Kawhi Leonard spoke on the NBA investigation into the Clippers’ salary cap controversy at media day. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Let me preface this article with one simple question: If you knew with absolute certainty that you could cheat (on a test, in a game, on a partner) without getting caught, what reward would make it worth it? I mean, at first, I’m sure some would claim they wouldn’t do it out of principle, but everyone has a price. Of course, some people’s price is lower than others, but there is always a price that would make them do it.
Now, most people will never be able to know “with absolute certainty” that they won’t get caught, but it has become clear that they don’t need absolute certainty to still go through with it. Cheating applies, of course, to sports as well. And with just a little thinking, one can realize that cheating in sports has become way more rewarding if done successfully than harmful if done unsuccessfully.
Houston Astros 2017 Scandal
Brett Coomer/Staff
This was especially apparent in the Houston Astros’ 2017 World Series win. Yes, everyone shamed them for their extremely corrupt cheating scandal that led them to a World Series victory, but at the end of the day, the banner still stands. And yes, Jose Altuve will get a fair share of jokes any time he does something good, but at the end of the day, he has a World Series ring. So, they may have technically been punished ($5 million fine, GM and Manager suspensions and subsequent firings, draft pick forfeits), but their owner still gets to hang the banner, and in all honesty, the publicity gained from the whole ordeal was probably enough to counteract the hefty fine.
New England Patriots Spygate and Deflategate
The New England Patriots in the late 2000s and 2010s also didn’t receive much punishment. Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 for a videotaping incident, a harsh fine bringing his total career earnings all the way down to over $200 million. The team was fined a total of about $1,250,000 for both Spygate and Deflategate, and Tom Brady was suspended for a meaningless four games in the start (they went 3-1 in that span with Jimmy Garoppolo at the quarterback position). Even though they lost a few draft picks, their 2007 season is still regarded as one of the best ever, and they still won a Super Bowl in 2016. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are still thought of as the best quarterback/head coach duo ever, and each one is still making a pretty penny.
PED Uprising in MLB (Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark Mcgwire)
Finally, Barry Bonds, heavily regarded as the most dominant hitter in the history of baseball, known to have used performance-enhancing drugs (after some still dominant years, however), may have received punishment, but his 73 home runs still stand alone at the top. Mark Mcgwire and Sammy Sosa (two known PED users) still had a legendary 1998 season in which they hit 70 and 66 home runs respectively, each one breaking the initial record of 61 in the same season. Sammy Sosa has recently reconciled with the Chicago Cubs organization for his controversy and still has multiple seasons of hitting over 60 home runs. While none of those players will make the hall of fame any time soon, real baseball fans know that these players are still legendary.
So, cheating has become way too rewarding. I mean, in every single one of these examples, the team/player got caught, and it was still worth it. Just imagine how rewarding it would be if the team/player never got caught. Now, I’m not saying for everyone to go and cheat on that test that you have next period or for you to go use steroids because the consequences don’t nearly match the benefits. In fact, I still believe that cheating is bad. I mean, take a look at the 1919 Chicago White Sox, for example.
1919 Chicago “Black Sox” Scandal
The Chicago “Black Sox” are considered one of the greatest teams ever assembled in baseball. The issue is, that’s not the first thing that comes to mind when someone brings them up. What comes to mind is their involvement in throwing the World Series, in which they conspired with gamblers to purposefully lose the championship, each player earning around $5,000. In this case, the price probably wasn’t worth it, and all eight players involved were banned forever from baseball. In this scandal, it didn’t work out well enough to justify going through with it.
Conclusion
So, cheating is not completely beneficial, but it has its justification. If you can do it really well and avoid being caught, it has become increasingly difficult not to cheat. Just think of the Houston Astros’ 2017 World Series banner or one of Tom Brady’s Super Bowl rings (each of those achieved directly or indirectly by cheating), and it becomes easier to agree to a cheating opportunity. In sports, the line between right and wrong is easily distortable, especially when winning is on the other side of it.
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