No-Big-Deal Cheating
“The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” (Proverbs 11:1-3)
When New York Yankees’ fan, Austin Capobianco, grabbed the glove and baseball off of Mookie Betts’ hand, it was applauded by many of the hometown fans while millions watching the World Series game on TV reached for the rewind button on their remote control. Capobianco was toasted as a hometown hero while everyone else roasted him as just another crazy lunatic sports fanatic…who always seem to be able to get into the stadium’s front row.
Cheating in sports has a long history. Basketball backboards came into existence because hometown fans were reaching over the balcony railing and swatting the visiting team’s shots away. The backboard brought fairness.
Scuffing the baseball has been used by a multitude of pitchers to get movement on their throws. In 1987, Joe Niekro had an emery board in his back pocket that went flying when the umpire told him to prove he had nothing in it. The comical scene of Niekro declaring his innocence as the scuffing tool went flying in the air some six feet away is a favorite YouTube watch.
And how about Rosie Ruiz, who joined the Boston Marathon from the crowd in 1980 and pretended that she had won the race? Or Tom Brady’s “Deflategate”, where an underinflated football was used to give his receivers and his grip on the ball advantages? Or the steroids problem? Or flopping in basketball and fake injuries in professional soccer games?
As sports have become a dominant feature of our society, and with it, the emphasis on winning at all costs, seeking unfair advantages…that is, cheating…has become almost part of the game. The integrity of the game has been pushed to the side for the victory of the team. Some of the coaches that we’re most enamored with have had episodes of cheating that get brushed to the side so the focus can return to their win-loss record. I appreciate coaches like Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers, who just recently retired. His main reason was that he had a growing discomfort with what was happening in college basketball. He didn’t like what he was seeing and was not willing to sacrifice his values, and morals for the new recipe for success.
Integrity is a term that must be treasured by each person, coaches and players alike. “Doing the right thing when no one is watching” is a good definition of integrity. Being a person of good character is who we want our children to marry as opposed to a cheat who values conquest more than relationships.
As the proverb says, “…the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” In other words, it’s going to catch up to them sooner or later…so why not do the right thing to start with?
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