The desire to win fuels athletes to perform no matter what the cost. Playing with injuries is commonplace but when in sports culture did cheating also become the norm? There are surely some powerhouses that dominate their sport while playing by the rules but this article isn’t about honest athletes.  Let’s look inside the mind of a cheat and how the desire to win can lead to moral defeat.   I do not personally know any of the athletes mentioned in this article and I will not assume to know anything about their upbringings, the type of friend they are or if they’ve donated millions of dollars to charity over the years. This article is about perceived character flaws in athletes that not only cheat, but lie about it until the pressure is overwhelming at which point they fall from grace.
Lance Armstrong. Once a freak of nature in the world of competitive cycling, Armstrong’s demise came in 2013 when he finally admitted in an interview with Oprah that he used performance-enhancing drugs. In just a few short breaths, the 7 time Tour de France champion was suddenly the most hated man in the world turning from idol to loser. Rumors circulated for years dating back to Armstrong’s first Tour de France win about his use of PEDs but he denied it over and over. Really good liars have an interesting way of convincing themselves that they are actually telling the truth. President Bill Clinton stared the entire nation in the eyes when he said with conviction, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman…”.  The former President was certain he was telling the truth because of his definition of “sexual relations”.   Similarly, the will to win for competitive athletes often clouds their judgment between right and wrong. Armstrong’s crafted words were often, “I’ve never once tested positive on a drug test”. This actually may have been true but the why he never tested positive is what’s ethically and morally wrong. Backdating cortisone prescriptions, disposing of syringes, the use of erythropoietin (EPO), a substance that stimulates the production of red blood cells – these are acts of cheating no matter what the outcome of a test.  Armstrong was willing to do whatever necessary to win but none of his titles had a moral victory. Character is learned at a young age. I read somewhere that Armstrong’s parents once forged the date on his birth certificate so he could enter a race. Perhaps his dishonest tendencies were partly learned behavior.
Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire & Barry Bonds. 1998 was quite a year for National League Baseball.  Power hitter from the Chicago Cubs, Sammy Sosa, and St. Louis Cardinals slugger, Mark McGuire were both chasing Roger Maris‘ home run record of 61 homers in a single season and seemed to trade leads in the home run race daily. They both surpassed Maris’ record, McGuire finishing the season with 70 home runs, Sosa with 66. Enter San Francisco powerhouse Barry Bonds three years later to finish the 2001 season with 74 homers. In 1998 there were rumors of steroid use amongst these players but contrary to the sport of cycling, steroid use was not illegal in baseball at the time. As a result, players denied usage and continued to deny throughout the next decade. Eventually, McGuire claimed that his steroid use was for injury related issues. Bonds was eventually indicted for perjury regarding his steroid use and Sosa was mentioned in the rumor mill about PEDs but was also ejected from a game for using a corked bat. He claimed that he mistakenly had used his practice bat.  Even when confronted with the truth these players had excuses. In their minds they did nothing wrong and although not illegal in 1998, steroids boost testosterone. Testosterone builds strength and size and strength build power; power to strike the ball over the outfield. Were these acts of cheating ok because they weren’t technically illegal at the time? Despite all the accolades throughout their careers, none of these cheats are in the Hall of Fame. Enough said.
Tom Brady. It was early 2015 when sports fans were hooked on Deflategate like a bad soap opera. Like
President Nixon’s team illegally planting listening devices and breaking into the Watergate Hotel, it was rumored that the New England Patriots had a history of dirty tactics used to gain an unfair advantage over their opponents. Flying drones over practice fields, Opponents’ lap-tops malfunctions during games at Gillette Stadium and then the scandal of all scandals… deflated balls during the 2015 AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Deflategate saga went on for the better part of the next year and a half when Belichick and Brady perpetually denied the allegations. Brady famously stated, “I didn’t alter the ball in any way.” It’s likely true that Tommy B. was not the person who actually altered the balls because he likely has handlers for the small stuff but he arguably knew that the balls were altered. Tom Brady is one of the strongest competitors the national football league has ever seen. As the Patriot’s backup quarterback, he had everything to prove when Bledsoe went down with an injury in game two of the regular season in 2001. Brady would lead the Patriots to the Superbowl that season and his competitive will only got stronger.  When things aren’t going well he pouts on the sideline.  Throws his helmet. Hell, he even gets into arguments with coaches when frustrated. As someone who does not like to lose, Brady will do anything to win, including cheat. Maybe Brady didn’t know that someone deflated the balls but at some point, he was clued in and probably thought to take advantage of the competitive edge? It’s one thing to work out harder, practice longer, study playbooks in more detail, but to knowingly use deflated balls is no question a form of cheating. In July 2016, when Brady announced he would not appeal his four-game suspension he said it was because he just wanted to move on, not because he thought what he did was wrong. Brady’s ability as a quarterback and desire to win is undeniable with or without cheat tactics. His moral character, on the other hand, is not something to be desired and in the eyes of many has permanently scarred his reputation.
Tennis superstar, Serena Williams, is one of the fiercest competitors on the court. In fact, her focus and determined look during a match is downright scary. But Serena has character traits that many top athletes have either lost along the way to stardom or never had. She is humble in victory and gracious in defeat. When Williams lost in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open last week to 10th seed Karolina Pliskova she didn’t pout, blame the line judges or her knee injury but rather complimented Pliskova on outstanding play. Williams is arguably the best women’s tennis player of all time with 38 major titles including 22 grand slams. After winning her quarterfinal match the day before to Simona Halep Williams said, “I’m just playing the best I can, I have nothing to lose”. Not something a #1 seed usually says.
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