There has been a lot of discussion about cheating recently. You first have Ballghazi (Sorry, I just happen to like that better than Deflate-Gate) and the most recent example being the kids from the Jackie Robinson West Little League team in Chicago. And not to mention all those “clean” NCAA Teams.
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Lets face it. Some (not all) people try to bend the rules from time to time. Regardless of how much we like to think everyone runs a clean operation, we know deep down inside that people are going through the rule book and finding loop holes. But where do we draw the line? What constitutes true “cheating”? Lets take the Steroid Era in baseball. Guys were juicing up left and right, and the HR numbers were astronomical. But oh no! People like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, can’t get into the Hall of Fame because they’re “cheaters.” But did they ever get suspended or miss games as punishment for steroid use? Nope. Not at all. Did their teams have to vacate the wins that they got during this time? Nope. Could be because it’s way too complicated. But either way, nothing like that happened.
Ballghazi….we all are familiar with that. But if it comes back that the Pats knowingly deflated the balls, what will happen? Will they be stripped of their Super Bowl Title? Probably not. They may lose a draft pick or two and be fined. Not earth shattering. Jerry Rice admitted to using stickem on his gloves? Does this taint him being the best WR in the game? Should he be kicked out of the Hall of Fame? Pete Carroll sure did run far away from his scandal at USC, but Reggie Bush had to give back his Heisman. Are improper benefits cheating as well? You get my point.
Cheating is everywhere. It’s not going away. There are always going to be people that feel as though rules are meant to be broken. I’m not naïve enough to think that cheating doesn’t happen. But when the Jackie Robinson West kids are the victims of cheating that they probably weren’t even aware of what was going on, THAT is awful. And not just that team. I do recall a situation a few years ago on another Little League team, when a player’s birth certificate got forged so that he could play, even though he was over age requirements, and they had to vacate their wins. Maybe it’s the Mama Bear in me coming out, but I just feel badly for the kids.
They say if you ain’t cheating, then you ain’t trying. Well…I’d like to think that if you are trying, you’re not cheating. Is cheating a black and white issue? (Not talking race here) Is there a gray area? Is kinda cheating kind of like a woman saying “I’m Kinda pregnant?” Or are there different levels? For instance is using steroids equivalent to using a corked bat, or using pine tar? What about stealing signs? Is underinflating balls the same as using stickem on gloves, the same as using Adderall? Does it make a difference if it was a tight game or a blowout? Does it matter that the 9th batter got a walk off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th of a 3-3 tied game by using a corked bat or if they used one during a game when it was a 15-2 rout and got a double?
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I don’t know the answers to these questions. I’m just asking to see what you guys think. And in the end, you’d like to think that hard work pays off, and that the nice guy/girl/team doesn’t always have to finish last. You’d like to. But we know that isn’t always going to be the case.
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