NFL: Spygate
MLB: Rampant steroid abuse
NBA: Match fixing by referees
Nascar: Seems like every week someone gets docked points for car/part violations
NCAA: USC and Reggie Bush, countless other examples of athletes receiving "gifts" that goes under the radar
NHL: Bertuzzi, Simon, etc. trying to murder/debilitate fellow players with sticks, skates, and sucker punches (yes I know Simon is out of the NHL but his legacy remains)

In a corrupt world led by crooked politicians that have much to gain with little potential consequences, it seems only inevitable that our country's major sports be affected by corruption and illegalities as well. But is it really inevitable? At the end of the day everyone is human and no one is perfect. Player, manager, coach, referee, official, fan - all human. All susceptible to emotion and flaws. In a day and age where "faster, stronger, better" isn't just encouraged but expected, it seems like American sports are all painfully suffering from a severe lack of dignity and honor.

I'm not so naive as to believe that this doesn't go on outside of the USA. Three of the world's biggest international sports - rugby, soccer, and cricket - have all faced countless indignities in national and international events similar to the aforementioned American scandals. Understandably so. Millions of dollars are at stake and something as seemingly insignificant as one more home run, one extra free throw, have the potential to alter history (and fill the pockets of many). But is there no honor left? No dignity? No pride in saying that the outcome may not have been the most financially desirable one, but it was a fair fight and the best man/woman/team deserved to be crowned champion for a day and they earned their right to stand victorious?

I am an avid sports fan. One that continues to wake up and watch SportsCenter like any other red-blooded American. One that some would say spent way too much on an HDTV and continues to pay too much for cable with DVR so that he might get to catch that perfect sports moment again and again (and again in slow motion, frame by frame). Again it's not that I don't realize that every purchase really only fuels the scandalous flame known as marketing, but at the end of the day, a little piece of me dies every time an American sport shames itself. It really makes me sad, and that's ultimately why I have written this. Sad that I will not want my children idolizing sports figures in the same ways that I did growing up. Because I really don't want my kids to "Be Like Mike," that is if Mike is only another embodiment of greed (no disrespect to MJ). Ignorance is bliss. But I just wish that I didn't have to pretend to ignore all of this so I could enjoy my morning SportsCenter and cup of coffee.

6/11/2008 12:47:19 PM

Soccer!

6/11/2008 12:48:23 PM

Consider yourself officially called out major American athletics

you think you're tough? Then come say the shit you said about me and my friends on TWW to our faces

Can't wait to see your bitch ass crying when you get taken out

6/11/2008 12:49:00 PM

^haha

6/11/2008 12:49:18 PM

^^^

Quote :

"Do any of USAs major sports"

6/11/2008 12:49:21 PM

Seriously though, players, coaches, refs, and league officials have been involved in shady shit since the beginning of sports. Don't let ESPN fool you into thinking this is something new.

6/11/2008 12:49:47 PM

I know I'm biased, but I would say the NHL has the most "dignity" left of the 4 major leagues. Mainly b/c the issues that you mentioned (Bertuzzi, Simon, etc...) are attributed to I'd say 10 or less people in the league. Whereas the steroid deal in baseball is HUGE, the NFL and NBA see more drug suspenions and arrests than the NHL will see in 30 years.

6/11/2008 12:50:22 PM

Quote :

"Whereas the steroid deal in baseball is HUGE"

was huge

6/11/2008 12:50:52 PM

Quote :

"the NFL and NBA see more drug suspenions and arrests than the NHL will see in 30 years."

also, obligatory "The PGA" post

6/11/2008 12:51:40 PM

plz to see: italian club soccer if you think our leagues are in bad shape

6/11/2008 12:53:45 PM

BOXING BABY!

6/11/2008 12:55:38 PM

^^^^^I am biased towards the NHL too, and I initially titled this article "The Clean NHL: The Last major US sport with dignity?" And then I started thinking about how awful the Bertuzzi and Simon attacks are and thought that was a large enough indignity to take NHL off of its pedestal. I agree though that as far as "most integrity" goes the NHL sits on top.

6/11/2008 1:00:04 PM

the NHL has more integrity than the PGA?

