I wonder....
What do you think would happen if you had a high school and for many years (say about 20) people had heard rumors and had lots and lots of speculation that a very significant chunk of the students (say 8-12% at least) were cheating on the big standardized test every year. Yet through all those years, the principal sat on his hands, refused to do anything at all for most of it (and what little he did, was basically insignificant), and just reaped the benefits of the scores his school got.But then the government got suspicious and put a very reputable man on the case and did a big, thorough investigation and caught the school and a huge chunk of the cheaters and exposed them all for what everyone had long suspected.
What do you think happens to that principal?
I'm hoping most of us can recognize that principal would not only be fired (or at least forced to resign) but they would also never get any kind of similar professional opportunity for the rest of their lives. They would be a disgrace to education and it would take decades for the school community to recover from the damage they so willingly allowed to take place.
I was thinking of all of this yesterday because the Mitchell report came out. If you don't know, this is the report Senator George Mitchell did after almost two years of investigating performance enhancing drugs in baseball. The report wasn't really shocking to most, since everyone knew there was a huge problem in baseball. What I think is most shocking is the lack of fall out now.
None of the 70-80 players listed in the report will apparently have any punishment except what the court of public opinion determines. No bans, no records erased, none of that. That seems wrong to me.
But what really seems wrong to me is that Bud Selig still has a job. He is the commissioner of baseball - and basically is the equivalent in that world of the principal in my world of high school education. And whether you think he has done a good job or bad up to this point as commissioner (and people think both and I'll be honest - I think he has been horrible) - this alone should be costing him his job.
If Pete Rose can be banned by baseball for betting on baseball games, how can Bud Selig not get AT LEAST the same punishment. Did him allowing this drug problem to run rampant for years not hurt baseball many, MANY times worse than what Rose did?
If there is any justice, then every time for the rest of time when a baseball fan talks with disgust and revolt about a player who was doing drugs during this era they will always follow it up with "...and that crappy Bud Selig just let it all happen."
posted by Anonymous @ 8:56 AM
