I’ve often heard that sports is a reflection of life just on a much bigger scale, often on display for the whole world to see. If that’s the case, we’re in deep, deep, deep, deep trouble.
I get it to some degree. The financial reward for becoming a pro athlete is life-changing. So often these days, there appears to be a win-at-all-costs mentality across the entire landscape.
Since the dawn of Patriots nation, New Englanders have been accused of cheating.
The Patriots very first Super Bowl victory was tainted by videotaping incidents, and thus dubbed Spygate, marring an otherwise incredible upset of the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Next came Deflategate. The so-called G.O.A.T. (that’s Greatest of All Time for you newbies) came under scrutiny for secretly having altered the PSIs (that’s Pounds of force per Square Inch for you non-C.S.I. folk) to better grip the football. Although the game in question (Pats-Colts 2014 AFC Championship) was a rout in favor of Brady and Belichik, the dynasty – and legacy – took another black eye.
It should not have come as a surprise that Belichik pushed the limits of the boundaries as he was the mastermind behind the Giants’ victory in Super Bowl XXV. To slow down Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly and the Bills’ no-huddle attack, Belichick, New York’s defensive co-ordinator at the time, had his defensive players nudge the ball around, slowing down the time it took for the officials to re-spot it, effectively allowing the Giants defense to regroup for the next play.
Now getting back to black eyes…
The New Orleans Saints were the feel-good story in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, winning Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. That is, until they were accused of putting bounties for hits on opposing players, thus, Bountygate was born.
Sports is no stranger to cheating.
You can go all the way back to the Black Sox scandal in 1919 when eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally losing to the Reds in the World Series in exchange for money. Pete Rose was banned from the sport of Major League Baseball for gambling. A National Basketball Association official was found guilty of betting on the sport he officiated.
And now comes the sign-stealing scheme.
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora recently admitted to illegally stealing opponent’s pitching signs as a bench coach during the Houston Astros’ 2017 World Series Championship season, ultimately leading to his permanent dismissal from the Red Sox organization this past week. As manager, he led the Red Sox to a World Series victory one year later.
Mind you, teams have been stealing signs between coaches, catchers, and pitchers for eternity, just not with video equipment, all within the boundaries of the rules.
Does anyone win without cheating of some sort these days, or rather a bending or blurring of the rules? It sure doesn’t seem like it.
If Cora is a fall-guy, why is a surefire Hall of Fame coach nestled in a picturesque New England town still coaching? Just food for thought. That’s all.
