I cheated. So what?

Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value - Albert Einstein

 “He is not guilty,” declared Ben Johnson's sister Clare Rodney after the International Olympics Committee stripped the 1988 Seoul Olympics Gold Medalist for failing the drugs test. Ben’s is a rags to riches to disgrace story. History is full of such stories. This time the doping menace has claimed the glamorous tennis superstar Maria Sharapova. Like others before her, the Russian feigned ignorance to plead her innocence. At this level how can one afford to be so ignorant? Globally, I believe only the cricket fanatic Indians might have believed her innocent plea. Understandable. She had famously once said, “Who is Sachin?” Sharapova’s is not the first case of cheating at sports. Many top athletes have fallen prey to performance enhancing stimulants. The pressure to perform at the highest level is immense on these athletes. There is pressure from sponsors, fans and fellow athletes. The burden of expectations weighs on their minds. Ask Jennifer Capriati. A teenage sensation, the young prodigy’s rise to fame was meteoric. She was unable to handle all the media attention and the glory. She succumbed to the evil clutches of fame.

Drugs has claimed the likes of Martina Hingis (Tennis), Shane Warne (Cricket), Diego Maradona (Soccer) , Hulk Hogan (WWF), Marion Jones (Sprint), Andre Agassi (Tennis), Alex Rodriguez (Baseball), Alain Baxter (Skiing) and the list goes on. But what about other cheating tactics, that have been employed by sportspersons to achieve success? In one of the most disgraceful events to have ever been witnessed by Cricket, known to be a gentlemen’s game, Australian captain Greg Chappell ordered his younger brother and teammate to bowl the last ball of the innings underarm. Though considered legal as per the rules that existed at the time, the notorious bowling incident triggered a massive uproar worldwide among the cricket community. Top cricket commentator of that time and former Australian captain Richie Benaud described it as one of the worst things he has ever seen done on a cricket field. The incident not only marred Australia and New Zealand’s cricketing relationship, it also haunted the Chappell brothers for years to come.

Competition should be encouraged in sports but every competitor should have an equal chance of winning. Artificial help denies hard work a chance to prove its worth. And what about match fixing? We have seen outcomes orchestrated by players and managers to make money. Do these sportspersons spare a thought for the spectators who adore and look upon them as their idols? Arsene Wenger, Arenal FC Manager critically once said, “You cannot accept that somebody who works the whole week decides to spend his money to go to a game and you cheat him because all is decided before he gets to the stand.” Would you pay if you knew you were going to watch a drama instead of a game?

God Complex

It is the fans that give these sporting individuals a superstar or God status and these supertsars start acting like one believing they could get away with anything. Argentinian football legend Maradona cheated not once but twice. The first incident was famously self-declared as ‘The Hand of God’, involved Maradona just flicking the ball with his hand over an advancing Peter Shilton’s head into the empty net. The second of course was drug-related. The question to be asked is: Do your athletic skills give you a license to flaunt rules meant to be fair to all? Does one have to cheat to get to the top?

7 Deadly Sins

Sometime back I had read an article on why people cheat at sports. The reasons are listed below:

A ‘win all’ mentality. Athletes are conditioned mentally to develop a winning mentality. But some believe they have to win everything, no matter how.

Measurble achievements. Individuals in this category are motivated by trophies, medals and certificates and even degrees.

Perform or Perish. You will find this mantra everywhere in our society. Most of us fall prey to this.

Short sightedness. I bet Sharapova at first overlooked her drug habit as a minor thing which later developed into a long term habit that ultimately led to her fall from grace.

A level playing field. 'But Everybody's Doing It!' - was Lance Armstrong’s reaction to an enquiry on his doping habit. The pressure to be on par or be even better than the rest of the competition often drives individuals to opt for methods which defy the very spirit of the sport.

Mental fatigue. According to Maurice Schweitzer, Ph.D., professor at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and co-author of Friend and Foe: When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed at Both, when we are mentally drained, we’re more likely to do what we want and that is to win with less or no effort.

Situation. Sports psychologists say that the desire to win can be so great at times that you can trick your mind into believing the wrong is right. In an interview in 2013 with BBC, Lance Armstrong had the audacity to say that he would not shy away from doping again if he were allowed to go back in time.

Parting Shot

I may not be an athlete or a superstar, in fact I’m nobody, but flirting with failure and success has taught me that it’s ok to lose, it’s ok to fall and it’s ok if nobody looks at me as a winner as long as my integrity is not compromised. Hard work and perseverance pays off in the long run. Acknowledging defeat and accepting that you are no longer the top dog is a humble virtue to possess. 14 times singles grand slam winner Pete Sampras said on his retirement, "I played to prove things - to myself, no one else. The record books don't matter. I really don't need to prove anything to myself anymore.”