Rob Manfred Was Asked Straight Up If He Hates Baseball

While most commissioners are hated in professional sports, the level of disdain between MLB fans and Rob Manfred is simply unmatched.

With his inability to reach agreements with the players association, along with his insistence on changing several longtime rules of the game, the main takeaway from fans is that the guy simply just doesn’t like baseball.

During a recent sit down with ESPN Senior Writer Don Van Natta Jr., Rob Manfred admitted it bothers him when fans say some of these things.

“It is the most ridiculous thing, among some fairly ridiculous things that get said about me,” Manfred said. “The assertion that I hate the game — that one does rub me the wrong way, I have to tell you the truth.”

My latest for ESPN: EXCLUSIVE: Rob Manfred doesn't hate baseball, he wants to save it.

"Yeah, here's the problem," Manfred told me. "When you acknowledge there's something wrong with the game, that turns you into a hater of baseball." https://t.co/2hUXUQrTZm

⚾🧵 pic.twitter.com/ynVlh7mKFS

— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) June 29, 2022

Even though Rob Manfred doesn’t think it’s fair that he’s called a baseball “hater”, he’s still insistent that there is a desperate need for change in the sport.

“Yeah, here’s the problem,” Manfred said. “When you acknowledge there’s something wrong with the game, that turns you into a hater of baseball.”

It’s clear that this ESPN article tried to paint Rob Manfred in a better light than he’s general perceived. But it’s unlikely to work.

Sure, baseball might need some tweaks to be a better appeal for the younger generation. But at this point, there’s no faith that Rob Manfred is the right guy to push the game forward.

Welcome to the game outside the game! Follow us on our Sideaction Twitter handle, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest on sports and pop culture news across the web!