Cheating in baseball - Essay Example

Cheating in baseball Cheating is one of the trait that everybody has ever exhibited in their lives maybe because of the situations they have found themselves. Sports, especially baseball represents major field where cheating is considered necessary. The main aim of a baseball player is to win, meaning they would do anything within their efforts in order to ensure they have a win. Cheating is one of the resorts since it is the easiest way to gain favor from the residing official; consequently, making the player to exploit fully their cheating limits. Cheating is always to the advantage of the subjects provided it goes undetected. In order to realize the context of cheating in baseball, this essay entails an annotated bibliography in order to analyses the view of other authors in relation to cheating. Annotated bibliography Thornton, Patrick K, Walter T. Champion, and Larry Ruddell. Sports Ethics for Sports Management Professionals. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett, 2012. Print. p. 12 Thornton et al, also presents their view on the deeper roots of cheating in baseball. The author present a case study, founded on cheating, about Mark Schelereth who was an offensive linesman in the NFL Denver Broncos. The case study present the implication of a creative cheating whereby coating their arms with Vaseline thereby making them “slimey” such that no individual could grab onto them. Their actions lead to the Broncos winning the game over their opponents. Further, there was no action taken against them implying that their cheating strategy worked to their advantage although it presented an unfair competition. Considering this case study, the authors asserts, “cheating in sports is generally considered unethical; however, in baseball circles it is tolerated” (Thornton et al, p. 12). This is enough evidence to support the fact that cheating is moral in baseball especially when exhibited in a skillful way. Mills, Dorothy S. Chasing Baseball: Our Obsession with Its History, Numbers, People and Places. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, 2010. Dorothy Mills uses her book in order to show the extent of cheating in baseball. She asserts that cheating is an everyday aspect in baseball and other sports, with every individual associated with the game facing the consequences. The cheating individuals normally end up gaining unfair advantage against their competitors thereby affecting both the latter and their fans. Dorothy asserts, concerning the fans associated to cheating team “we cheer when our teams cheat… that’s because all we care about is winning, fans do not care about being fare to the other guys” (Mills, p. 113). This excerpt acts as evidence that cheating forms a significant part of a baseball game considering that it may affect the results from the referee. Despite a team presenting all their efforts to play their game, a residing official may end up frustrating them when the latter does not realize cheating from the other team. Cassuto, Leonard, and Stephen Partridge. The Cambridge Companion to Baseball. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. Cassuto presents an instance of Beckley who had miss the third base by fifteen feet but the residing official still considered that a win. Cassuto asserts that the players normally use this blatant trick in order to gain unfair advantage from the residing officials. Even though many fans in the game may have witnessed Beckley miss the third base, they did not present any effort towards complaining about the game. Cassuto uses this to confirm the truth that cheating is part of baseball besides other sports and fans condone it. He asserts “fans understand cheating and even condone cheating….that puts cheating in unusual moral category, wrong doing that the baseball lovers would rather have in the game than not” (Cassuto&Stephen, p. 186). This quote is enough evidence that the baseball fans consider the act of cheating as moral and would feel unease for any game that does not have cheating. Cassuto & Stephen use the book as evidence that cheating forms a significant part of a baseball game considering that it may affect the results from the referee. Despite a team presenting all their efforts to play their game, a residing official may end up frustrating them when the latter does not realize or condole cheating from the other team. It is important to consider that the fans often know every types of cheating that can be involved in a baseball game. Essay 3 research The authors categorize cheating into two groups in the quest of analyzing the act in baseball and other sports: obvious cheating and creative cheating. The grouping of cheating into categories is the best way to analyze whether cheating may be moral or not. In baseball, the fans and the residing officials only consider the quite obvious cheating as the immoral ones. This is because the fans and the residing officials can easily detect the cheating thereby making it easy to defend the action. However, creative cheating, as aligned by the authors, is often moral in the baseball games(Thornton et al, p. 12). The morality of the creative cheatings results from the ability of the subject to defend, if detected, their actions. According to these authors, it is true to say that baseball have both the moral and the immoral cheating. Consequently, it is not easy to separate the act of cheating from baseball or any other sport. Dorothy also notes that in a baseball game, the fans do not always have moral universalities because of the influence of cheating on winning. The need for winning end up shadowing their morals consequently making them to consider cheating as fair for any game. Even though the fans for the winning team may be less bothered by the act, Dorothy asserts, “The magnitude of cheating is evidenced in the way the opponent fans take their time to draft letters to the editors because of the consequence it has on them” (Mills, p. 113). The article also asserts that cheating always have more far reaching effects on a game and it may end up killing morale of the fanatics in attending a game. On the loosing team, cheating always results to annoyance because of the feeling that they are out of place in the game. However, there are few instances, if any, which the fans have complained at the start of the game that they would not like watching the game because of the intended cheatings. All the fans are often aware that every baseball player have the intentions of cheating but this have never barred them from attending the games. Further, cheating skillfully (leading to a win) often makes an individual player to gain more favor from the fans. Crawford asserts that fans have continued to love Don Sutton even after the accusation of using a foreign substance during the game. This instance occurs since the action of the player have been able to meet the ultimate expectation, which is winning, of the fans in the game. However, unskillful cheating may not augur well with the individual, especially when there is loss. Just like the other authors writing about cheating in baseball, Crawford also asserts that cheating forms part of baseball and it would be difficult to do away with it. When part of the fans does not agree with cheating, the other part would be yelling of their win. Conclusion According to these authors, it is true to say that baseball have both the moral and the immoral cheating. Consequently, it is not easy to separate the act of cheating from baseball or any other sport. Crawford also asserts that cheating forms part of baseball and it would be difficult to do away with it. When part of the fans do not agree with cheating, the other part would be yelling of their win. All the authors agree to the fact that cheating is one of the tactic that the baseball players use in order to win their games. The need for winning end up shadowing their morals consequently making them to consider cheating as fair for any game. Work cited Thornton, Patrick K, Walter T. Champion, and Larry Ruddell. Sports Ethics for Sports Management Professionals. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett, 2012. Print. p. 12 Mills, Dorothy S. Chasing Baseball: Our Obsession with Its History, Numbers, People and Places. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, 2010. Internet resource. Cassuto, Leonard, and Stephen Partridge. The Cambridge Companion to Baseball. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. Read More