MLB 2020: Alex Rodriguez joins as commentator for opening broadcast, fans ask ESPN to 'get the cheater off air'
Former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman Alex Rodriguez aka A-Rod was one of the commentators during July 23 New York Yankees vs Washington Nationals games. But that did not go down well with fans and Twitter users. To give some context, according to a report by USA Today sports, Rodriguez was hit with a 211-game suspension stemming from the Biogenesis scandal in 2013. Rodriguez reportedly received HGH from Biogenesis of America, an anti-aging clinic in Coral Gables, Florida. This suspension came four years after he admitted to using steroids earlier in his career.
Another statement by Bleacher Report says, "In the technical sense, Rodriguez is an admitted cheater. Dating back to 2009, he admitted to using PEDs during his time with the Texas Rangers, but vowed that was his only transgression, damning neither his early days in Seattle as a phenom or more recent MVP campaigns in New York."
Given these circumstances, fans were furious that he was given the duties of commentary during the opening game on July 23. One Twitter user wrote: "I can’t believe ESPN thought it’d be a good idea to keep A-Rod announcing and move on from Jessica Mendoza. A-Rod f***ing sucks man." While a health care editor, Sam Baker, mocked, "Sure, A-Rod cheated at baseball through numerous episodes of steroid use, but what are the MLB and its media partners supposed to do, simply turn away this kind of poetic analysis?"
Some advised, "Yo, @espn dump the cheater, A-Rod. Bad at broadcasting, but most of all, bad at representing the sport." One wrote: "A-Rod Is one of the most notorious cheaters in the history of Major League Baseball and I don't understand why he has a job broadcasting baseball." Another said, "Absolutely hate how we’ve basically shunned every cheater (and gambler) in MLB history but let ESPN bring A-Rod back into the spotlight for no reason (who was caught cheating & served 162 game susp)."
Some even mocked his take on the Astros cheating scandal. The allegation was that members of the Houston Astros organization in Major League Baseball stole signs of opposing teams using technology during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Rodriguez had then commented about the scandal. As reported by USA Today Sports, he had said, "From a guy who has made as many mistakes as anybody on the biggest stage — I served the longest suspension in Major League Baseball history, it cost me well over $35M, and you know what? I deserved that. And as a result, I came back. I owned it after acting like a buffoon for a long time. You have to be accountable."
A Twitter user wrote: "A-rod picks the #Astros as his wild card pick to win the World Series. Takes a cheater to know a cheater." Another wrote: "Opening day for baseball, so here’s my annual A-rod tweet. Why the f**k is he announcing games on espn? Why the f**k is he announcing anything related to MLB? Get the cheater off the air." An irate user said, "Can we get A-Rod OFF the f***ing airwaves?? Why give a that cheater a job in the booth? He sucks. Can't stand to listen him. I'll wait for the Dodgers game later."