Feb 15 2008
Another MLB Controversy To Make You Forget About That Whole ‘Steroids’ Thing
So, we’ve all head about Pedro and Juan Marichal appearing in a cockfighting video. Apparently, they also train farm birds to do battle in a ring in their native Dominican Republic. Well, today it surfaced that Aramis Ramirez also handles cocks. Coincidentally, he trains birds to fight too.
The obvious parallel here is with the Michael Vick story, and the obvious conclusion is that Martinez and Marichal and Ramirez should suffer the same public and professional (though not legal) repercussions as Vick. So far, this story is being laughed off, both by the players and the fans. Yet, there are some crucial differences, most notably the fact that cockfighting is legal in the DR. Moreover, it’s apparently a pillar of their cultural, as the most boring sports section on Earth would have you believe. From the NY Times:
“…in the Dominican Republic, cockfighting is celebrated as a symbol of the country’s warrior spirit. Nearly every neighborhood and country village has a gallera, or cockfighting arena, and the sport is legal and regulated.
There are 1,500 galleras registered with the country’s National Commission of Cockfighting, and the industry employs thousands of people, said Junior Arias Noboa, the commission’s president.
‘We don’t see anything wrong with it,” he said of cockfighting. “It is completely integrated in our laws and completely integrated in our tradition.’”
Still, there is all sorts of hypocrisy at play here. Why are we so willing to give Dominicans a pass on the grounds of cultural differences but lynch Michael Vick, ignoring how vastly different Newport News, VA is from most of America? And yes, I chose the term ‘lynch’ on purpose.
Moreover, don’t we now prosecute Americans who go abroad (read: Cambodia) to do things to little children? I’m not suggesting for a second that cocks and little kids are equals (have fun with that sentence; I’ve already reached my cock jokes quota for this post), but there’s at least precedent for Americans expecting morality from our own across international borders.
And sure, Pedro isn’t an American and Vick is, and Vick’s dirt was done in the US while Pedro’s was done in the DR. But that’s why there’s no legal action being taken. What’s more disturbing is the (lack of) public reaction.
There are all sorts of nitpicking points that Pedro defenders/Vick detractors can come up with to defend how this has gone down, but it seems that Michael Vick is getting a raw deal in the court of public opinion. Rather, Pedro is getting a great deal. Then again, he is the guy who conned the Mets into four years/$53M for a 33-year old with a gimpy shoulder. Maybe it’s his agent. Or maybe we just prefer jheri curls to cornrows.
ps Lest the lighthearted nature of this post misled you, keep in mind that cockfighting is pretty cruel.
7 Responses to “Another MLB Controversy To Make You Forget About That Whole ‘Steroids’ Thing”
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I have not read that Pedro has owned birds or otherwise been involved directly in cockfighting. From what I’ve read he was essentially an honorary guest of Marichal who owned that gallera. Please provide a link if there is something else out there.
If there is such things then disregard the following. If there is nothing else then Pedro witnessed and ‘emceed’ if you will an event in his home land at the request of his idol. Vick funded and housed a factory that produced dogs who fought and killed each other. Those that failed were killed horribly. He did this in the USA where dogfighting is not an accepted part of the culture. Certainly there is a subculture that is involved in dogfighting (as there is for cockfights, puppet fetishes and Hentai) but generally is agreed to be a disgusting act (not to mention illegal).
Again this ties back into what I said about Clemens. Pedro, right or wrong, did not deny his involvement and openly discussed the youtube video. It was then that he said he had no other involvement but that it is an accepted part of the Dominican culture as your post alluded to. On the other hand, Vick lied and vehemently denied his involvement, played (or perhaps had played for him) the race card, and claimed utter innocence. He lied. That is why he was ‘lynched’ in the media and court of public opinion. While he still would be in jail and be looked down upon I wholeheartedly believe the circus around the Vick story would have been greatly diminished had he come clean.
For the record, I loathe cockfighting, bullfighting, dogfighting, and most forms of hunting and generally anything else that is unnecessarily cruel to animals for nothing more than entertainment (I do love me some steak though). And if Pedro is directly involved then he should be equally ‘lynched’.
From the NY Times:
“Many Dominicans look puzzled when asked their opinion of the controversy about an online video of cockfighting in which the current and former major league pitchers Pedro Martínez and Juan Marichal appear. The manager of a cockfighting club in Martínez’s neighborhood said that Martínez was a regular there and that he had also been a guest at Jiménez’s club.”
Also, let’s not paint a picture of a penitent Pedro, grimly addressing the media in a dark suit and shades to cover his tears of remorse. The man is literally laughing it off.
No one’s denying that there are differences, but the difference in the public response is far greater. That discrepancy, at the very least, shouldn’t just be dismissed.
Ok…but Martinez didn’t own cocks (cocks…that’s funny…ya know…b/c its like a penis) or cockfarms (ha…farms of cocks…holy shit this is 5star comedy). If I were Martinez I would laugh it off too. If a Spaniard superstar in sports (I don’t…Gasol? Isn’t he Spanish? Let’s pretend he is) visits a bullfighting ring regularly in the off-season wouldn’t he have the same reaction as Martinez? Should he be crucified for doing what is normal in his country? Even though many persons here (myself included) find bullfighting to be cruel. I don’t think so.
And my previous post detailed why I believe there is a discrepancy in public response and media attention.
Let’s assume for the moment that I concede the Pedro argument, what about Juan Marichal and Aramis Ramirez? Where’s the backlash there?
Oh wait, I know. They’re not big enough superstars, right?
You can always find some excuse, but whether you acknowledge it or not, there is a double standard here.
Why would I say they aren’t big enough superstar? That makes no sense. Marichal is as famous a pitcher as their is and anyone with a passing interest in baseball has at least heard of Ramirez.
This article quotes Ramirez as stating that when in the Dominican he owns cocks for fighting:
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/794733,greg021408.article
Here you have a good point and where you should have focused (instead of Pedro). Perhaps, as you said, its because Ramirez isn’t an international star? Perhaps its because Ramirez does this only the DR where it is legal so there isn’t too much for the media to run with there? I don’t know. There will almost assuredly be PETA protests and perhaps it will blow up more but with him there is at least the hint of a double standard.
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I think it’s pretty cool, and it gives us something to talk about. Instead of Clemens and the waste of tax payer money that has been spent on that mess.