There's no point denying that, at some point in your life, you have cheated at something. Whether it's on a test or on your partner, you have found it overwhelming to resist the temptation of wondering away from the path of being honourable. For a child to cheat on a test is understandable, as they are still developing their moral compass and firmly believe that they can get away with it without facing any consequences (as long as they are subtle about it- speaking from experience here). When an adult cheats on anything, it is far worse. At this point in their lives, they should know what is right/wrong, and they are now subject to the broader laws of society, rather than being disciplined by the internal forces of the school. Adultery never usually ends well, and some more serious forms of cheating (such as tax evasion) leads to criminal records, hefty fines and prison. Cheating, at any level, is not worth it.
This week, the world of sport was rocked by Cameron Bancroft (Australian bowler) admitting to tampering with the ball during a recent test match against South Africa. Bancroft hid sandpaper in his trousers, which he rubbed against the ball to change its condition and give the Aussies an advantage. Ball- tampering is not new to the game of cricket, but what makes it worse is the fact that captain Steve Smith knew in advance of what Bancroft was doing, bringing into question is honour as both a captain and as a sportsman. Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull spoke of how these men had 'bitterly disappointed the whole nation', and the whole cricketing world unleashed their anger upon those that participated in 'sandpapergate'. Smith and vice-captain David Warner (who also knew of the plan) were removed from their captaincy roles during the recent Third Test, and Smith is now banned for the final test. On Wednesday, Cricket Australia banned Smith and Warner for a year, and Bancroft for nine months. Speculation remains over whether coach Darren Lehmann knew of the plot, but he appears to be innocent.
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| Disgraced |
You can't help but wonder why they would do this. There are cameras everywhere, and any captain would rightly discipline their players if there was any evidence of cheating, no matter what sport you played or even who you were playing. Indeed, as I mentioned above, morality would have taken a hold by now, and memories would play in their head of teachers catching them cheat on a test and their parents saying how disappointed they were. That is by far the worst punishment a child can receive from their parents, and that feeling of guilt and shame should still resonate now. So why cheat? What possible reasons could be mustered to defy the rules of the game and betray your own moral standing? Well don't worry; that's precisely what I will be droning on about today.
Defining 'cheating' is pretty straight forward. The Oxford dictionary defines it as '[acting] dishonestly or unfairly to gain an advantage', and that word 'advantage' will certainly be mentioned a lot today. Cheating in sport is not a new phenomenon, as being penalised for breaking the rules while playing the game is the act of being punished for cheating. A deliberate handball in football can lead to a red card and maybe even a penalty in the right position, and playing the ball when a ruck has formed (excuse the rugby lingo) leads to a penalty and a card if the referee is tired of dealing with your shit. Some offences are worse than others (a high tackle in rugby is now judged very harshly due to fears over injuries, especially to the head and neck region), but the amount of cameras and officials managing a game nowadays means nothing escapes their eyes. Indeed, a camera innocently picking up footage of an Australian bowler with yellow tape in his hands can lead to the potential downfall of the Australian cricket hierarchy.
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| VAR is great... |
I again ask why athletes go down the dark road of cheating. It would be fitting to begin this line of questioning by talking about 'doping'. This is when athletes take banned substances that are deemed to give them an advantage when playing or competing. The big controversy surrounding doping at the moment is the government-backed doping programme of Russian athletes, which led to them being banned from the recent Winter Olympics in South Korea and continuing debates about whether Russian athletes should compete at upcoming events. This isn't a new path for the Russian Federation though; reports from British journalist Andrew Jennings revealed how the KGB acted as an anti-doping authority during the 1980 Moscow Games, while documents obtained in 2016 revealed on a planned government doping programme before the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Although the Soviets boycotted the games (as numerous nations, such as the USA, boycotted the 1980 Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979), the intention was clear.
Undertaking these doping programmes can be heavily tied into the Cold War mentality of the age. Sporting success would prove which system (i.e. capitalism or communism) was superior, and filling athletes with steroids would give them the advantage over those capitalist pigs in Washington. That mentality has continued to this very day, as Russia tries to prove its superiority against any nation that competes against it. This may be down to the argument that the Cold War is still raging to this very day, but there is no excuse for undertaking the act of doping in the first place. Glory for the Soviet Union was the intention during the days of potential nuclear annihilation, and that justified the act in the first place. Even if you are about to fight Rocky Balboa in a titanic clash between east and west, there's no excuse for steroid abuse. Ivan Drago, shame on you.
