Spring training has just started for many teams and already a scary story about scorpions all over the White Sox facility has given us something to cringe about, but something more disgusting and horrific has surfaced recently and relates to something that runs rampant in sports, hazing.
In an interview with Prime Time Sports, former catcher Greg Zaun admitted that if he had not been physically abused by Cal Ripken and other Baltimore Orioles when he joined the league, it would have not kept him in line and he wouldn’t have had such a long career.
To understand what the problem is, here is one of the quotes from the interview with Zaun.
Yahoo Sports Big League Stew http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/gregg-zaun-says-physical-abuse-from-cal-ripken-jr–kept-him-in-line-071143606.html
I’ll never forget it: I was out in the stretch circle, I played catch with Chris Hoiles every single day, and I lobbed the ball to him — and he was paying attention, but he pretended like he wasn’t. He head-butted the ball and all of a sudden I had what was called “the posse” all over me. Cal Ripken, Ben McDonald, Brady Anderson, Chris Hoiles, all of the above. They beat me on my ribcage, physically abused me on my way to the training table. They taped me spread-eagle to the training table, they wrote “rookie” on my forehead with pink methylate, and they shoved a bucket of ice down my shorts. I missed the entire batting practice, and you know what? Phil Regan, the manager of the Baltimore Orioles, he did not care, because he knew that what those guys were doing was ‘educating me.”
(For more from this story please click the link above)
Zaun would go on to say that this helped him grow and that if former Toronto Blue Jay, Brett Lawrie had gotten this kind of treatment that he would have been able to live up to expectations and might not have been dealt to the Oakland Athletics.
First of all, I think any kind of hazing, or bullying in any and every sport is moronic, inappropriate and disgusting. It does not belong whatsoever in this day in age. I understand that Greg Zaun has the right to his own opinion no matter how insane it is; and he has every right to come out and talk about the unfortunate events he had to endure, but he probably should have stopped there. He should not promote that people should continue this behavior and to endorse that the veteran players should bully, physically assault and mentally abuse rookies to put them in line and help them grow.
I guess Zaun forgot that its 2015 and not 1995, or 1950. Everyone who was involved in this story does not come off well. Most of the responses that will come out from these players will be about how back then it was acceptable to do that, but let’s face it, it is never acceptable.
This story exposes that there are still people out there who are ignorant when it comes to hazing, or bullying and how its wrong to do. To think that people think that rookies need to learn how to stay in line by abusing them, is wrong and this old mentality needs to be eradicated. It’s time for the entire sports world, not just MLB to put a ban on hazing. It is time to fine and suspend any player out there who continues this barbaric behavior. It’s time that more programs are put in place to teach everyone that hazing and hurting someone mentally, or physically to teach them a lesson is wrong.
If there is a problem, the veterans and the team need to figure out a way to help and teach the young players, don’t assault them to get your point across.
There is no possible way someone can prove that this is beneficial in anyway whatsoever. There are many different ways to deal with young players who are arrogant, or lose their way and need help, but bullying isn’t one of them and if you are still thinking it is all in good fun then you clearly, don’t get the point yet.
What came out of that interview is disappointing in so many ways, would you want your children to look up to an athlete that thinks being a bully is an acceptable thing to do? If not than you are clearly living in the right mind set, something that Greg Zaun and others are still struggling to understand, maybe one day they will know.
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