Quote:
Originally Posted by bk400
I don't blame Rose for the current level of gambling in sports, but I do wonder whether a player of his stature would have made a difference if he educated people about the dangers of problem gambling. It might have become politically toxic to bring gambling out from the shadows of the sport if Pete Rose used his popularity to turn voters against gambling as a general matter.
I mean, I remember distinctly that people used to equate HIV with being gay, but after Magic came out and talked about it, if you walked around school making fun of AIDS and gay people, it all of a sudden wasn't cool or funny any more.
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Considering how much gambling was happening before it was legalized in many states, I doubt there's anything Rose or anyone else could have done to keep us from where we are now. Too much money for the states and the leagues to ignore.