6/11/2008 1:16:41 PM

Quote :

"I know I'm biased, but I would say the NHL has the most "dignity" left of the 4 major leagues."

yeah that NHL broadcast on OLN deal is real dignified

6/11/2008 1:19:44 PM

^thats not what this is about

6/11/2008 1:24:06 PM

not US but might as well mention fixed matches in tennis while we're at it

[Edited on June 11, 2008 at 1:25 PM. Reason : EVEN RACE HORSES ARE JUICING]

6/11/2008 1:24:10 PM

At this point lets go ahead and throw US olympic track and field in there, although not a major sport they draw a lot of attention every 4 years during the olympics and usually a wheaties box person came out of the group. They are all just giving their medals back. Cycling can join the crowd, not a major sport, but the Tour De Crap was big with Lance and drew attention.

Hockey is helped greatly with the amount of foreign players. I think they are able to stay away from the corruption and greed of Americans in general. But the sport still has a long way to go to make it back and it was also the last major us sport to go through a lockout/strike.

It all comes back to money and with sports now being a billion dollar a year industry it is no surprise that corruption will follow, people a greedy, and athletes are people.

[Edited on June 11, 2008 at 1:40 PM. Reason : can't spell]

6/11/2008 1:39:18 PM

Quote :

"Hockey is helped greatly with the amount of foreign players. I think they are able to stay away from the curroption and greed of Americans in general."

do you honestly believe that? that American sports are the most corrupt in the world?

6/11/2008 1:41:10 PM

Quote :

"and with sports now being a billion dollar a year industry"

reading this makes my head hurt

6/11/2008 1:42:19 PM

Auto racing.

As a person with auto racing as my personal #1 sport and always will, I know it has its seedier, political, corrupt side and accept it because "that's just how things are". (And please don't act as if part violations are equivalent to match fixing. That's always been a part of racing, trying to beat the rulesmakers by accounting for something they didn't think of and hence make the car go faster than your competitors, it's only in NASCAR's Bizarro World their brain trust sits in is this a "crime". It doesn't make the sport less dignified, although whether racing is dignified or not I can really care less.)

The important thing to remember about sports is that it reflects society. Sports are corrupt because society is corrupt. There will always be athletes looking for an illegal advantage over his competitors. There will always be bribes and payoffs. There will always be people snooping around taking part in industrial espionage.

Or maybe the most dignified is pro wrestling, cause Vince McMahon is at least upfront to you on what his product is really about before you watch it.

[Edited on June 11, 2008 at 1:51 PM. Reason : /]

6/11/2008 1:45:05 PM

Quote :

"Hockey is helped greatly with the amount of foreign players. I think they are able to stay away from the corruption and greed of Americans in general."

The entire Russian Super League is run by the mafia.

Also, in regards to the original post, when the hell has anyone tried to assault someone with a skate? There's been an attempted kick here and there, but nothing on par with Jesse Boulerice-style stick swinging.

6/11/2008 1:52:23 PM

ignorance is bliss...

6/11/2008 1:53:42 PM

^Happy Gilmore doesn't count for trying to stab someone with a skate.

and if you're referring to someone stepping on a leg with a skate, that's nowhere near as bad as McSorely years ago trying to cripple Brashear.

6/11/2008 1:55:40 PM

Quote :

"do you honestly believe that? that American sports are the most corrupt in the world?"

When did I say that?

Quote :

"The entire Russian Super League is run by the mafia. "

The thread is about American sports, so just because hockey is corrupt in another part of the world doesn't mean anything about it here. I think because players are from other areas of the world then come over here it has helped avoid some of the issues other sports in the US have had. I just feel that the large amount of foreign hockey players has helped hockey in the states avoid some of the issues that other sports have had for the time being anyway. I think the fact that hockey is "so corrupt" in places like Russia etc. just helps support that.

6/11/2008 3:16:28 PM

Quote :

"When did I say that?"

you didnt, but you said the high number of foreign players would somehow hold off the american corruption and greed, which sounds to me like you're implying that american sports are more corrupt than sports in whatever country the foreign players come from

6/11/2008 3:46:52 PM

6/11/2008 3:56:11 PM

[Edited on June 11, 2008 at 4:00 PM. Reason : x]

6/11/2008 3:59:41 PM

Quote :

"Nascar: Seems like every week someone gets docked points for car/part violations"

yeah? when has that happened this year other than Edwards? Nascar has the most credibility of all major United State's sports imo.

