Holding on to hope
One of the names synonymous with historic betting scandals in US sports is Pete Rose. MLB’s all-time hits leader won three World Series with the Cincinnati Reds and was an All-Star on 17 occasions. While managing the franchise, he received a lifetime ban from the sport in 1989 for betting on games involving his own team.
At a Q&A session during the world premiere of a new HBO documentary series about the scandal, Rose said that the whole ordeal cost him an estimated $100m. He missed out on many years of potential employment in the sport and opportunities arising from not getting a place in the Hall of Fame.
Rose is ineligible for induction into the Hall
Because of his ban, Rose is ineligible for induction into the Hall, despite being on of the greatest baseball players of all time. He doesn’t want to gain entry after his death either, saying that the benefit is “for your family and friends.”
A different landscape
The 83-year-old is still trying to gain reinstatement into baseball now that sports betting is legal on a federal level and available in nearly 40 states. The four-episode “Charlie Hustle & The Fall of Pete Rose” documentary series is part of that push.
thinks that a ban of more than 30 years is sufficient
During the Q&A session in Los Angeles, Rose said that he was the only person who got hurt as a result of the scandal. He acknowledges that he was stupid to place the bets, but thinks that a ban of more than 30 years is sufficient.
While MLB has denied numerous requests for reinstatement by Rose over the years, the league did grant waivers so he could attend certain Cincinnati Reds and MLB events.
A touchy subject
Rose said that he gambled a lot before the ban and realized that he should be betting on his own team to win games, as he was the one in charge. He said he never wagered against his team, adding that he “bet on my team every freaking night” and that the team won more than they lost.
Sports betting scandals are still a thing more than three decades later. Early this season, MLB was engulfed in the Shohei Ohtani scandal in which the interpreter for the league’s highest-paid player stole over $16m from his boss to pay off gambling debts.
