Congress asks MLB to take action after Bryce Harper betting video
Tonko joined Blumenthal and Foushee in asking baseball’s league and players’ union to end betting-operator promotions.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates 6abc Action News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
The page is published by an established local television news organization, while the byline and copyright indicate the reporting is ESPN’s. The attribution is clear, though the article does not provide an extensive range of independent sources.
- Source type — Established local news outlet publishing reporting attributed to ESPN.
- Author attribution — A named reporter is credited.
- Transparency — The ESPN copyright notice identifies the reporting source.
The article identifies the lawmakers’ letter, describes the promotion and lawsuit, and provides relevant collective bargaining context. MLB and the union declined comment, leaving their perspective on the lawmakers’ request limited.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The story presents the lawmakers’ concerns and relevant league rules, as well as the MLBPA’s reported interest in loosening restrictions. The league and union declined to comment, so their direct arguments are absent.
- Counterarguments presented — The article gives relevant context about the current rules and the MLBPA’s reported negotiating position, but no direct response to the letter.
- Source diversity — The letter and sources familiar with negotiations are cited; MLB and the union declined comment.
- Loaded language — Strong language about harm to vulnerable fans is attributed to the lawmakers.
The article reports the lawmakers’ request and the available response from the league and union in largely neutral language, without an evident partisan frame.
- Language tone — Mostly descriptive language, with criticism of the promotion attributed to the lawmakers’ letter.
- Framing — Frames the story around a congressional request concerning betting promotions.
- Source selection — Includes the lawmakers’ claims, negotiation context and the organizations’ refusal to comment.
Republished with credit
Republished from ESPN.com, with credit to the original publisher.
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Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Reps. Paul Tonko and Valerie Foushee urged Major League Baseball and its players’ union to prohibit promotional deals with betting operators, citing concerns about gambling addiction. The request followed a sportsbook’s use of a Bryce Harper video in a promotion to a VIP customer.
Blumenthal, Tonko and Foushee sent a letter asking Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association to end promotional deals with betting operators. They said such promotions could drive vulnerable fans into debt and addiction. The letter asks the league and union to answer five questions by Aug. 24.
In November 2024, FanDuel sent a personalized video featuring Harper to a VIP customer. The customer later sued the sportsbook, alleging it had taken advantage of his gambling addiction; Harper said he did not know how the video would be used or about the customer’s betting circumstances. The article says the MLBPA was interested in removing restrictions on such promotions in ongoing collective bargaining negotiations. MLB and the union declined to comment on the letter.
Community verdict
9 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Representative and signatory to the letter urging MLB and the MLBPA to prohibit betting-operator promotions.
Representative and signatory to the letter urging MLB and the MLBPA to prohibit betting-operator promotions.
Foushee's version of this story ↗Senator and signatory to the letter urging MLB and the MLBPA to prohibit betting-operator promotions.
Blumenthal's version of this story ↗Discussion · 0
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