It’s too early to predict the fallout from the Houston Astros cheating scandal. But one thing is already clear: The players who participated and drove the signal-stealing scheme will not be fined or suspended. Following an internal investigation, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred concluded that with the wide scope of players involved, and the reality that many have now moved to other teams, taking disciplinary action against players would be “difficult and impractical.”
Meanwhile, Citigroup, a global banking behemoth, just suspended the head of its lucrative High Yield Bond division in London for repeatedly skipping out on his lunch bill.
Pushing the envelope to gain an edge has always been ingrained in baseball’s culture, from pine tar to spitballs. Now, with the advent of modern technology and exponentially larger revenue and payrolls, the pressure to cheat is stronger than ever. The same can be said (and quite often has been said by some leading presidential candidates) about Wall Street.
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