As Major League Baseball confronted the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal this week, which led to season-long suspensions for former manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow, it raised more conversations about the lifetime ban for Pete Rose.
It was perfect timing for ESPN’s documentary series Backstory, which is premiering its latest show “Banned for Life*” on Sunday. ESPN investigative reporter Don Van Natta Jr. examines baseball’s relationship with gambling and whether MLB should continue to keep Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson ineligible for the Hall of Fame in the one-hour show.
“As you saw, Pete Rose was trending worldwide on Tuesday because instantly people were comparing his 30-year ban to a single-year ban for cheating to win the World Series,” Van Natta said.