Pete Rose Says If He Bet on His Own Team Today 'Nobody Would Think Anything of It'

Pete Rose believes that the partnership between MLB and legalized sports betting is a contradiction to his continued exile.

Colorado Rockies star Charlie Blackmon is the first active MLB player to partner with a sportsbook.

Rose told Barry M. Bloom that he has no problem with what Charlie is doing.

There is nothing illegal in that. The 17-time All-Star said that he came along at the wrong time. I paid for my mistake. I bet that my team would win. Nobody would think anything of it if I were around today.

The landscape of sports betting has changed a lot since 1989 when Pete Rose was banned from baseball.

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was struck down by the Supreme Court. States could write their own sports betting laws, and the leagues would try to collect their share of the pie. Money and endorsements would go to the players.

There is a clear line between what Rose did and what Blackmon is doing.

MLB's Rule 21 forbids a player, umpire, team official or league representative from betting on the outcome of games.

The rule says that any player, umpire, Club or League official or employee who bets any sum on any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform will be permanently ineligible.

Gambling on games is a sin in the current climate. The Atlanta Falcons wide receiver was suspended for at least the 2022 season in the National Football League after he was found to have placed bets on multiple games.

Rose's infraction has become more benign over time, but he still compromised the integrity of the game. Despite the proliferation of sports betting, it remains wrong despite being wrong in the 1980s.