Why I feel sick about the Cub’s win (No — I’m not an Indians fan, either)
Sports fans ignited social media Wednesday night following the historic Chicago Cubs World Series win. People laughed and cried — the city had waited 108 years for this victory.
Even Obama got in on the excitement.
But one aspect of the Cubs’ win was glaringly absent from the conversation: the scandal surrounding Aroldis Chapman, their closing pitcher. Fans raved about his talent on the field.
But most happily ignored the recent 30-game suspension he had received for allegedly sexually assaulting his girlfriend.
Last October, Cristina Barnea, Chapman’s girlfriend, accused him of pushing and choking her. She called 9-1-1 and hid in the bushes. Chapman admitted to police that he fired eight gunshots into a wall and window, but has fiercely denied the assault accusations from the beginning.
In January, prosecutors announced no criminal charges would be filed against Chapman because of “inconsistencies” in the stories of witnesses and the accuser. We’ve heard that argument before.
Instead, the pitcher received a mere 30-game regular season suspension in accordance with the MLB’s new Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy. There are 162 games in a regular season.
In a statement on March 1, Chapman said, “I should have exercised better judgment with respect to certain actions, and for that I am sorry.”
Following his suspension, Chapman was back in action. The Cubs acquired him from the Yankees in July in their push for the World Series. The Cubs’ chairman gave a nod to Chapman’s “circumstances” after the trade, excusing them by adding, “We are also aware that he cooperated fully with the league investigation and takes responsibility for his actions.” So, no worries.
Why is this conversation missing from the headlines? Because criminal charges were never filed? Because Chapman accepted his suspension? Because he’s still with his girlfriend, the alleged assault victim? (As we know, there are plenty of reasons sexual assault survivors stay with their partners. Take running back Ray Rice and Janay Palmer — they stayed together even after the assault was caught on camera.)
The Cubs got what they wanted, but at what cost? There are likely few Cubs fans who don’t know about Chapman’s assault allegations, but, aside from some standout cases, equally few fans protested when their team was inching closer to that prized World Series win.
Chapman lost approximately $1.7 million in salary during his suspension.
But he also lost something else: culpability, at least in the eyes of many.
He did his “time,” but does that mean his fans, the MLB, the media … should let him off scot-free?
