Rockies OF Charlie Blackmon Lands Deal With Sportsbook, Pete Rose Remains Banned

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is set to become the first MLB player to endorse a bookmaker, reaching a partnership with MaximBet, as relayed by ESPN.

Blackmon is a four-time All-Star, so MaximBet is not getting some mediocre brand ambassador for its marketing campaigns on social media and fan events.

But the fact Blackmon will be endorsed by an online sportsbook makes you wonder why this is allowed, especially considering Pete Rose remains banned from baseball and its Hall of Fame. Rose, of course, was banned from baseball way back in 1989, when an investigation concluded he bet on games when he was a manager.

Granted, there's a difference between betting on games as a man still in baseball, and a player such as Blackmon partnering with an online sportsbook. Still, it's a thin line. Per MLB rules, Blackmon won't be allowed to promote betting on baseball specifically. He can endorse only the sportsbook itself in general. Players, coaches and others employed by MLB teams are still prohibited from betting on baseball.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon circles the bases after hitting a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

That said, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred recently spoke about the future of in-game betting on baseball in glowing fashion.

"We see it primarily as a form of increasing fan engagement. It's an additional way for our fans to interact with the game," Manfred said on ESPN's SportsCenter. "I do think in-game betting is going to be a significant component. I think if you talk to people who are experts in the field that they don't see outcome betting as a major growth area. It is in fact in-game betting, so-called prop betting, that is going to be the growth area. And most of that betting is going to take place on mobile devices."

This leads us back to Rose. The person with the most hits in baseball (4,256) remains banned from baseball. All the while, gambling has become part of the game in very material ways.

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