On May 13, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred, issued a decision reinstating Hall of Fame eligibility of 17 deceased former players, all of whom had previously been permanently banned from possible inclusion. BFD, you might say, and you would be right. Given climate change, the planet’s wars and the horrific last four months that sane Americans have had to endure, what difference does any of that make? You may think that professional sports are mere Roman circuses to keep the proles diverted from matters their rulers don’t want them to think about, except that unlike the circuses...