The Chicago Cubs, Aroldis Chapman, and Our Shame in Forgetting about Domestic Violence
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How much more of their lovable identity will Cubs sell out?
There was a pretty big trade that just happened a few days ago in baseball. The Cubs, who have the best record in baseball, just acquired Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees for 4 minor leaguers. On the surface, this is a slam dunk trade for the Cubs. They did not have to give up any current major league players, and they got one of the hardest throwing closers in baseball history. Sure, he has control issues, RD can attest to this (ed note: he does), but he throws 105 mph. I don't care about control, that will scare even the best of hitters.
While it's all peachy in Chicago right now, and if they do not win the World Series now, they may never, I have a few problems with this deal. Let's get the minor problem out of the way first. The Cubs, and Theo Epstein, have always talked about building from the farm system and developing players. They did that last year to the tune of getting swept in the NLCS, but the team was mostly made up of players from the Cubs minor league system. Then, this offseason, the Cubs, and Theo Epstein, decided to eschew the whole build from within motto, and they went out and signed most of the top free agents. They got Ben Zobrist, Jason Heyward, they traded away Starlin Castro for some young assets, they signed John Lackey, they basically changed 50 percent of their lineup with top of the line free agents. I don't mind teams doing this, in fact, more power to you if you can, but don't tell me that you are building from within. That is not the case when the middle of your infield is made up of free agents, your new right fielder is a free agent signing, your third starter is a free agent, you cannot use the build from within motto if you sign a whole new team. Sure, they have Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber from the farm, but even Dexter Fowler was a trade, or free agent signing. They cannot say that this team was built from within, that is patently false. They went out and got big name free agents and that put this Cubs team over the top. This is not a team built from within, this is a team built on free agents and trades for big names.
The Cubs have become the Yankees of the NL by the amount of money they have spent the past 2 years on free agency. Even last year, they went out and spent a ton of money to sign Jon Lester, and made a very shady move in how they hired one of the best managers in baseball, Joe Maddon. Like I said, this is not a team built from the farm system, save for Bryant and Schwarber, and I'm sure there is one or two more guys that are contributors, but nothing like the free agents they've picked up the last two years. No more "we are built from our minor league" retort from the Cubs, I don't want to hear it.
Then, a few days ago, they traded away three of their top minor leaguers to acquire Chapman. Once again, they dipped into the farm system and traded some of their top prospects away for a much coveted, well established reliever. They did not draft and bring up Chapman from the minors, they traded for him and he has been a pro reliever for 4 or 5 years now. He is the hardest thrower in all of baseball. He's established. The Cubs are not a team built from their minor leaguers, they are a team built with star free agents.
The second, and more important problem that this Chapman trade brings, is the fact that Chapman had his first trade this offseason to the Dodgers called off because he was accused of domestic violence. He was still a Cincinnati Red until the Yankees decided to take a chance on him. After he signed with the Yankees, he was suspended by the MLB for 30 games for his domestic violence accusation. So, after getting one trade rescinded, then getting suspended, Chapman looked like a bad decision. He was all but forgotten about because he was accused of domestic violence. People who read my stuff know that I do not tolerate domestic violence. It's a disgusting and disturbing act done by disgusting and disturbing people. Anyone that puts hands on someone smaller than them, or a loved one, is a monster. That is one of the worst things that a grown person to do to someone else. Domestic assaulters are garbage people.
The real sad thing is that after Chapman's 30 game suspension, he came back, was throwing his incredible heat, saving games for the sorry Yankees and it seemed all was forgiven. Channels like ESPN were praising Chapman's heat. They seemed to have forgotten that he was accused of domestic violence. This as just like the Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Richie Incognito and Hope Solo stuff. These monsters were all accused of domestic assault, but since they are good at sports, ESPN never talked about it. They only showed the highlights and talked about how they "overcame adversity". What a crock. When Chapman was doing his first press conference with the Cubs, a reporter asked him about the domestic assault charge, and he said, in not so many words, he didn't know what they were talking about. I'm sure a lot got lost in translation, but still, he should have had his interpreter fully explain the question to him, and he could have given a very cliché answer. But, he did not do that. He chose to say that he didn't understand or that he didn't want to answer the question. To me, that is an admission of guilt. That means he definitely did something. When I was watching "PTI" yesterday they had a story involving Chapman. They touched on the whole domestic assault issue, but they barely spoke on it. Being the fan boy that he is, Mike Wilbon blamed everything on the translator and said that this would not affect him cheering for Chapman. He is so blinded by his love for the Cubs that he is willing to look past the fact that Chapman is an abuser because he can throw a very fast fast ball. I guarantee that if any other team acquired Chapman, Wilbon would have chastised them for taking this guy. But since it's the Cubs, he is willing to look past any indiscretions. Co-host Tony Kornheiser also gave him a pass saying that, once he goes out there and hits 103 or 104 on the gun, the fans will forget and cheer for him.
Therein lies the problem with sports, fandom and journalists nowadays. They are willing to give these abusers 5, 6 or even 7 chances because they are very good at their sport. These people need to be banished from playing sports the moment they put their hands on a loved one. That is disturbing and gross and it shouldn't matter if you can throw a ball hard. Abusers need to be punished, not given multiple chances. It's a problem at all levels, even college athletics now. If someone is good at a sport, they are given a pass, and that is wrong. I don't care that Chapman can throw over 100 mph, I don't care the Adrian Peterson can rush for 1,500 yards a season, I don't care that Hope Solo is a good goaltender, they are all abusers. Don't forget that when you cheer on these people. Just remember when you watch and clap for them, they have a loved one, or ones, that are terrified that they will hit them when they get upset. This is a major problem in sports, giving abusers multiple chances, and it needs to stop now. It's disturbing and gross. The ESPN's of the world need to stop idolizing these abusers. They need to be condemned, not loved.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. If you are a victim of domestic violence, get help today. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.