Houston Astros 2017 World Series title should be stripped away, according to poll
The Houston Astros should be stripped of their 2017 World Series title, according to a recent poll of 662 adults.
The Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted on Feb. 3-5 found that 52% of respondents believe the Astros’ championship should be taken away in the wake of their sign-stealing scandal.
The poll was conducted by phone and has a margin of error of +/- 3.9%. Thirty-five percent believe the Astros should retain their title. Also, 13% didn’t know or have an opinion (or don’t know a baseball from a football).
Additionally, 84% of those polled said the cheating scandal “really hurts the game,” with only 8% saying cheating happens all of the time and is not a big deal.
“The sentiment to strip the Astros of their trophy is well reflected in the seriousness by which people view rule breaking,” Rick Gentile, director of the Seton Hall Sports Poll, said in a press release.
The Seton Hall Sports Poll has been conducted regularly since 2006.
MLB is expected to announce its finding on a similar investigation into the Boston Red Sox, who won the World Series in 2018 under first-year manager Alex Cora. Cora was fired last month after the findings of the Astros’ scandal were released. Cora was a bench coach for the Astros in 2017. Astros manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for a year by the league and then fired by Astros’ owner Jim Crane. Houston replaced Hinch with veteran manager Dusty Baker.
The Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution on Jan. 21 asking for the league to strip the Astros and Red Sox of their titles. Both teams beat the Dodgers in the World Series.
