Distilled to its core though, the draft is an immoral exercise where big league clubs distribute laborers with minimal consent, designed and structured in a manner to limit expenses. There’s no line of work outside of sports that allocates employees to specific businesses like this: The players who get drafted each year never agreed to this system and never would if they had a choice. The unfairness of it all becomes crystal clear under any kind of scrutiny. It would be ridiculous if Bob’s Plumbing in New York held the exclusive rights to my labor simply because they drafted me out of school and it’s no less absurd that the Mets have that kind of power over Rocker.
Brenden Gawlowski
Corollary Damage: Kumar Rocker, the MLB Draft, and a Better Way Forward
Kumar Rocker, drafted by the New York Mets as the 10th overall pick in the first round of the MLB Draft, wasn’t offered a deal to play with the New York Mets. The problem? The Mets still “own the rights to Rocker” and now he can’t sign with any team in baseball.
Permalink: Drafts Are Immoral