Alex Rodriguez, the once-controversial Major League Baseball star, is stepping back into the spotlight-but this time, it’s not about his on-field performance. In the new HBO docuseries “Alex vs. ARod”, directed by Gotham Chopra and Erik LeDrew, Rodriguez finally opens up about his tumultuous career, including his use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and the lies he told to cover it up. The documentary offers a raw and introspective look at the man behind the headlines, and Rodriguez, now 50, appears more reflective and candid than ever before.
“I’ve been asked about doing some type of documentary probably for the last 15 years,” Rodriguez shared in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “And I just never thought about it. It was always a quick, hard, ‘No way. I’m too close to it. Too soon. What’s the purpose?'” But now, with years of perspective and lessons learned, he’s ready to tell his story-on his own terms. “You know what? I’ve never really told my story in any way, shape or form. And there’s some things that have been told about me that are super accurate and some that are wildly inaccurate.”
One of those inaccuracies? The infamous rumor of a centaur painting-a half-horse, half-Rodriguez artwork supposedly displayed in his apartment. Laughing about it during the interview, Rodriguez clarified, “This is my apartment. I promise you, there’s nothing like that here. But I’ve never tried to correct that. That’s been a [reported] story out there that’s never been corrected, because I think it’s actually comical.”
The docuseries doesn’t shy away from the darker chapters of Rodriguez’s career. His PED use not only cost him his reputation but also likely cost him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame-a reality he seems to have come to terms with. “I knew the rules. I broke [them]. I gotta lay in my bed now,” he admitted. “That’s the league we live in, and I’m not gonna change that. But what I can do is take those lessons, learn from them and move it forward.”
Why A-Rod finally decided to share his story
Rodriguez’s openness in “Alex vs. ARod” is part of what makes the series so compelling. He doesn’t just recount his mistakes; he uses them as teachable moments for others. “My lessons were so ugly and deep and punitive,” he said. “So much was at stake-I lost that Hall of Fame and other things-that as I mentor kids today, one of the things that I do is I always lead with my biggest mistakes.”
The former Yankee also weighed in on this year’s World Series, which saw record-breaking viewership numbers. “I think it’s top five,” Rodriguez said confidently. “As far as just viewership, if you look at the last 10 years, we’ve probably averaged somewhere between 12-14 million people watching. This year, Game 7 was at the peak-almost 32 million viewers-it was the most-watched World Series of all time.”
Rodriguez’s journey from scandal to redemption is one filled with hard-earned lessons and newfound self-awareness. Whether or not he ever makes it to Cooperstown, Alex vs. ARod proves that his story is far from over-and he’s finally ready to share it with the world.
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