…Eroding Sports Ethics: Scott Soshnick
By Scott Soshnick
Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) — At the core of what athletes do, of why we watch and cheer and admire, is the notion of a just outcome.
Above all else, a level playing field is required to determine which team or individual is superior on that particular day. May the better team win.
That is the essence of competition and fair play. Sports are supposed to be about skill and smarts. And, of course, preparation and execution.
There’s no room for cheats. Or is there?
…Let’s take a spin through the sordid side of sports.
Nascar: There’s a saying around the racetrack — If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying. Whatever it is that a restrictor plate is supposed to restrict, you can bet a crew chief will find a way to make it less restrictive.
Formula One: Talk about espionage. Last week McLaren Mercedes, the leading team in the Formula One championship, was fined $100 million for spying. The International Automobile Federation, the sport’s governing body, found McLaren guilty of cheating by using data improperly obtained from rival Ferrari.
Basketball: Stung by a referee betting scandal.
Baseball, track & field and cycling: Plagued by the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Tennis: Investigating possible match-fixing.
Chess: Yes, chess. In July, two players at the World Open in Philadelphia were suspected of cheating. One was found with a wireless receiver in his ear and was banned from tournament play for three years by the United States Chess Federation.
Good grief. Even chess.
Here is the full story.
Football. Beliachuk coach of the New England Patriots fined $500,000. the coach had to pay half million dollar fine because some one was video taping the opposing team. The coach himself did not do it.
Now Topalov got nothing. That was a big mistake. Topalov should have been hit hard to send a message to everyone. Topalov himself was personally guilty of ethics violations.
I have lost all respect for Danailov and Topalov. If they do this again ………. I don’t know.
Forgive my ignorance on the subject, but what did Topalov do?
Bravo for writing about cheating in sports! I recently produced a seven-minute audio podcast about this topic and think you and your readers may be interested. The web address is http://www.sampsonshow.com and the title of the show is “Who’s to Blame for the Cheating Culture.”