Close Topic Options

Cheating In Sports

Do you think that cheating in official sporting games should be criminal/ized? Why or why not?

Sports Cheating

No, I don't think that cheating in professional sports should be a crime. Each sport has its own rules and when a player violates those rules he is taking his career into his hands. Take this forum for example; this forum has rules and if I were to post contrary to those rules then my membership here might be suspended- same with professional sports. It seems enough to me that players can be suspended, fined, or banned without turning them into criminals as well. I am against letting the government into something that clearly lies in the public arena.
Up until now I have been considering cheating to mean taking performance enhancing drugs, but when I think about hockey or football I can see another form of cheating. This involves performing an illegal move that is likely to leave a player seriously injured. I am still inclined to say that even in these cases the player should not be criminalized, but I am much less sure of myself. Players sign up knowing that the sport is dangerous. Furthermore, a player that performs an illegal maneuver is likely to get punished by the league they are in- perhaps a small consolation to the injured player.
-Unferth

Cheating In Sports History & Civil Business Politics

I do not think cheating in sports should be a crime. Only breaking the law should be a crime. So, taking illegal steroids is and should be a crime. Taking a legal steroid should not be a crime, but if a sport wants to ban it, then the players should still face discipline from the league within which they play.

I do think that a fight in a game should lead to criminal prosecution. It is illegal to hit or otherwise harm someone physically. I don't think it is o.k. to do this just because you are an athlete playing a game. Some sports are becoming more about the fight than the game and it shouldn't be that way. Boxing is an exception since boxing is fighting, but I don't think it is o.k. to fight in hockey, football, basketball or baseball, for example.