It was more than 100 years ago that Shoeless Joe Jackson was among eight Black Sox banned from baseball for throwing the 1919 World Series. It's been more than 35 years since Pete Rose suffered the same fate after betting on the sport as a player and manager of the Cincinnati Reds in the mid-1980s.
So when baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated both players on Tuesday — making them eligible for the sport's Hall of Fame — it might feel like a sport that's softening its stance in the modern era of ubiquitous sports gambling. After all, a huge chunk of Americans can make legal wagers at gleaming sportsbooks or even while sitting on their couch using their cell phone.
