ESPN Host Dan Le Batard Banned from Hall of Fame Voting After Giving Away His Ballott

Dan Le Batard, an ESPN personality and sports writer for the Miami Herald, received a severe penalty from the Baseball Writers Association of America, or BBWAA, after giving his Baseball Hall of Fame voting ballot to Deadspin this year.

According to cbssports.com,

The BBWAA Board of Directors has decided to remove Dan Le Batard's membership for one year, for transferring his Hall of Fame ballot to an entity that has not earned voting status. The punishment is allowed under the organization's constitution.

In addition, Le Batard will not be allowed to vote on Hall of Fame candidates from this point on.

The BBWAA regards Hall of Fame voting as the ultimate privilege, and any abuse of that privilege is unacceptable.

 

I personally have no problem with MLB players who used steroids getting into the Hall of Fame. It was an issue MLB knew about and ignored for years. They also used when when steroid use was a common practice among their peers. If they want to put a black dot next to their name because of the era they played in, fine. I just think it is wrong to keep guys with those credentials out.

I do not agree with how Le Batard handled the situation. Now that he does not have a vote, he can not vote for the guys he is actively fighting for. His actions make no sense. He has a TV show on ESPN, host an ESPN radio show, and writes for the Miami Herald. He has plenty of platforms to speak on the issue without losing his vote.

In the comment below let me know what you think about steroid users and the Le Batard voting situation.