U-Wire Column
Jonathan McMurry
University of Connecticut
In an interview for Sports Illustrated last December, Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker made disparaging and racist remarks with respect to the fans of the Braves' hated rivals, the New York Mets. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig suspended Rocker for 28 games and fined him $20,000 for his comments. An arbitrator recently reduced Rocker's suspension to a few games and 500 bucks.
Even that slap on the wrist is too heavy a punishment. Rocker should be left alone by Major League Baseball.
He has broken no law.
This is America, after all. Free speech is as American as apple pie and, yes, baseball. It is the Bill of Rights that makes America such a great place to live. It gives us the freedoms to say whatever we want, tote shootin' irons, associate with whomever we choose, worship God in any manner and especially not have soldiers quartered in our homes.
Mr. Rocker's freedoms are our own. Should he be punished for speaking his mind, however reprehensible his ideas, then all of us will become less free.
Free speech is all milk and honey when someone is talking about feel-good subjects such as diversity and tolerance. The test of our love of free speech comes when the speaker preaches hate. We should detest what Mr. Rocker says. But we should fight to defend his right to say it.
This is not to say that he should get off scot-free. His employer, the Atlanta Braves, can and should fire him, not because of his remarks but because he has harmed the salability of their product and injured their corporate image.
In short, part of John Rocker's job is to represent the Braves in a positive fashion. He has clearly failed in that duty, but it is equally clear that the Braves wish to retain Mr. Rocker's services.
That is their right. After all, he does throw a mean heater. But it is our right as consumers and fans not to purchase tickets or watch telecasts for any reason. Should sports fans find Rocker's transgression too onerous, there is always the melting pot of major league soccer to keep one entertained during the summer. But we should also have room in our hearts to forgive.
Mr. Rocker seems to be sincere and contrite in his apologies. There is exculpatory evidence on the charge of racism — he does have multiethnic friends, he had until December amicably worked with players of many races, yada, yada, yada. It is entirely likely that he did not believe what he said when he said it. He may be just what he appears — an immature 20-something good ol' boy who was trying to lash out at Mets fans, all of whom hate him and some of whom have thrown batteries at him (D cells, no less!).
In the heat of the moment, he may even have thought he was being witty. His comments were dumb to be sure, but may not have been intended to be as hateful as they were. As a native Georgian and a lifelong Braves fan, I am undecided as to what my own reaction should be.
I detest what Rocker said.
But I am a baseball maniac and certainly cannot give up on my team — this will be the year they beat the Yankees in the Series! Maybe I'll compromise and refrain from doing the Tomahawk Chop when Rocker is in the game. And I'll hope the Braves, in a triumph of poetic justice, trade Rocker to the Mets. Mr. Rocker will be paying for his comments for the rest of his life. He will henceforth be cast as a racist, or at the very least an insensitive jerk. That is punishment enough.
Play ball!
Jonathan McMurry is a student at the University of Connecticut. This column first appeared on April 17 in The Daily Campus and is reprinted here courtesy of the U-Wire.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Wednesday, April 19, 2000
