It's Time to Put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame

Why is Pete Rose not in the Hall of Fame?

The short answer is because he gambled on baseball, and that is against the rules.

Pete Rose should not have bet on baseball. But the fact that he did should be irrelevant to his Hall of Fame status.

What is the baseball Hall of Fame supposed to represent?

It should consist of the best players of all time.

In terms of stats, it is undisputed that Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame. He is the all-time leader in hits with 4,256.

Think about that number for a second.

It’s absurd.

To obtain 4,000 hits, a player needs to average about 200 hits for 20 seasons. The best hitters in the game may obtain 200 hits for a number of years. But to sustain that over 20 years is unbelievable.

Did gambling help him achieve over 4,000 hits?

No, it did not.

So why is it that betting on baseball keeps you out of the hall of fame?

According to the requirements posted on the baseball Hall of Fame’s website for getting into the hall, one’s status is supposed to be “based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”

Betting on baseball is clearly an integrity and a character problem. If these guidelines should be used to vote in players, then Rose should not be voted into the Hall.

But integrity and character should not be a factor in one’s Hall of Fame status.

It can be argued that being a part of the Hall of Fame is an honor, and one must display a certain level of integrity to be in the group.

But what about all of the bad character guys who are in the Hall of Fame?

What about Ty Cobb, who was a racist and used to hurt opposing players during the game on purpose? He was certainly not a player of integrity and character.

Someone may respond by stating that steroid users are not in the Hall of Fame, and that is a character and integrity issue.

Steroid users is a different case. Steroids specifically help a player perform better.

Gambling does not.

Whether Rose gambled or not, he would have had the same stats either way. This is not the case for steroid users.

This debate shows the current problem with Hall of Fame voting. Every voter is using one’s own discretion when really the voter should be using specific requirements.

There should be more specific standards that every player must have to be in the Hall of Fame, such as home runs, hits, etc. It makes no sense that baseball writers are making their own judgments and interpretations on what validates someone to make the Hall of Fame.

To have arguably the best hitter of all time out of the Hall of Fame because of sports betting is a mistake, and it is time that baseball recognizes this fact and lets Pete Rose into the Hall.

Until then, the Hall of Fame will be missing one of the best hitters to ever play the game.