The baseball season is officially a couple weeks away, and I’m pretty sure 29 of the 30 teams can’t wait for it to begin. But if you’re a player on the Houston Astros, you might be a little terrified of getting back on the field, and for all the wrong reasons.
Yes, they were caught. Yes, they cheated. But I think Major League Baseball (MLB) fans are taking it way too out of context.
There were reports that were scattered around the Astros locker room that the players were receiving death threats to them and their families. This is completely heartbreaking.
Outfielder Josh Reddick reported on social media that fans have wished “cancer on his children.” Have people gone completely insane? At the end of the day this is a game, and these are people’s jobs. It doesn’t affect the fans at all. How dare people have the audacity to make these comments toward these players? I don’t have sympathy for the players because they cheated and got caught, but there is absolutely no reason for any fans to even get to this point. The only way cheating would affect you directly as a fan is if you had a bet with some of your buddies in 2017 and in the end, you lost a couple of bucks. Get over it.
Another report has come out that MLB is considering using SWAT teams to amplify security when the Astros come to play at certain stadiums. Just watch the game. Yes, fans can add fuel to the fire by having a good time at the game and making it more intense for players; that’s what makes sports amazing. However, now it’s getting to the point where MLB fans need to be treated like animals at a baseball game.
Now, I’m not saying the players don’t need to face the consequences of what they did, but these are not normal consequences. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when José Altuve or Alex Bregman come up to the plate at an away game. What it is going to be like if an Astro makes the All-Star Game when it is in Los Angeles this year, who the Astros beat in the 2017 World Series? Players will get hit intentionally, and there will be bench-clearing brawls this season. It’s going to happen, but that is the players’ problem. It’s a cowardly way to try to solve things, but it’s going to be part of the game this season. If I was an Astros player, I wouldn’t even want to get up to the plate, but it could give them more inspiration to win. Who knows?
From a fan’s perspective, just relax. Baseball is a form of entertainment. You don’t know any of them personally and have no right to threaten them or their families. Just sit on the couch with your beer and chips and watch the game.
