managers, has seemingly moved past his involvement in the 2017 Astros cheating scandal.
- MLB suspended Cora, who was Astros’ bench coach, and manager A.J. Hinch for one year.
- Both have since returned to playoff teams.
- The scandal rarely comes up in conversation today.
"Alex Cora is one of the great managers in Red Sox history and his unfortunate role in the 2017 Astros’ cheating scandal seems to have gone away."
Is forgiveness becoming the dominant theme in sports, even amid serious misconduct?
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