The Bartman legacy

ESPN recently announced that as part of their upcoming 30 for 30 documentary series they have commissioned an hour-long film on 2003 Cubs villain Steve Bartman. The documentary will answer the question "Can Steve Bartman forgive Chicago".

The question that Cubs fans should be asking is why is the media continuing to shove the Bartman story at us? At the time of the incident, Fox Sports was all over Bartman with coverage. Repeatedly zooming in on him and reshowing the imfamous play. We found out his name and specific details about him before the game was even over. Ever since there has been an inordinate amount of media coverage on Bartman from ESPN and in the Chicago media outlets.

The person that should be thankful for all the attention Bartman has received is Alex Gonzalez the Cubs shortstop at the time. Gonzalez booted a routine grounder that should have ended the inning with a 3-1 Chicago lead and left the Cubs 3 outs away from their first World Series since 1945. Somehow, over the years Gonzalez has avoided the "goat" label that has hounded Bill Buckner for letting a crucial grounder roll through his legs in the 1986 World Series. The media has created a culture where Bartman was blamed and the Cubs players were let off the hook. This documentary cannot undo the legacy that ESPN has already given Bartman.