Cardinals Face F.B.I. Inquiry in Hacking of Astros’ Network
We don't know the details, but I think it's safe to say that if the allegations are true, the Cardinals engaged in a form of cheating. It could be that their cheating had very deep and nefarious implications, but I doubt it. If anything, they may have stolen some secrets that gave the Cards an advantage over the Astros in player acquisition strategy.What I cannot get over is how absurd is it that the Federal Government has been able to insert itself so deeply into a problem that doesn't warrant FBI involvement in the slightest. Athletic teams have been cheating for centuries. Sometimes that cheating involves ruined careers for both the cheater and the cheated, and sometimes they involve teams losing money. But what they rarely involve is the FBI. And the only times I can think of when they have involved law enforcement have been narcotics or gang related.To me, this sounds no worse than various other advantages that teams unethically gain for themselves. That our legal system allows for this particular type of cheating to potentially be a federal crime is frightening. Let MLB handle this internally, and play ball.[edit: holy shit. I get it. The FBI is acting within its legal right (and duty). This is a moral statement about the law that they are tasked with enforcing.]