MLB 2020: Alex Rodriguez joins as commentator for opening broadcast, fans ask ESPN to 'get the cheater off air'
Former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman Alex Rodriguez aka A-Rod was one of the commentators during July 23 New York Yankees vs Washington Nationals games. But that did not go down well with fans and Twitter users. To give some context, according to a report by USA Today sports, Rodriguez was hit with a 211-game suspension stemming from the Biogenesis scandal in 2013. Rodriguez reportedly received HGH from Biogenesis of America, an anti-aging clinic in Coral Gables, Florida. This suspension came four years after he admitted to using steroids earlier in his career.
Another statement by Bleacher Report says, "In the technical sense, Rodriguez is an admitted cheater. Dating back to 2009, he admitted to using PEDs during his time with the Texas Rangers, but vowed that was his only transgression, damning neither his early days in Seattle as a phenom or more recent MVP campaigns in New York."
Given these circumstances, fans were furious that he was given the duties of commentary during the opening game on July 23. One Twitter user wrote: "I can’t believe ESPN thought it’d be a good idea to keep A-Rod announcing and move on from Jessica Mendoza. A-Rod f***ing sucks man." While a health care editor, Sam Baker, mocked, "Sure, A-Rod cheated at baseball through numerous episodes of steroid use, but what are the MLB and its media partners supposed to do, simply turn away this kind of poetic analysis?"
