Selena Roberts is (supposedly) a reporter for the NY Times and has a “tell-all” book about New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez scheduled to be released today. In it she reportedly details (from mostly anonymous sources) Alex’s (A-Rod) use of performance enhancing drugs which, according to Roberts, he began taking in high school (not the Majors as he admitted earlier this year), among other ridiculous claims and stories.I don’t care how it is packaged or sold by publishers – this book has NOTHING to do with holding Rodriguez accountable for his actions. It’s a smear book. It’s a gossip magazine or tabloid that comes with a hard cover. If Roberts truly cared about holding him accountable there would be several things that would be different about this situation:
- The “book” would not contain details about his private life. His “insecurity,” divorce from his wife, late nights at clubs, pickup lines, adulterous ways, scandalous relationships (to include that with Madonna) and tipping habits at Hooters or any other restaurant is NO ONE’S BUSINESS! The only reason this book has the salacious details is because no one would buy it otherwise (a sad testimony of our culture).
- Any information found regarding steroid use would be published in a newspaper or magazine, as well as handed over to his employers to deal with internally (that being inside the Yankees organization and Major League Baseball). I believe fans are entitled to know if they are being cheated by an athlete’s professional performance, but ultimately the court of public opinion can do nothing other than lambast A-Rod for sinning differently than they do. Real consequences would come from his employers.
- She would not be publishing information about his behavior as a teenager (he’s 32 years old now). I understand that it just shows a pattern of behavior, but that is for him, his team and his counselor (preferably pastor) to know and HELP him with – not for the public to judge him.
- (Probably my biggest issue with this “book”) Roberts would NOT profit for spreading his trash all over the world. This is as disgusting to me as a photographer being paid thousands or millions of dollars for taking a pic of a celebrity’s kids or a celebrity nude or in a scandalous situation.
As a true baseball fan, the revelation that many of the heroes of my generation have used steroids (in particular those who broke some of baseball’s most beloved records) has crushed me. Knowing that someone has cheated is important information that fans should know, but we do not need to know every area of their lives. Their personal lives are between them, their families, and God. This is not to say they should not be held accountable for inappropriate living, but the primary reason anyone knows about those private lives is because of scandalous “reporting” like this book. Their professional errors are an internal and professional issue that is between their employer (and Major League Baseball) and them as an employee. We as fans who pay our hard-earned money to watch those teams are to trust that they are disciplining and acting on behalf of those who pay their salaries and the integrity of the game itself.
PARENTS: As despicable an action as the publication of this book is, it is still a good reminder of the consequences of our decisions. For more on talking about this topic with kids or teens checkout my Bristol Palin/Levi Johnson post titled “Bristol Palin Who? Levi Johnson Who?”. It is also a good reminder for us about the importance of true repentance, Biblical accountability, Grace and mercy.
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Image Credit: Associated Press
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