In a decision that has drawn national attention, Chicago White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche announced that he is retiring from the game after the team told him to stop bringing his 14-year-old son in the clubhouse. This request from the club breaks a contractual agreement that they had with the slugger.
The 36-year-old made the announcement on Tuesday via Twitter, using the hashtag "#FamilyFirst". Team president Ken Williams said in an interview that kids are still allowed at the team facility, "but they shouldn't be there everyday."
The team felt that LaRoche's son, Drake, was there too much, as Williams went on to say "sometimes you have to make decisions in this world that are unpopular."
This decision is unpopular with the team, to say the least. The players nearly boycotted Wednesday's Spring Training game in support of their teammate. Ace Chris Sale claims that the team was lied to by their boss, and that they are "rebelling against B.S."
Williams reportedly didn't even want the 14-year-old their 50 percent of the time, feeling that he was taking away from the focus of getting better. The first baseman signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the team last season. In that deal, it was said that he would be allowed to bring his son, whom he is very close with.
LaRoche did struggle in 2015, batting just .207 with 12 home runs. That did not stop him from always having his son by his side, calling him the team's "26th man." It is something that players on his team, and around the league, have embraced as they fully support this inspirational decision.
The 36-year-old made the announcement on Tuesday via Twitter, using the hashtag "#FamilyFirst". Team president Ken Williams said in an interview that kids are still allowed at the team facility, "but they shouldn't be there everyday."
The team felt that LaRoche's son, Drake, was there too much, as Williams went on to say "sometimes you have to make decisions in this world that are unpopular."
This decision is unpopular with the team, to say the least. The players nearly boycotted Wednesday's Spring Training game in support of their teammate. Ace Chris Sale claims that the team was lied to by their boss, and that they are "rebelling against B.S."
Williams reportedly didn't even want the 14-year-old their 50 percent of the time, feeling that he was taking away from the focus of getting better. The first baseman signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the team last season. In that deal, it was said that he would be allowed to bring his son, whom he is very close with.
LaRoche did struggle in 2015, batting just .207 with 12 home runs. That did not stop him from always having his son by his side, calling him the team's "26th man." It is something that players on his team, and around the league, have embraced as they fully support this inspirational decision.