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| Communism never looked so good |
It is not just Soviet/Russian athletes that have filled themselves with banned substances; there are many examples that can be highlighted, and they all fall into the same category of glory. Ben Johnson, the Canadian sprinter, set consecutive world records at the 1987 World Championships and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, but a urine test contained stanozolol, a banned anabolic steroid. He was disqualified three days later, and later revealed that he had used steroids during his previous record setting performance in 1987. Johnson returned to the sport after serving his suspension in 1991, but was then banned for life two years later after being positively tested for an excessive amount of testosterone. He and his coach, Charlie Francis, admitted that it was all done in order to stay in contention with other athletes, as they were also doping. It just so happened that Johnson was the only one who was caught.
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| Wouldn't expect that from a Canadian |
Cyclist Lance Armstrong was constantly accused of doping throughout his career. Although he admitted in 2013, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, that he had taken banned substances, Armstrong constantly denied the allegations while he was still actively competing. He had recovered from testicular cancer after being diagnosed in 1996 by winning seven consecutive Tour de France titles between 1999 and 2005. The cyclist, in 2013, argued that it was impossible to win the Tour without taking part in doping, and that it was 'part of the job' of being a professional cyclist. Indeed, the glory associated with winning the prestigious cycling event would make doping justifiable, especially if it would lead to six more consecutive titles and (before being stripped of all titles and his legacy being tarnished) being called as a legend of the sport.
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| To be honest, I always hoped that the rumours weren't true |
Major League Baseball (MLB) has also been involved in numerous doping scandals. In 2003, the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) was investigated after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) received a syringe with a substance unfamiliar to them. Turned out BALCO had been supplying performance- enhancing substances to players such as Barry Bonds since 1988, supplying them with tetrahydrogestrinone, nicknamed 'The Clear' as it could not be detected by doping tests. Bonds holds the records for most career home runs, most home runs in a season (73, set in 2001) and most career walks, ranking him among the greats of baseball. The doping controversy, however, kept Barry out of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and is likely to remain out of it for good. His records would remain intact, but legendary status would evade him.
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| Big hitter |
The pursuit of glory doesn't necessarily always lead to doping. Sometimes, a simple handball can mean so much more. In 1986, Diego Maradona was both the hero and villain in a match against England in the World Cup, as replays of his first goal clearly showed him striking the ball with his hand in order to beat England keeper Peter Shilton in the air. The second goal was a moment of magic, but Diego was coy in interviews, saying that his first goal was 'a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God'. The Falklands War of 1982 played heavily on the minds of the two opposing sides, as Argentine aggression had been matched with British determination to hold on to the crumbling empire. Four years later, it was the 'Hand of God' that saw Argentina beat the English, with Maradona's defiance of the rules heaping glory upon the Argentine nation.
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| Does an Argentine military defeat justify cheating? |
Thankfully, the introduction of cameras means that incidents like this can be seen and penalised. 'VAR' (the Virtual Assistant Referee) can judge whether players were offside or if there was any foul play in the lead up to the goal, much like the TV official in rugby or the 3rd umpire in cricket. Football has taken the steps needed to make sure that no decisions are wrong or unfair by introducing elements such as goal line technology (again, Frank Lampard's goal in the 2010 World Cup match against Germany was not rightly given as the referee didn't think it crossed the line) and will do more in the future. The introduction of VAR, and more vigilant referee training, has led to a clampdown on the art of diving.
It is the act that gives football a bad name, and sets a horrible example to the masses of young children who watch and idolise the great game. Diving now leads to bookings, but even the threat of being penalised hasn't stopped diving being a tactical element of the game. A dive in the box in the last minute of the game suddenly gives your team a chance to get something from the game, whether it's the victory that sends you top of the league or a precious point that
delays relegation for another week. Diving has, unfortunately, become another part of football, and although we all joke about how Raheem Sterling can put Tom Daley to shame, these incidents happen because it's tactical. Whether it's to gain the chance to score or even to get the referee to book the 'offending' player who made the tackle, diving is a cheating mechanism now infused within the game. All in the pursuit of gaining an advantage.
