What is Cheating?

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't take drugs they couldn't possibly ride at that speed for that long'. Which is kinda the entire point and clearly suggests that everyone has been cheating forever. In fact, wikipedia doesn't even have a single page for 'cheating in cycling', it has numerous pages because there are so many different categories.

Cricket has had many scandals, as well has having star players openly bet against themselves in matches (and winning) and a star player being banned for illegal drug use for 12 months with no one really caring (because of the 'good bloke' argument).

Then of course, there is the hero in the photo above who, despite claiming a score from the worst possible offence in the sport (handball) and getting banned from a World Cup DURING the World Cup, continues to be unapologetic and deified.

So what is it about Pete Rose that is so different?

I wonder if it is because we assume that people will cheat to win, and so we turn a blind eye to it. But you dare to cheat to lose, or lie about having cheated, you are considered a pariah.

I guess that is what it is. It is the lying that we don't like. We are ok to accept barely plausible deniability (ahem, Lance Armstrong) because it fits our personal narrative, so when the cheaters actually admit to their wrongdoing it becomes a personal insult because it makes our illogical position untenable.

(Photo Credit)