LeBron James is a man of sports, this much is clear. And according to the all-world basketball superstar, that also gives him a platform and some insight that can be used to criticize Major League Baseball’s handling of the Houston Astros cheating scandal.
If you haven’t paid much attention to baseball this offseason, MLB has been Going Through It after the Astros organization was punished for electronically stealing signs from opposing teams and delivering that information to batters in real time through an elaborate system that also included banging on a trash can. The team lost its manager and GM, and caused a brief period where other managers involved were fired by other major league teams, but no active Astros players were punished for tactics that were used to help the team win a World Series in 2017 and saw players benefit by performing better, notably at home.
That lack of punishment has been heavily criticized by players as spring training started over the last week, with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred taking part in a disastrous press conference that only sparked more outrage. Now, that sentiment has been shared by James on Tuesday. James, who is enjoying the NBA All-Star break, took time away from basketball to comment on the Astros scandal, saying if he were a baseball man he would be “f*cking irate” that the cheating has gone unpunished on the field.
Listen I know I don’t play baseball but I am in Sports and I know if someone cheated me out of winning the title and I found out about it I would be F*^king irate! I mean like uncontrollable about what I would/could do! Listen here baseball commissioner listen to your…..
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 18, 2020
James commenting on one of the biggest sports scandals in recent memory is a big deal, especially considering how critical he is of Manfred, who he never referred to as anything other than “baseball commissioner.” That wasn’t James’ only post on the subject, as he sent out a second tweet on the subject that used a remarkably long hashtag.
players speaking today about how disgusted, mad, hurt, broken, etc etc about this. Literally the ball(⚾️) is in your court(or should I say field) and you need to fix this for the sake of Sports! #JustMyThoughtsComingFromASportsJunkieRegardlessMyOwnSportIPlay
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 18, 2020
#JustMyThoughtsComingFromASportsJunkieRegardlessMyOwnSportIPlay was, you may be stunned to learn, the first of its kind, but quickly became a popular hashtag in its own right. Truly, the ball is in Manfred’s court (or should I say field) but it’s entirely unclear if MLB will continue to let this criticism build without taking action. When you’ve got LeBron commenting on baseball this negatively, though, it’s safe to say things are not going well for baseball.