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| Oh Robben... |
Speaking of tactical cheating, anyone remember 'Bloodgate'? In 2009, in the Heineken Cup match between Harlequins and Leinster, Quins winger Tom Williams was subbed off due to cutting his lip and was replaced by Nick Evans (this is known as a 'blood replacement'), who had earlier gone off injured. Evans was a great kicker, but even then Leinster won the game 6-5 and progressed through to the semi-finals and eventually winning the whole tournament. Yet something was amiss; Williams's cut lip produced plenty of blood, and cameras (yep, those bloody cameras again) picked up Williams winking towards the Quins bench. Four months later, the whole story emerged and the European Rugby Cup (ERC) and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) began investigations that revealed how Harlequins had used fake blood capsules, much like the ones you would find in a joke shop, to enact tactical blood injuries. The repercussion for Harlequins were numerous:
- Tom Williams was fined and banned for a year (later reduced to 4 months after an appeal)
- Director of Rugby Dean Richards was banned for 3 years (also losing his job in the process)
- Physio Steph Brennan was banned for 2 years
- Chairman Charles Jillings resigned over the whole incident
- Club doctor Wendy Chapman was suspended by the General Medical Council (GMC) due to cutting Williams's lip to make the injury more believable
What a farce.
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| A dark day for the game of rugby |
Tactical cheating has occurred in the NFL as well, primarily by the New England Patriots. There have plenty of cheating scandals in the NFL, but the dominance of the Patriots over the course of the 21st century (
not this year though- go Eagles) made them even more controversial. I have written about the various scandals before in my
ramble about Super Bowl LII, but here's a quick recap. In 2007, the Patriots were caught filming the signals used by the defensive coaches of the New York Jets, dubbed 'Spygate'. Fines were given out to both coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots, and also lost their first round draft pick for 2008. 'Deflategate' occurred in 2015, as the Pats were accused of using deflated balls in their win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game. Quarterback Tom Brady was banned for four games, with the Patriots once again being fined and losing draft picks. These are the lengths that some people go to earn that coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy.
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| Doubt he would have caught that throw in Super Bowl LII even if the ball was deflated |
The desire to win also leads some people down some very dark paths. In one particular case, an athlete was assaulted with a baton on the eve of the National Championships, and the Olympics weren't far away at all. What kind of barbaric sport could this have possibly occurred in? If you guessed figure skating, then you're right. In 1994, Nancy Kerrigan had just finished a practice session in Detroit when she was attacked by Shane Stant, who had been paid to take out Kerrigan. He had been hired by Jeff Gilooly, ex-husband of Kerrigan's rival Tonya Harding, and her 'bodygyard' Shawn Eckhardt, to take out Nancy. She escaped with a bruised leg, missed out on the National Championships (which were won by Harding), but recovered to finish second at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics, with Harding 8th. The fact that Harding knew of the attack before it had happened made her an accomplice, leading to her being stripped of her U.S. National Championship Title, along with fines and 500 hours of community service. The New York Times christened the events that had transpired as 'one of the biggest scandals in American sports history'. Figure skating truly is brutal.
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| Curling is more vicious though |
All we have done here is scratched the surface on the subject of cheating in sport. There are so many more examples that can be cited but honestly I believe I have covered enough to bring this all to a close. Cheating in sport is a common occurrence, and it is never a new obstacle to overcome in any sport. For cricket, the ball-tampering scandal unfolding in Australia is just another file to add to the cabinet that already contains the spot-fixing (throwing a match, usually because of gambling) scandal of the Pakistani team in 2010. Diving and its tactical advantage is just another chapter alongside the 'Hand of God', but the introduction of VAR may help in curbing this unfortunate epidemic of diving. Just as long as it takes less than an hour to figure out what has happened, as VAR isn't exactly the most pristine system at the moment.
Cheating occurs for one simple reason; to gain an advantage. The reasons behind each bout of cheating varies from person to person, whether it's to break records, win titles or even just to 'level the playing field'. Either way, the desire to gain an advantage over their opponents is the main motivation behind the numerous scandals that have, and will, hamper the sporting world. Worse still is that due to the wide coverage of sport, whether in live TV action or news reports, there is no escape. Athletes will be seen cheating, and in the eyes of those who look up to the people who are now being accused of doping or ball-tampering, their respect for you is shattered. You could even call it a
betrayal of loyalty .
Doping can make you the superior athlete, whether in the respects of holding the 100m world record or showing off the power of the system of government currently in place in one country. A deliberate handball could rectify the defeat against another nature over the sovereignty of some islands in the South Pacific. But overall, there is no excuse for cheating. Yes, we have all cheated at some point in our lives, and the vast majority have been caught and punished due to our immoral actions. But for adults, especially ones on the world stage, to wholeheartedly cheat just to win is way worse than looking over at your neighbour's answer to Question 10. I say it once again; there is no place for cheating in sport.
Ben G 😁 xo
P.S. Post came out a bit earlier this week as I am off to some strange city known as Paris over the Easter weekend. Expect some sort of report on my Parisian adventures.
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| I'm ready to do some sightseeing |
P.P.S. Check out the brutal advert from Air New Zealand.
You won't be disappointed.
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