One of the starts of the New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez, has been found betting at illegal clubs. The team has warned him about the danger of harming his image and the image of the team. The players agent, Scott Boras, denies this version.
It is not the first time, Rodriguez has been caught betting illegally. In October, he was found playing with Phil Hellmuth at an illegal club. Although playing at underground clubs is not illegal, and only to operate them is prosecuted by the law, these incidents put Rodriguez in a very uncomfortable situation both within the team and in front of his fans.
This would not be the first case of corruption in baseball. In 1919, several players of the Chicago White Sox were accused of losing deliberately the World Series. In the 80s, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle were banned from baseball after they accepted to work as casinos public relations. And more recently, in 1989, the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, Pete Rose, admitted betting on baseball while managing the club.
The New York Yankees do not want Rodriguez to give that image to the thousands of kids that have him as an idol. Commissioner Bud Selig said that he does not understand why Rodriguez puts himself in such situation, when he could be playing privately in any apartment. Besides, since sports betting is part of the offer of some of the establishments visited by Rodriguez, he could eventually be banned from baseball.
