Whatever happened to “Judge not Lest Ye be Judged”? From the calls I’ve taken on WFAN lately, people are practically suggesting the death penalty for the Astros players who participated in the sign stealing scandal.
The players made a mistake by cheating. Their bosses either encouraged it or were actually the progenitors of the plan. Did anyone have the courage to defy their superiors and turn them in to the baseball authorities? That’s more than most of us would do in our professions. “What happens in the locker room stays in the locker room” would be the more common response.
The very term whistleblower has been politicized. People of a certain political bent equate it with disloyalty and corruption to the extent that the mere mention of the word sets them off.
To me, a whistleblower is someone who courageously calls out wrongdoing, even though the act will have negative consequences to themselves. Throughout history, think of all the horrible abuses that might never have happened if someone spoken out in their early stages.
Mike Fiers didn’t report the cheating while he was with the team. That would have been extraordinary. But at least he did come forward later, which coupled with MLB’s punishments may result in halting the practice in the future. For this, he will be shunned by some team mates and even blackballed out of a future contract when his expires. I wouldn’t be surprised if an opposing pitcher sticks one in his ear in a National League Park. So he showed a lot of bravery, even if in a perfect world, he should have done it when it was happening in 2017.
In different fields, others have stood tall, with higher stakes than who wins a ballgame. If you still don’t approve of whistleblowers, watch the Michael Mann movie “The Insider“. Think how many lives were saved by one man’s courage to speak up against powerful interests.
