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New York, New York — November 26, 2025 In a stunning public stance that has sent shockwaves across Major League Baseball, New York Yankees president Hal Steinbrenner has openly backed franchise icon Alex Rodriguez in his criticism of the Baseball Hall of Fame voting system — going as far as calling the entire process “a theater show that has lost its integrity.” The comments mark one of the most direct rebukes from a team executive toward Cooperstown’s long-standing voting standards, especially surrounding players connected to the PED era. Steinbrenner’s remarks came less than 48 hours after Rodriguez blasted the Hall of Fame’s “hypocrisy,” pointing out that former commissioner Bud Selig was inducted despite overseeing the very era in which stars such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa were accused of using performance-enhancing drugs — while the players themselves remain locked out. A-Rod, who has acknowledged his own role in the PED era, called the dynamic “inconsistent and unfair.” Steinbrenner, in a rare moment of total alignment with the former Yankees slugger, didn’t hold back. “We need to stop pretending the current process is some sacred moral exam,” Steinbrenner said in an interview with YES Network. “It has become a performance — voters choosing narratives, punishing some while protecting others. If Bud Selig can enter the Hall, then so should the players who defined an entire baseball generation. Right now, it’s a theater show, and everyone knows it.” His comments reflect growing frustration within front offices around the league that the Hall’s voting criteria have become inconsistently enforced and overly reliant on personal opinions rather than historical impact. Steinbrenner emphasized that while PEDs were undeniably a problem, the era itself cannot be erased — nor should its greatest stars be selectively punished. “Baseball doesn’t get to pretend the ’90s and 2000s didn’t happen,” he said. “We can acknowledge mistakes while still honoring greatness.” Rodriguez, who had already sparked national debate earlier in the week, expressed gratitude for the Yankees president’s support. A-Rod reaffirmed his belief that even with adjusted statistics — “a 50% PED tax,” as he phrased it — Bonds, Clemens, and others would still be Hall of Fame-level talents. Steinbrenner echoed that sentiment, noting that “Cooperstown is supposed to tell the story of baseball, not rewrite it.” As Hall of Fame debates intensify ahead of January’s voting announcement, Steinbrenner’s endorsement of Rodriguez’s criticism may shift the conversation in a meaningful way. The Yankees are one of the most influential franchises in sports — and when the organization’s top executive calls the Hall’s current process “a theater show,” the baseball world listens. Whether Cooperstown responds remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the debate over who belongs in the Hall is far from over — and now, it has powerful voices leading the charge.