Does Pro Sports Mirror Pro Wrestling?

This past year the WWE decided to erase any mention of Hulk Hogan from its website after racist comments he made in 2007 became public. According to WWE.com the once proud Champion and Hall of Famer, doesn't exist.

But is this so different than Major League Baseball who decided that the All Time Hit King Pete Rose and the All Time Home Run King Barry Bonds should be black listed from the MLB Hall of Fame? What about cycling, which decided to strip Lance Armstrong of 7 Tour de France Titles or the NCAA (Don't tell me it's not Professional - different article) who decided to vacate Joe Paterno's wins and strip Reggie Bush of his Heisman?

When the governing bodies of "Sports" arbitrarily decides to change the outcome of events that occurred on the field of play, they are in essence scripting the final results, just like pro wrestling. This doesn't mean I condone the actions of Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, or Lance Armstrong. I believe the institutional ignorance by Joe Paterno and Penn State was outragious and deplorable, however, it had nothing to do with determing the outcome on the field of play.

I would argue that if the commissioner of the respective sports wants to fine or suspend athletes for their actions that is completely acceptable, but don't attempt to erase history. That just insults the intellegence of every fan who paid good money to watch your games. I can't pretend that I didn't watch Hulk Hogan slam Andre the Giant just like I can't pretend Barry Bonds didn't break Hank Aaron's All Time Home Run Record. The only difference between the two events is the WWE's outcome was suppossed to be scripted.

In the end, the Hall of Fame for these respective sports represent history. Tell the story, both the good and the bad. Our children can learn from history, we can't keep changing the results just because we don't like the athletes or their actions. What's next, will we be told that the New England Patriots never won the Super Bowls with Tom Brady? Sound ridiculous? Who won the Tour de France from 1999 - 2005?