Veteran Chicago White Sox slugger Adam LaRoche is retiring from baseball and walking away from $13 million – because team officials told him to stop bringing his 14-year-old son into the clubhouse every day.
LaRoche, who is 36, officially announced his retirement on Twitter, saying: “Thank u Lord for the game of baseball and for giving me way more than I ever deserved! #FamilyFirst”
Look, I’m a stay at home Dad and my initial thought was wow, what a great guy he is or more accurately, what a great father he is. Impressive devotion to his son.
But his son was in the locker room every single day and I was kinda’ thinking, if most people brought their kids into their work every day, it’d be a little weird, wouldn’t it? Having kids around changes the nature of the workplace a little, I think. Obviously, the White Sox have every legal right to say they don’t want kids in the locker room every day but is it the right thing to do?
I’ve worked for a number of publications in my time home with the kids and I’ve had to take them to certain meetings along the way. But every day?
LaRoche is clearly a devoted father but I don’t think he can demand that his son come with the team everywhere they go, except if something like that were worked out beforehand.
Interested in your thoughts.
