Chicago White Sox Player Abruptly Retires For Strangest Reason

Adam LaRoche is walking away from $13M from the Chicago White Sox. Retiring from a professional sports team isn't a new thing but LaRoche's reason for leaving is.

LaRoche is reportedly retiring from baseball because, according to People, "team officials had asked him to stop bringing his 14-year-old son into the clubhouse every day."

When I first heard the news, I couldn't believe my ears. Why would you walk away from your job because you can't bring your kid to work?

This is essentially what LaRoche's argument is about. He's leaving because he feels he should be allowed to have his kid hang around at spring training.

Even better, White Sox team president, Kenny Williams tells ESPN "'Listen, our focus, our interest, our desire this year is to make sure we give ourselves every opportunity to focus on a daily basis on getting better. All I'm asking you to do with regard to bringing your kid to the ballpark is dial it back.'"

That's it. LaRoche just needed to "dial it back."  In LaRoche's case, it appears that somewhere the line between job and vacation got blurred.

At the end of the day, baseball is still a job. Professional athletes get paid and paid handsomely for something that millions of people would do for free.

Athletes get to where they are by commitment and focus. Allowing your child to hang around while you prepare for a grueling 162 game season shows a lack of commitment and focus.

LaRoche walking away from baseball because he isn't getting his way really shows where his heart and head are when it comes to the sport.

What do you think? Should Adam LaRoche and other professional athletes be allowed to have their kid hanging around while they're doing their job? Tell us!