Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles: Orioles divided regarding new anti-hazing rule

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:29 p.m. ET

Fansided, Delia Enriquez/FanSided via Birds Watcher

According to the new CBA, Major League Baseball has implemented a new rule regarding the annual rookie hazings. However, some members of the Baltimore Orioles are divided regarding the matter.

Major League Baseball is taking steps to make the clubhouse a safe environment for all. And according to the new CBA, MLB has tweaked the hazing process, where veterans force rookies to wear costumes.

In the new CBA, the policy prohibits “requiring, coercing or encouraging players to dress up as women or wear costumes that may be offensive to individuals based on their race, sex, nationality, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or other characteristic.”

Why did MLB decide to address hazing, a ritual that has happened for decades?

Well, players don’t appreciate their pictures being placed on social media, and it makes them a bit uncomfortable.

Regarding the Baltimore Orioles, some of the players are divided on the issue. Some enjoy the ritual while others don’t see the point of it. Tyler Wilson and Darren O’Day were two Orioles who expressed their views on the situation.

Wilson was one of the few baseball players that liked the new rules…

“I was just updated on that. I think that the whole hazing process is, why would we make it any more difficult for a rookie or somebody that’s just coming in the league, why would we make that transition any more difficult? They’re part of the team, we’re all in it together and we have the same unified cause, so any type of hazing or negligence toward respecting the other person, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem for our organization.”

While O’Day wasn’t sold on the new anti-hazing rule. He believed the hazing in the past was done tastefully, and the rookies for the most part enjoyed it.

“I’ve been around long enough that I’ve been dressed up a couple times,” O’Day said. “I’ve dressed people up many more times and I think it’s kind of silly. The way it was before, you had to depend on club leadership to not put guys in bad situations. It’s mostly fun loving.

“I get it. It’s a different world now with social media and instant access to everything. It is what it is. I’m not going to lose sleep over it. We’ll find other ways to make these guys feel uncomfortable.

“It’s part of the team bonding, to feel like once you’ve gotten over that obstacle, you feel a little bit closer to the team. You’ve gotten through your rookie year. It’s kind of fun. It’s not an easy year, I can tell you that.”

Next: Orioles sign Welington Castillo on one-year deal

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What do you think about the new anti-hazing policy? Do you think Major League Baseball is doing the right thing? Or do you think Major League Baseball should be focusing on something else?