Pete Rose: True Heroism Shines Through Controversy

When many think of Pete Rose, they picture the gambling scandal that blinds them from seeing the American hero that Rose truly was. From early stages in his life, Rose's perseverance was clearly shown as an invaluable attribute that would help him to succeed in the future. Rose illustrated his dedication to baseball early on, and through his determination, he achieved unimaginable accomplishments. Throughout his life, Pete Rose overcame insurmountable odds to solidify his place in society as a hero, a person who perseveres to achieve his goals.

Even as a young man, Rose had to overcome an interesting and disconcerting personal difficulty when he was forced to repeat the ninth grade. Academics were not Rose's strong suit, and he struggled with them throughout his high school years, but most visibly when he failed his freshman year. His father, Harry Rose, believed that it was in the best interest of his son to focus more on baseball than schoolwork. Harry chose to avoid placing Pete in summer school, with the need to have Pete concentrate on baseball during the summer months. “Harry Rose felt that it was more important for Pete to spend his summer playing baseball, because Harry decided there was more future in baseball than in academics” (Jordan 5). Repeating a grade was embarrassing for Rose, yet it proved to be an excellent example of his incredible drive and perseverance. Resulting from failing the ninth grade and losing one year of eligibility, Rose suffered a loss of exposure, which made it difficult for him to sign a contract with a professional team. Overall, this early struggle that Rose faced illustrated the determination that he showed throughout his baseball career.

After signing a contract with the Reds, Rose overcame many obstacles on his journey to the major leagues. As a minor league ballplayer, Rose did not achieve great success early; in fact it was quite the opposite. Rose struggled greatly in his first season in the minors, making 36 errors with a .277 batting average (Jordan 11). Rose faced adversity with many of his teammates, and his careless defensive play concerned his manager. He was faced with the reality that he must produce quickly, or his place in professional baseball might disappear. However, the next season, Rose achieved much greater success with the Red's new Class A minor league affiliate, the Macon Peaches. In 1962, Rose led the Peaches with a .330 batting average; yet he also hit 31 doubles, 9 home runs, and a league-leading 17 triples (Biography.com). Rose's exciting and much improved play prompted a league championship for the Macon Peaches, which helped the Cincinnati Red's executives finally realize Rose's true potential. The steps taken by Rose during the 1962 season propelled him into the major leagues, and to a new and exciting point in his career.

In his first major league season, Rose was faced with adversity amongst his teammates after taking the starting position of a veteran. After a career-changing season in 1962, Rose was invited to spring training with the major league team for the first time. Throughout the spring training season, Rose proved to the Red's management that he was ready to move his career into the major leagues. As spring training progressed, Rose's teammates started to recognize his cocky and arrogant nature, which appeared later on in his career as a negative attribute. One day during batting practice, Rose took one too many swings, and catcher John Edwards asked him, “Can't you count?” Rose quickly responded, “I didn't go to Ohio State like you did” (qtd. in Jordan 20). This attitude didn't bode well with his teammates, and many began to view Rose in a negative light. This would prove to be a difficult characteristic to shake off, as his teammates began to turn against him early on. It didn't help when Rose was handed the starting second baseman's spot, taking it from Don Blasingame, a veteran and favorite amongst his teammates. Rose's teammates didn't agree with the decision to give a starting role to a cocky rookie instead of a proven veteran. These issues with his own teammates at the beginning of his career forced him to persevere and ultimately helped him become a better baseball player, but more importantly a better person.

Rose also persevered though multiple personal matters, like his divorce to achieve his goals. After becoming an established star in the major leagues, Rose was forced to overcome other obstacles to achieve success. In the late 1970's, Rose and his wife, Karolyn Rose, began to identify difficulties in their marriage. In 1980, Karolyn was granted a divorce from her husband of 14 years. Pete was emotionally hurt by this event, but it was not evident based on his play during the 1980 season. He continued his excellent play on his way to leading his new team, the Philadelphia Phillies, to a World Series Championship, defeating the Kansas City Royals in six games. This victory cemented Rose's place in baseball history as a clear-cut leader after winning a World Series title with both the Reds and Phillies. Rose also had to face difficult decisions regarding his future after joining the Phillies, then rejoining the Reds. In his return to Cincinnati, Rose capped off his playing career with possibly his most recognizable moment. “One memorable September night in 1985 at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium, Pete Rose transformed his baseball career into something legendary” (The Pete Rose Controversy). Rose passed Ty Cobb to become baseball’s all-time hits leader with 4,192, and he would go on to finish with 4,256 (The Pete Rose Controversy). Rose's continued determination, in spite of his personal issues, truly illustrated his focus and dedication to the game of baseball.

Rose even had to overcome controversy about his gambling scandal during his managerial career with the Reds, as well as being forthright about it to admit his terrible mistake. After retiring as a player in 1985, Rose continued his career with the Cincinnati Reds franchise in a new role, manager. This role was new and exciting for Rose, who managed the Reds for four years, compiling a 426-388 record, finishing in second place in the National League West all four years (Biography.com). All in all, Rose finished his managerial career with the fifth most wins in Cincinnati history (Biography.com). However, towards the end of his time as manager, rumors began to be spread about an alleged scandal involving Rose and gambling. This controversy continued to build up until 1989, when Commissioner Bart Giamatti shocked the baseball world. Giamatti suspended Rose from baseball for life, the worst possible punishment to be placed on a single player (Biography.com). In 2004, after 14 years of denial, Rose finally admitted to betting on baseball; however, Rose stayed true to part of what he said in 1989 when he said that he never bet against his own team. This action by Rose shows his true heroism, his ability to be forward with his fans and admit the truth, even though it showed his great error in judgment. By stating that he never bet against his own team, Rose showed that he was not a sellout, as some suggest. He was, in fact, quite the opposite by showing the belief he had in his team by betting for them. “'I bet on my team every night'” (qtd. In “Baseball: Rose Admits to Betting on the Reds Every Night”). Overall, Rose never cheated the game of baseball, and although he made a poor decision, his rightful destination is clear, in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ultimately, the perseverance shown by Pete Rose throughout his career truly illustrates his place in society as a hero. Rose was forced to overcome numerous and rigorous obstacles in his life to achieve the success that he has. An unfortunate mistake made by Rose has both overshadowed his accomplishments as well as for 20 years denied his rightful place in his ultimate baseball destination, the Hall of Fame. The discipline and dedication that define Pete Rose's playing career display his true heroism throughout his life. The true mark of Rose’s heroism was not his actions on the field, but instead the amount of character he possessed in order to admit his mistake.

Works Cited

“Baseball: Rose Admits to Betting on the Reds Every Night.” The New York Times. Web. 1 Dec. 2009

"Biography.com." Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. Web. 8 Nov. 2009

Jordan, David. Pete Rose: A Biography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004. Print.

“The Pete Rose Controversy.” May 2003. National Public Radio. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.