Is Pete Rose also banned for life on future baseball cards?

Question

Does his MLB banishment extend to baseball cards made by the big companies like Topps and Fleer? Like they are not allowed to mention his name or show a photo of him on a tribute or honary card? For instance: I was thinking should a future player break Rose's all-time hits record and Topps produces a card for the milestone, would it say on the back of the card "He breaks the all-time record last held by Pete Rose" or would they get around it by saying "He breaks the all-time record that stood unbroken since 1986?"

Answer 1

Yes. All baseball cards are officially licensed by MLB.
Pete has been banned from MLB which officially makes him ineligible to appear on any and all MLB baseball cards and products.

Answer 2

Rose's ineligibility is not "for life" -- it is "permanent". This is an important distinction many people get wrong. Rose drawing breath, while obviously an important bonus to him personally, makes no difference to MLB and his status thereto.

Rose's status means that MLB will not (or at least should not) license any entity to include Rose in the merchandise or marketing. In particular, Rose cannot appear in any official uniform. When he portrayed Ty Cobb in a movie in 1991 (the made-for-television "Babe Ruth", NOT the one starring John Goodman), MLB did not allow him to appear in a Tigers uniform; instead he was in street clothes. Topps did produce a small (12 cards IIRC) promotional card set, but this was allowed because Rose appeared as himself and not as a uniformed ballplayer, and Topps (or the movie production company; not clear, nor critical) had secured permission from Rose to use his image.

Any card company (and in baseball, there's only two right now, Topps and Upper Deck, which owns the remains of the Fleer brand) COULD produce a Rose set, but there would be restrictions and concerns. One, they'd need to get image licensing directly from Rose or his representatives. Two, they could not portray him in uniform (or greatly risk having MLB's lawyers get involved). Three, it would be risking burning bridges with MLB -- a vital licensor -- to do so. There's no potential gain worth the risks involved.

Rose could, I think, be mentioned by name. MLB certainly doesn't deny he exists, that he played, and that he put up a lot of numbers. They just refuse to include him in any official promotional materials or merchandise (unless MasterCard is sponsoring the event, in which case they've granted him participatory waivers, twice; well, money does talk).

Joe Jackson's situation is similar; he is not supposed to be included in any merchandise. Upper Deck did produce one or two cards of him a few years back and caught a lot of under-the-radar flack for it.

Answer 3

I believe that baseball card manufacturers are licensed by MLB. If so, then, I would imagine that Pete Rose will not appear on any future cards as long as his lifetime ban is still in effect. But this is a good question. MLB does not want Rose to make any income from the sport, so allowing him to have a card that he could autograph at sports shows would be going against their wishes. I think the answer is Yes - banned from ball cards.

Answer 4

He broke the rules of the game. The rules of the game say he is banned permanently. It is printed right there, in black and white, that gambling on the game is grounds for a permanent ban. The rules of the game are posted in every clubhouse. He walked into the clubhouse every day he spent in the Major Leagues. He ABSOLUTELY deserves it! He made a choice to break that rule, and if he didn't know what "permanent" meant before, he's learning it now, he learned it yesterday, he'll learn it tomorrow, and he'll learn it every day of his life. The rules of the game say nothing about exempting a player if he breaks all-time records. You don't improve your standing by being a good player; it doesn't work that way. In fact, that's an even greater reason to enforce the ban; Pete Rose was one of the game's most visible players, and he made a huge dent in the very integrity of the game! If a sport's stars can get away with that in full view of everyone, it opens the door for others to do the same thing. Pete Rose knew exactly what he was doing, and he got caught doing it. Sorry, Pete.

Answer 5

The card are licensed through MLB and the Players' Association, so anyone banned from baseball would not have new cards produced for them.

If Rose is alive at the time of the new record holder, he could not take part in any official ceremony - unless gtanted a waiver gy the commissioner's office - but his name/totals could be mentioned in the text of the card, since such stats are in the public domain and has not be stricken from MLB records.

Answer 6

Yes, that is how it works. Fleer and Topps no longer will produce cards when a player is banned. Hold on to any of his cards if you have any/

Answer 7

I don't know what the big deal is with Pete Rose. He did his time and aren't we supposed to move on. Most people have already decided on his fate and would not give him a job in baseball anyway.

Answer 8

Pete could always make his own baseball cards of himself. lol

Answer 9

nope and what a nice guy talked to him
he is a real player and what a handshake