Sporting Ethics

[Guest]

Having played cricket at a very early age I was always obsessed with the game and wanted to play at the highest levels which I did not reach. I also played football.


I now watch cricket intensely and foot ball but not quite at that level..


But one thing I am obsessed with the fact that both games and other sports (Athletics and Cycling) should be played with honesty and integrity. In any sport I just cannot understand why any person should "cheat" to win. For the simple reason that they have not won.


How any person can play a sport and think that they have won when they have "cheated" just escapes me.


We have seen cycling athletics football cricket all smeared with this cheating. What sort of people are they. If playing cricket I hit the ball and was caught I walked. Not because I was a self righteous guy but to have scored another run knowing I was out would have been living in an empty world with no reason for playing cricket. I do not like cheats. In fact I just hate them but at the same time feel very very sorry for them in that they think this is the way to conduct their life.


Laurie

[Guest]

Just my opinion I think it's always down to money


Sad init


Roger

[eddiesolo]

Roger is spot on ...it is down to sponsors and cash-mainly for the silly footy clubs-I don't blame the players, if someone offered me £500 for a model I would snap his arm off lol. But the game is all twisted and corporate. In other sporting fields the monies earned are far less so for some the only way to get good sponsors and make a living is to cheat. Sad but true.

[Guest]

There is a lot of truth about the money thing. That really was not what I had thought when


starting this it was the personal approach. But all is up for discussion.


But there are many sports people who cheat just for thing of winning. When I played cricket


at amateur level there was nothing to be gained in financial terms. Yet we still had cheats


When Maradona scored his "foul" goal he had nothing to gain financially. He was the top wealthy


paid player in the world. He had a talent that every footballer would crave for and yet he cheated.


My point was how do people live with them selves when they cheat. What do they get from this.


A cricketer is caught an he knows it when he has scored 10. He goes on to score a 150. What do


those 140 runs mean to him. A football player touches a ball to stop a goal and his team wins


what does he feel. Both have nothing to do with finance. What ethics are there.


Laurie

[dave]

I think both are causes, and it applies to many things in life.


You also hear of businessmen who break the rules to make money, the Libor scandal is one case. And we have all come across the person who has to win at board games and will cheat to do it, where no financial gain is involved.


I think the money increases the temptation and will lead some astray who otherwise would not have cheated.


As for the feelings of those people I do not know. I played amateur cricket for many years and it never occurred to me to cheat, if l (we) win I want it to be because we earned it.


If someone just handed me a medal and said here is the gold for the 100m sprint it is meaningless I have not earned it and I know darn well I am not a sprinter and couldn't win it.

[Guest]

There is one sport/game where I've consistently seen the best of ethics .... snooker!


Even though there's often a great deal of money or fame at stake, players call their own fouls, such as touching the cue ball while preparing to take a shot.


In other sports, especially football, I don't think money is the main motivation when cheating. Rather, it's the culture of achievement at all costs that has permeated almost every level of society.


Perhaps the modern tendency to second guess & criticise every poor decision causes people to become reluctant to admit to even the smallest of mistakes?

[Guest]

I think another Patrick is, taking cricket as an example, I did not consider I was out last


time so I will take every opportunity to consider myself in next time even though I know


I was out.


Basically you can kid others but you cannot kid yourself. Or perhaps some can.


Laurie

[stona]

I think that there have been people cheating in sport since sport was invented. It happens at all levels, even when there is nothing but pride at stake. I don't think that professionalism money or any other factor has anything to do with it, it's just that some people want to win at any cost.


I played Rugby Union to a reasonably high level and I never saw a single 'breakdown' at which players from both teams were bending the rules at the very least. It's not even considered cheating and you can see the same today in every world cup game. It's part of what makes the role of the referees so important in this sport.


In cricket it has always been accepted that it is the umpires that make the decisions. Batsmen are not obliged to 'walk' even if the know they have hit the ball and most don't. They never did. They will argue that for everyone they get away with they will sooner or later get a bad decision to even it out. Statistically they would be correct. Morally? I'm not so sure.


In football attempting to con the referee into awarding a free kick isn't considered cheating. How many yellow cards were given for 'simulation' in the Premier League last year? If ever offence got penalised there wouldn't be enough players left on the field to complete a match!


That's three major sports covered, others differ only in detail.


Cheers


Steve

[Gern]

I think it's more widespread than just sport. How many of you have met people who would rather spend all day trying to steal £50 rather than work all day to earn £100?

[Lee W]

I'm not a sporting fan, don't get me wrong, I was in to my football as young 'un but life took over, my view on sports these days are that it's over rated, players are over paid and its now a celebrity status, for the love of the game has long gone...I could gone on but I won't...I like this site and wish to stay not get kicked off


Lee

[Guest]

I think it's more widespread than just sport. How many of you have met people who would rather spend all day trying to steal £50 rather than work all day to earn £100?

They're called Romanian beggars Dave!


Ooh controversial & topical!

[Guest]

Laurie Good to see you are a cricket fan. My first job was with Essex CCC as a fast bowler. Played for a season and a half then came back up to Scotland as my dad felt I should have a real job. I am talking many (very many) years ago and the game was very different then but also sporting. Money in my view has spoiled most sports including cricket.

[Guest]

Laurie Good to see you are a cricket fan. My first job was with Essex CCC as a fast bowler. Played for a season and a half then came back up to Scotland as my dad felt I should have a real job. I am talking many (very many) years ago and the game was very different then but also sporting. Money in my view has spoiled most sports including cricket.

Real Job that is sad Ben. Had a trial for Surrey as a batsman. Got to the last 8. Problem it was the era of Surrey, May Loader, Lock & Laker winning everything and all boys in the county wishing for a place.


Captained the school and West Surrey School Boys but missed on that big one. I envy you even for the short time you spent in County Cricket.


On the walking bit during playing club cricket in Surrey the majority of batsmen walked. There was some incentive. We played the same teams each year. We also finished matches in the clubhouse bar normally a large souped up shed with a window and lino on the floor. Rough justice any one who did not walk would be shunned in the drinking session by the opposing team. Also remembered at the next meeting by the bowlers phew.


Laurie

[Guest]

To be honest Laurie I did the right thing giving up pro cricket but I did enjoy the amateur game which for me as a bowler was easy. I played for Essex in the Trueman days and thankfully as I was a natural number 11 We had won the game before I was required to bat. The Yorkshire crowd were the worst I saw and heard and took constant abuse on the boundary for being Scottish. The team were OK but the rest of the counties were good and very sporting. Great days but I suffer now with back problems as then there were not great facilities for treatment after a days play ... mainly just a few pints !!! would do it all again though.

[aaron]