Sports and the Spirit of Forgiveness
How will we feel if next summer in Cooperstown we see Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Carlos Beltrán standing on stage with Hall of Fame plaques? The thought raises questions about changing attitudes toward redemption in sports.
Questions Around the Halls of Fame
There’s speculation about whether the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame might respond if Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups faces prison time over alleged gambling and money laundering activities.
"Simpson was never kicked out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As far as I can tell, Alan Eagleson is the only person expunged from any of our four major sports Halls of Fame."
Bobby Orr’s disgraced agent, Alan Eagleson, resigned from the Hockey Hall in 1998, shortly before he was expected to be expelled. Outside that case, even serious off-field misconduct rarely leads to removal from these revered institutions.
Baseball and Forgiveness
Baseball today seems immersed in a forgiving mood. At Fenway Park, Alex Cora—one of the most successful managers in Red Sox history—appears to have moved past his part in the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal.
Major League Baseball suspended both Cora, then the Astros’ bench coach, and manager A.J. Hinch for a season. Yet both have returned to leadership roles on playoff teams, and the topic is seldom mentioned anymore.
Summary
Resilience and selective memory define modern sports, where scandals fade fast, and even the most controversial figures find paths back into the spotlight.