From Stealing Bases to Stealing Titles

Why the Houston Astros Should be Held More Accountable for their Actions

The Houston Astros have been one of the MLB’s “teams to beat” over the last few years.  However, their recent success, most notably the 2017 World Series championship, is being called into question due to a cheating scandal.  The MLB launched an investigation and published a nine page report concluding that the Astros used a video-room to steal signs from opposing teams, which was relayed to the dugout and then ultimately to the batter.  Baseball fans and players are outraged as this sign-stealing system clearly gave the Astros an unfair advantage against their opponents. This report indicates that the sign-stealing system began in 2017 and ended at some point in 2018.  Some of those involved lost their jobs, and the team was disciplined with a $5 million dollar fine as well as the forfeiture of their first and second round draft picks for the next two years. However, the players involved were not individually disciplined, even though the report indicated the sign-stealing system was primarily player-driven (Axisa).  There is debate whether the current discipline for the Astros was too mild. So, what is the proper punishment for a cheating sports franchise?

Many athletes have spoken out to express their contempt with the Astros sign-stealing system and the relatively mild punishments.  One of the most notable MLB players was 2019 AL MVP Mike Trout, who did not agree with the current punishments and stated that the players should be held more accountable for their actions (Nesbitt).  Players from different sports leagues, including NBA superstar LeBron James, also expressed their anger with the MLB’s discipline for the Astros. I too believe that the punishment was not serious enough for the Astros, since it does not set a precedent harsh enough to discourage teams from cheating in the future.  It is not my place to decide a proper punishment for each individual player, but I do find it remarkable and unjust that, aside from their reputations, most of them escaped this situation relatively unscathed. In addition to the fact that the players should be punished individually, the Astros’ 2017 World Series title should be revoked because they did not truly earn it.  They were not better than their opponent that year and probably did not deserve to even be there in the first place.  

It is reasonable to assume that other teams and people’s careers were affected as a result of their actions.  Ex-Blue Jays pitcher Mike Bolsinger is suing the Astros on the grounds that their sign-stealing system was the reason his career was cut short.  He gave up four runs against the Astros in an August 2017 game (Passan). It is undeniable that the Astros had a large impact on a number of people and did not consider the consequences of their actions.

So what prompted the Astros to cheat?  There are two (perhaps more) possible reasons.  First, people cheat if they can’t win in a fair competition (Boone).  The year before the scandal began (2016), the Astros were not a playoff contender and were just above a 0.500 % W-L record (Baseball Reference).  In the early 2010’s, the ballclub saw their lowest W-L percentage and some of their lowest home-game attendance (Baseball Reference). Perhaps the Astros were so fed up with losing that they had no choice but to come up with an alternative and unethical method to win games.  The other reason that people cheat is because everybody cheats (Boone). Although it is unlikely, it is completely possible that other MLB teams have been doing a similar sign-stealing method and that the Astros were the ones who got caught. As a sports fan, I really hope this is not the case.

This is not nearly the first instance of cheating in sports.  Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) and steroids continue to play a major role in the success of many athletes, especially in the MLB.  A notable example of this was New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez was suspended for the entire 2014 season for violating the MLB’s PED policy (Sinn).  He received tons of negative publicity for his actions, which also cost him $40 million and possibly a spot in the Hall-of-Fame (Sinn). Rodriguez regrets his actions and mentions that telling his daughters was one of the hardest things he had to do (Sinn).  The accountability he held himself to was respectable; however, his legacy is tarnished by his use of steroids and, despite his generational talent, he will forever be known as a cheater in the eyes of many.  

So when did winning become more valued than playing the sport?  Many people like to live by the famous Vince Lombardi quote, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing,” but I believe that winning is something that is earned, not taken.  In this instance, the Houston Astros stole the 2017 World Series championship from the Los Angeles Dodgers because their sign-stealing system gave them an unfair advantage. They stole more than just the title that year: a sense of trust throughout the baseball community.  Playing sports is a privilege that many people do not get to enjoy. It is even more of a privilege to have young boys and girls look up to athletes as role models. But what do you say to a child when he or she finds out that their favorite player, maybe even their hero, is a cheater?

Works Cited

Axisa, Mike. Houston Astros cheating scandal: 10 things we learned from MLB's nine-page investigative report. 15 January 2020. 21 February 2020. <https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/houston-astros-cheating-scandal-10-things-we-learned-from-mlbs-nine-page-investigative-report/>.

Baseball Reference. Houston Astros Team History & Encyclopedia. n.d. 23 February 2020. <https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/index.shtml>.

Boone, Tommy. "Cheating in Sports." VI.8 (2003).

Nesbitt, Andy. Mike Trout destroyed the Astros for cheating, thinks the punishments were weak. 17 February 2020. 21 February 2020. <https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/02/mike-trout-destroys-houston-astros-for-cheating>.

Passan, Jeff. Ex-Blue Jays reliever Mike Bolsinger adds owner Jim Crane, staffer Derek Vigoa to lawsuit vs. Astros. 20 February 2020. 23 February 2020. <https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28743923/ex-blue-jays-reliever-mike-bolsinger-adds-owner-jim-crane-staffer-derek-vigoa-lawsuit-vs-astros>.

Sinn, Dylan. Alex Rodriguez says PEDs cost him $40 million, Hall of Fame and more. 14 October 2017. 21 February 2020. <https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/10/14/alex-rodriguez-says-peds-cost-him-40-million-hall-fame-and-more/764757001/>.