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Former MLB scouts sued the league, its 30 teams and commissioner Rob Manfred on Wednesday, alleging that they lost their jobs because of age discrimination.
The lawsuit was filed in a U.S. District Court in Denver by a group 17 scouts formerly employed by MLB. Their ages range from 55 to 71, and they all worked as scouts for at least 24 years, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Per the Associated Press, the lawsuit cites the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 in addition to laws in 11 different states and New York City. The lawsuit states that MLB and its teams “have acted to prevent the reemployment of older scouts or refused the reemployment of older scouts.”
MLB declined comment on pending litigation, but told AP in a statement that it looks “forward to refuting these claims in court.”
The lawsuit seeks class action status with the lead plaintiff as former Chicago Cubs scout James S. Benedict. He lost his job in 2020. Per the lawsuit, MLB used the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of analytics in player evaluation as reasons to terminate older scouts.
Rick Ingalls worked as a scout for 37 year with the Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds before being dismissed by the Reds in 2018. He helped organize the plaintiffs.
“We believe the commissioner and the owners colluded to eliminate veteran personnel because of salaries,” Ingalls told the Times.
The suit alleges that MLB eliminated the practice of league notifications that a veteran scout was available for hire in 2015, the same year Manfred took over as commissioner. The suit also alleges that a "blacklist" was created to designate older scouts not to be hired.
Chris Smith, 64, was dismissed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, concluding a 30-year career as a scout.
"We all understand that there are changes when there is a regime change, but I’ve been in the business for 40 years, and I’ve never seen anything close to this," Smith told the Times. … "The term they used was a 'natural reduction in workforce.'
"This was not a natural reduction in workforce. This was, 'You’re all gone.'"
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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