You would think most professional sports players retire because of age, right? Well, not Adam LaRoche of Major League Baseball. LaRoche's retirement has sparked controversy and opinions are all over the place.
On the morning of March 15, Adam LaRoche entered the Chicago White Sox clubhouse and informed the organization that he was ending his 12 year career. By retiring, he is walking away from the final year of his two year contract with the White Sox that would have paid him $13 million for the 2016 season. At first, it was reported that LaRoche was hanging up the cleats for undisclosed personal reasons. The revealed reason for this sudden decision the next day, though? LaRoche was told by the White Sox President of Baseball Operations, Kenny Williams, to cut down on how often he brings his 14-year-old son, Drake, into the clubhouse and onto the baseball field.
Rest assured, there were no hard feelings against LaRoche. Williams addressed that LaRoche's son is a "great young man," but he simply felt that he should not have been at camp every day and not even half of the time. After all, what professional employer would allow their employees to bring their children to work every day? Besides, at 14 years old, shouldn't Drake be in school or something?
Nevertheless, LaRoche has received tremendous amounts of praise for his beliefs and family values. The Chicago White Sox players all considered not playing in the March 16 spring training game in an effort to support him and his decision. There were also several current and former players from all around the league who tweeted their support for LaRoche, with Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals tweeting "Good for you Roche! Nothing like father and son in the clubhouse..It's a FAMILY game."
You have to wonder how Drake feels about this whole situation. After all, he was often traveling with his father throughout the past few seasons and was never a distraction to anyone. His father's now former teammate, Adam Eaton, said, "Drake would clean cleats, he would help out in drills, pick up baseballs when we needed. He didn't say boo to anybody and was never a trouble in the clubhouse."
On the other hand, it is clear how his father feels. He finds that he must make his family his priority. Because
LaRoche's retirement is so abrupt, he has been asked to take some time
to make sure this is the decision that makes him happy. Either way, his intention as of today shows who he truly is not only as a baseball player, but also as a patriarch of a family.
