Sports Appear Forgiving: Is Baseball Hall of Fame Next?
How will fans react if next summer in Cooperstown, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Carlos Beltrán receive Hall of Fame plaques?
There is ongoing speculation about whether the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will take action if Chauncey Billups, a Hall of Famer, goes to prison over alleged gambling and money laundering involvement.
Hall of Fame Expulsions and Forgiveness
O.J. Simpson was never removed from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. To date, Alan Eagleson is the only individual expelled from any of the four major sports Halls of Fame.
Bobby Orr’s corrupt agent resigned from the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998, just before the Hall’s board planned to expel him.
Baseball’s Mood of Forgiveness
Baseball currently seems focused on forgiveness and moving forward. For example, Alex Cora, one of the best managers in Red Sox history, appeared to have his role in the 2017 Astros cheating scandal largely overlooked.
“MLB suspended Cora (a bench coach then with the Astros) and Houston manager A.J. Hinch for a year, but both are back in the dugout with playoff teams and nobody really brings it up anymore.”
This attitude is evident at Fenway Park's dugout, where controversy has faded from public discussion.
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