tundrajaz

I know, I know.  Tell us something that we don't already know, right.  I can no longer hold back my sarcasm.  Anyone who reads or listens to the media coverage on "Spygate", Roger Clemens, or Barry Bonds would be lead to believe that cheating in sports is a brand new phenomenon.  Come on now folks, lets come back to a bit of reality here.  Cheating is not new.  It has been going on virtually forever.

Sportsman have been cheating dating back to the dawn of the Greek and Roman civiliztions.  I'm quite certain (more sarcasm) that the very first olympianswere always completely honest and forthright citizens who never attempted to gain an advantage by doing things outside of the rules.  Roman Gladiators always said, "No, I'm affraid I can't do that.  It just would not be right."  Sure they did.  Jousting competitions of the middle ages were always above reproach.  Does everyone get where I'm going with this?  Modern times are no different.  Corked bats, scuffed baseballs, point shaving, performance enhancing drugs, video taping, etc. are all just new methods of doing the same things that have been done for centuries.

I know, what you are thinking.  We live in a more enlightened and sophisticated time where we should live by a code oh honor were honesty and sportsmanship should be valued above all else.  Idealism.  Pure idealism.  The truth of the matter is, It is all about winning.  The montra that "It's not if you win or lose.  It's how you play the game."  Is quite frankly a complete load of crap.  This is simply a concept which we attempt to teach our children in an attempt to help them along toward fitting in to a false vision of what a polite society expects of them.  In reality, "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" is the way things really work.  It all comes down to money and If you are not cheating, you are not trying.

It is sad to say but, the truth is, just about everyone wins when cheating is allowed to continue.  The athlete wins because, through cheating he or she gains an advantage over peers which result in bigger contracts and more endorsements.  Ownership wins through additional success, on the field resulting in an increased fan base, merchandise sales, and the justification for higher ticket prices.  The leagues and netwoks win through improved exposure and increased revenue from advertising.  Local businesses and municipalities win with an influx of revenue as well.  Even government officials, with aspiration of bigger and better opportunities, win due to increased national exposure.

Cheating goes far beyond the world of sports.  Corporate America cheats every day.  It is called industrial espionage.  Get the product to market before your competition.  Cheating is the way of the world and it always has been.

It is time for the media to get off of their soap boxes and stop pretending to be offended by the state of cheating.  The mass media outlets are the biggest cheaters on the planet.  They do whatever it takes to get the story first.

Now that I have ranted and raved on this subject, let the conversations begin.