Marianne Kixmiller 11/12/00 Ethnic Studies- Portman
John Rocker is a baseball pitcher who plays in the major leagues
for the Atlanta Braves. Next month will mark the one year anniversary
of the beginning to Rocker's bumpy ride in the spotlight. Not
only did his offensive comments cost him the respect of his fans,
teammates and country, he temporarily lost the privilege to do
what he loves most, play baseball.
An interview with Sports Illustrated sparked rumors that this
Rocker character was for real. When asked about New York City,
Rocker replies,
The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners.
I'm not a very big fan of foreigners. You can walk an entire block
in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians
and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish
people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this
country?(Sports Illustrated, December 27, 1999)
While some, and even most Americans find that type of mixed culture
interesting and enriching, Rocker does not. He not only disagrees
with this new wave notion, but voices his opinions in uncountable
ways. His feelings are so strongly voiced that he has been compared
to such hate-filled and driven icons as Charles Manson.
America caught a glimpse of just how far Rocker could go, when Sports Illustrated asked him about playing for a New York team. Rocker's response:
I would retire first. It's the most hectic, nerve-racking
city. Imagine having to take the (number) 7 train to the ballpark,
looking like you're (riding through) Beirut next to some kid with
purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude
who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some
20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing. (Sports Illustrated,
December 27, 1999)
The truly depressing part about this speech is Rocker's ignorance
and fear of real life. The truth is that he's probably never known
someone in these situations he describes above. The extreme situations
that he assumes exist in everyday life are formed by stereotypes
and lack of experience.
Rocker refers to an away game last year, when the Braves faced the Mets in New York, to claim that Mets fans proved him right when they reacted to his comments.
Nowhere else in the country so people spit at you, throw
bottles at you throw quarters at you, throw batteries at you and
say, 'Hey I did your mother last night--she's a whore.' I talked
about what degenerates they were, and they proved me right. Just
by saying something, I could make them mad enough to go home and
slap their moms.(Sports Illustrated, December 27, 1999)
Does Rocker have a legitimate point? Are the Mets fans proving
Rocker right? Are they on the same level as Rocker? Are their
actions justified? These are a few different ways of looking at
the situation. I would say that the Mets fans' actions can be
categorized in a different way than Rocker's antics. Rocker makes
generalizations about people he knows nothing about. The Mets
fans, on the other hand, have heard what Rocker has to say, and
can judge him based on facts. Two wrongs never make a right, but
Rocker's judgment is often based upon ridiculous assumptions.
When one begins to see a point in Rocker's argument, he/she must think again. He is completely hypocritical and ruins his point when he acts the same way as the Mets fans. "At Shea, Rocker was a one-man psycho circus. He spit at Mets fans. He gave them the finger. During batting practice he would shag a ball in the outfield, fake a toss to a throng of waving spectators, then throw it back to the pitcher, smiling wickedly"(Sports Illustrated, December 27,1999). He claims that New Yorkers are such disgusting and offensive people, then does the same thing that causes him to categorize these people in such a way.
As a result of Rocker's offenses, he was fined $20,000 and suspended from spring training and the first month of the season. Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig called for these penalties after ordering Rocker to seek professional help with a psychiatrist. Psychiatry did not heal Rocker's problem. Psychologists concluded that the racism and bigotry that Rocker exhibited were not themselves mental illnesses.
If one is to cast aside how wrong and ignorant John Rocker appears, would he/she think he should be able to express his opinions without limitations? Some say yes, some say no. Athletes are not perfect; they are only humans, but where is the line drawn? A long list of stupid comments made by athletes exists, but is every athlete urged to see a psychiatrist? No. Take Dennis Rodman; a basketball player who made incendiary comments about Mormons, Charles Barkley formerly with the Houston Rockets, spat at fans and declared his racism with explicit remarks. Roberto Alomar, Latrell Sprewell, the list goes on and on. These athletes were not recommended to see a psychiatrist. Why then, was Rocker singled out?("A New Mental Disability: Political Incorrectness" Herbert London). Baseball tends to want to keep a unique image; one that is pure and different from that of wrestling or hockey. It is a great American pastime that helps define our culture. Herbert London makes an interesting parallel. "There is a double standard. A white baseball player from team in the deep South is treated differently from a Latino player in a Midwestern city. One might assume that what is good for the goose is good for the gander. But that certainly is not he case in sports"(A New Mental Disability: Political Incorrectness).
Last March, Rocker was back in the game. He was full of apologies and even described as "begging" his teammates to allow him to play again. In this meeting with his teammates, Rocker referred to himself as "ashamed....unprofessional....sorry" for the comments he had made that winter. After this announcement, he stated that "an apology is no more than just words unless it is followed by actions"(Sports Illustrated, March 13, 2000). None of Rocker's teammates will tell you he is a changed man. He is only beginning to realize the impact of his opinions. Nevertheless, they are trying to help him. Pitcher Tom Glavine comments, "You have to decide: Are you doing better service by getting rid of the cancer or trying to help him? We're trying to help"(Sports Illustrated, March 13, 2000).
Despite the severity of John Rocker's offensive opinions and how they were openly expressed to the public, one has to evaluate the freedom and rights of our counrty. Where do people cross the line of free speech? Is it every man for himself, or are people expected to abide by the limitations made by others?