The Texas Rangers may have lost the World Series, but their star outfielder and American League home run leader,Josh Hamilton, has helped the recovering community win a major battle this postseason. Hamilton was a first-round draft pick for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999, but a long struggle with addiction kept him out of the Major Leagues for eight years. After eight stints in rehab and the discovery that Christian faith-based recovery methods worked for him, Hamilton finally got clean and was able to return to the sport as an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds in 2007. Hamilton has come a long way from the minor leagues and his failed drug tests of 2004. This year alone, he lead the Rangers to the franchise’s first ever World Series and was named Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series.
Even more impressively, however, Hamilton is not shy when talking to the media about the miracle of his recovery from addiction. He and his wife, Katie, regularly speak out about their family’s journey through recovery. By courageously bringing his recovery to the forefront of commentary and conversation, Hamilton sends the message to the country’s baseball fans that recovery from addiction is possible. Despite the bad press related to a relapse last year, the left fielder has become a role model for other pro athletes in recovery. He has also had a profound impact on his teammates, who, out of respect for his recovery, doused Hamilton with ginger ale instead of champagne after defeating the Yankees to win the American League Pennant on October 22.
Currently, several Major League Baseball executives are seeking to remove alcohol from these increasingly excessive championship celebrations. Drug and alcohol abuse has plagued professional baseball for generations, affecting such greats as Babe Ruth, Darryl Strawberry, and Mickey Mantle. Most other professional sports have banned alcohol from their fields, clubhouses, and locker rooms, but the long-standing traditions of America’s favorite pastime are hard to change. Bureaucracy and administrative struggles will likely slow the process of reforming baseball celebrations. Until that reform happens, however, we can look to Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers as role models for the respect our community should show for those who have fought so hard for recovery from the disease of addiction.
To learn more about Josh Hamilton’s journey in recovery, check out Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton, available for purchase at the Foundation for Recovery Store!
