Coaches Corner

The death of Pete Rose got me thinking about cheating and why we accept so much cheating in sport but draw the line at others. For example, if a volleyball player deliberately calls a ball out when it was in, they are not cheating because they are just trying to win. If a team deliberately 'screens' they are not cheating, it is the fault of the official for not calling it. If a player is deliberately out of rotation to gain an advantage, it is not cheating it is the fault of the official. But if a team doesn't play all their starters in a game they don't have to win, or if a team rests an injured player for their own health, this is tantamount to throwing the game. So what is cheating? Baseball has a long and proud history of cheating . Only a couple of years ago a 'World Series' was turned (arguably) by cheating. And the consequence? Nothing of significance. Cycling has a history so rife with cheating that there is a prevailing argument that 'if they don