i definitely agree with Stephen's points on Shoeless Joe.
We all know Rose was a hall of fame PLAYER, but gambling on the game you are a part of whether as a player or manager or for yourself or against yourself has to be zero tolerance. Otherwise you're just the WWE honestly. Sports need to be real. It's what makes them the greatest thing in the world. There is nothing better than real competition between two entities with a victor and a loser, and we get to watch it unfold naturally to find out who wants it more.
wagering on it while you're a part of it creates a conflict of interest and crosses the ultimate line. Unfortunately, to have anything less than a lifetime ban on such behavior creates a slippery slope that i don't think you could recover from. In my opinion there just cannot be any gray area when it comes to any type of conflict of interest. When they arise in other aspects of our society I think this strict type of punishment should also be applied, but unfortunately it usually isn't (politics, financials, laws, education, corporate culture, government, media, etc).
it doesn't mean that rose didn't accomplish all those things on the field, but his actions in gambling on the game are such that a lifetime ban are not unwarranted.