Doing the Right Thing

Mike Ginsberg

Earlier this week, the Red Sox organization took out a full-page ad in the St. Louis Post Dispatch in which they thanked the Cardinals organization for a great, competitive World Series. This ad was printed a week after the Red Sox defeated the Cardinals in the World Series.

The ad stated “On behalf of our partners and the entire Red Sox organization, thank you St. Louis. The warm Midwestern welcome you extended to our team and our fans during this year’s hard-fought World Series is truly appreciated. Your region, its people, and the entire Cardinals organization represent everything that’s great about baseball.”

Here is the ad in its entirety: http://nesn.com/2013/11/red-sox-take-out-full-page-ad-in-st-louis-post-dispatch-to-thank-cardinals-fans-photo/

This ad comes out at a time when sports is, once-again, being closely scrutinized because of allegations of hazing and harassment that was recently inflicted by one football player on another. The media is quick to publicize heinous acts like these and, as a result, cast sports in a negative light because of the actions of a few individuals.

In the debt collection industry, an essential part of our credit economy I am proud to say I have been associated with for nearly 25 years, is constantly portrayed in a negative light because of the actions of a few unscrupulous individual that nearly all of the hundreds of thousands of hard working collection professionals would never resort to.

Offenders should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law but not at the expense of an entire organization or industry in general.  As parents, we try to teach our kids at a very young age not to pass judgment on a group because of the alleged actions of a few bad apples? Thank you Boston Red Sox for doing the right thing by running this ad, and by thanking the St. Louis organization for “good, clean fun.” It reminds me what is most important about sports and society in general.