Is everybody cheating?
In school?
At home?
At work?
In the boardroom?
In sports?
Does the end always justify the means? We want our kids to do well in school. But is it OK if that A comes courtesy of a few cursory glances at the kid’s paper next to us? Or even something more elaborate, like texting?
We’re no longer surprised to hear of infidelities. We revel in the bust-ups of our celebrities, who often gain such acclaim for doing little more than appearing in public sans underwear.
The workplace? Well, there’s Enron and any number of examples where deceit and fraud rule the roost.
And then we have sports. Oh, do we ever have sports.
It is supposed to be a refuge. Something pristine. A place where the rules of the game are sacrosanct.
Not anymore. Now each day brings with it news of still another flouting of the laws.
Major League baseball has for years been toiling under the cloud of steroids. Not it’s human growth hormone.
The most revered record in sports, that of the person of home run king, now sits besmirched by its present holder, Barry Bonds, and whether he did or didn’t get a little help along the way to exiling Hank Aaron, who eclipsed Babe Ruth.
Local guy Tim Donaghy has splattered mud all over the National Basketball Association. Donaghy was one of the guys in striped shirts entrusted with making sure the game was on the up-and-up, that the players abided by the rules.
Too bad he didn’t think that applied to him as well. Donaghy recently entered a plea in connection with a sports betting ring. He was betting on games he was reffing, even though that is not technically what he pleaded guilty to, and giving information on games to bettors.
Now every time a questionable call is made, there will be that shadow of doubt lingering in fans’ minds.
Of course, there was always the behemoth of sports. No, not Nascar, where several drivers and racing teams have recently run afoul of the law.
I speak of the National Football League. In particular, the so-called "Gold Standard." That would be the New England Patriots, perennial contender for the Vince Lombardi Trophy signifying the Super Bowl champion.
The NFL is now investigating, and is believed by some to have concluded, that the Patriots cheat.
The belief is that the Patriots violated league rules in their game against the Jets Sunday because they were videotaping Jets’ defensive coaches as they went through their signals.
The Patriots hammered the Jets, 38-14. Just before halftime, a Patriots employee was stopped as he tried to enter the Pats’ locker room. A video camera was seized.
There apparently also are questions concerning the Patriots’ use of radio frequencies during the game. The NFL now allows offensive plays to be radioed into the helmet of quarterbacks.
The question now is, how long has this been going on, and what will the NFL do about it?
New Commissioner Roger Goodell has been a hard-line ruler when it comes to players and substance abuse violations, along with the normal parade of criminal incidents and the now-infamous dogfighting case of Michael Vick.
But what will he do with the growing belief that perhaps the best franchise in his kingdom got some help along the way. That, basically, they cheated.
Around here, thoughts likely will turn to a certain Super Bowl when the Patriots beat the Eagles. Of course, all the cheating in the world still doesn’t explain the Eagles sluggish style of offense in the fourth quarter, eating up the clock even as they trailed. It made Patriots head coach Bill Belichick wonder if the scoreboard was wrong, that his team was actually behind.
Belichick likely will find himself in the crosshairs this week. It’s hard to imagine that this could have gone on without his knowledge.
Now Goodell and the NFL must send a message. They can be tough on the players, but can they be equally tough on coaches and teams. Will the Patriots be fined big bucks, have draft picks stripped, and will Bellichick be suspended.
And when will the next incident of cheating pop up. At this point, it’s pretty much when, not if.
After all, everybody cheats. Don’t they?
In school?
At home?
At work?
In the boardroom?
In sports?
Does the end always justify the means? We want our kids to do well in school. But is it OK if that A comes courtesy of a few cursory glances at the kid’s paper next to us? Or even something more elaborate, like texting?
We’re no longer surprised to hear of infidelities. We revel in the bust-ups of our celebrities, who often gain such acclaim for doing little more than appearing in public sans underwear.
The workplace? Well, there’s Enron and any number of examples where deceit and fraud rule the roost.
And then we have sports. Oh, do we ever have sports.
It is supposed to be a refuge. Something pristine. A place where the rules of the game are sacrosanct.
Not anymore. Now each day brings with it news of still another flouting of the laws.
Major League baseball has for years been toiling under the cloud of steroids. Not it’s human growth hormone.
The most revered record in sports, that of the person of home run king, now sits besmirched by its present holder, Barry Bonds, and whether he did or didn’t get a little help along the way to exiling Hank Aaron, who eclipsed Babe Ruth.
Local guy Tim Donaghy has splattered mud all over the National Basketball Association. Donaghy was one of the guys in striped shirts entrusted with making sure the game was on the up-and-up, that the players abided by the rules.
Too bad he didn’t think that applied to him as well. Donaghy recently entered a plea in connection with a sports betting ring. He was betting on games he was reffing, even though that is not technically what he pleaded guilty to, and giving information on games to bettors.
Now every time a questionable call is made, there will be that shadow of doubt lingering in fans’ minds.
Of course, there was always the behemoth of sports. No, not Nascar, where several drivers and racing teams have recently run afoul of the law.
I speak of the National Football League. In particular, the so-called "Gold Standard." That would be the New England Patriots, perennial contender for the Vince Lombardi Trophy signifying the Super Bowl champion.
The NFL is now investigating, and is believed by some to have concluded, that the Patriots cheat.
The belief is that the Patriots violated league rules in their game against the Jets Sunday because they were videotaping Jets’ defensive coaches as they went through their signals.
The Patriots hammered the Jets, 38-14. Just before halftime, a Patriots employee was stopped as he tried to enter the Pats’ locker room. A video camera was seized.
There apparently also are questions concerning the Patriots’ use of radio frequencies during the game. The NFL now allows offensive plays to be radioed into the helmet of quarterbacks.
The question now is, how long has this been going on, and what will the NFL do about it?
New Commissioner Roger Goodell has been a hard-line ruler when it comes to players and substance abuse violations, along with the normal parade of criminal incidents and the now-infamous dogfighting case of Michael Vick.
But what will he do with the growing belief that perhaps the best franchise in his kingdom got some help along the way. That, basically, they cheated.
Around here, thoughts likely will turn to a certain Super Bowl when the Patriots beat the Eagles. Of course, all the cheating in the world still doesn’t explain the Eagles sluggish style of offense in the fourth quarter, eating up the clock even as they trailed. It made Patriots head coach Bill Belichick wonder if the scoreboard was wrong, that his team was actually behind.
Belichick likely will find himself in the crosshairs this week. It’s hard to imagine that this could have gone on without his knowledge.
Now Goodell and the NFL must send a message. They can be tough on the players, but can they be equally tough on coaches and teams. Will the Patriots be fined big bucks, have draft picks stripped, and will Bellichick be suspended.
And when will the next incident of cheating pop up. At this point, it’s pretty much when, not if.
After all, everybody cheats. Don’t they?
Comments