6/11/2008 4:06:43 PM

I dont know where I'd rank NASCAR as far as other sports and credibility, but there have been things in the past...like Johnson and the Lowe's car winning a bunch of consecutive races at Lowe's motor speedway...that definitely raised some eyebrows

Of course if all the conspiracies were true I guess Junior would've won at least 1 race this year

6/11/2008 4:10:25 PM

All racers cheat. All the time. From parts violations in Winston Cup to people in SCCA Showroom Stock who sort through stock Miata engines until they find the most advantageous cylinder head that still meets factory allowances, everyone cheats in some way, shape, or form. Whether you consider that damaging to credibility or just part of the game is your own decision.

6/11/2008 4:13:50 PM

Ya'll need to learn yerselves about some nascar. Seeing if you could get away with it is a huge part of nascar history.

MLS and maybe the PGA (if you consider golf a sport)

6/11/2008 4:17:36 PM

Smokey's 7/8 scale Chevelle FTW!

6/11/2008 4:22:59 PM

Spying, steroids, pushing the nascar rules, and being violent are all in the competitive nature of the game. The match fixing, while not surprising, is infinitely more bothersome and frustrating to me.

6/11/2008 4:51:06 PM

Quote :

"I dont know where I'd rank NASCAR as far as other sports and credibility, but there have been things in the past...like Johnson and the Lowe's car winning a bunch of consecutive races at Lowe's motor speedway...that definitely raised some eyebrows Of course if all the conspiracies were true I guess Junior would've won at least 1 race this year"

First off, NASCAR is not a sport, it's a sanctioning body in a sport.

Other things "in the past" that has raised eyebrows, as far as a car being clearly better than the rest of the field to where it seems it could have been helped:

1984: Richard Petty winning his 200th race right at the line on 4th of July weekend at Daytona in front of President Ronald Reagan

1994: Jeff Gordon winning the inaugural Brickyard 400

2001: Dale Earnhardt Jr. does not need a draft to pull away from the field at Daytona in the first race there after his father's death

Kyle Petty has openly said of its existance, saying "drivers get the call". Some journalists have agreed. It'd be pretty easy to do, cause NASCAR rules over itself with no outside supervision. It'd be certainly easy to try and make a certain guy win at places like Daytona and Talladega, all they have to do is give out a restrictor plate with larger holes. Boom, a lot more horsepower than anyone else. You can't fix races, but you can certainly help a guy or two along the way.

As far as other "dark secrets of racing", NASCAR essentially black-listed Tim Richmond in the 1980s cause they suspected he had AIDS. They had no process at the time to handle drug testing or anything, but drug tested him and would not allow him to race unless he gave them all his hospital records because they were trying to figure out how he contracted his illness, which at the time was understood to only be in gay men. Also, the aftermath of Dale Earnhardt's death, which NASCAR handled atrociously. They scapegoated their top safety supplier for no good reason other to cover their ass. One journalist, who I think wrote for Speed at the time declined to do a tell-all book on NASCAR once. He said that he talked to some NASCAR people about it and they pretty much told him that as far as research goes, 90% is great, sunny, family-friendly stuff. It's the other 10% that is black and dirty and corrupt that would either kill his book or he would just never find out about.

There is the concept of "ride buying", which fans rarely talk about and non-fans don't know about. What it is is you need money to own a racecar, field a race team, and travel to races. If you don't have a sponsor or a rich enough owner happy to just run it for a loss (called an "enthusiast"). Well a lot of people get the racing bug, and some will happily pay for it. What ride buyers do is say "you can't run if you don't have money, I will bring you money, and you put me in the car". Normally, these people are not good enough to get the ride on their own merit, otherwise they wouldn't need to bring money to get a ride. It's more pronounced in European racing and American sportscar racing, where "gentleman drivers" are more accepted. However, it came to Indycar in the late 1980s, partly leading to the problems there where it used to be the #1 series until it got passed by NASCAR in the early 1990s. It's even in NASCAR now and will continue to get larger as the money involved gets higher while the economy goes to crap. Paul Menard is driving the Menards car, put two and two together people!

Then there's of course nepotism, which is no surprise, I call it the "Jeff Andretti Rule". Dale Earnhardt Jr. won 3 out of 80 races in late models at Myrtle Beach. If you or I did that, we wouldn't even get a ride in the Hooters Cup Series. Steve Wallace is the most blatant example now of a guy that shouldn't be anywhere near a racecar except his dad is putting him in a great car that's very well-financed.

IMSA in the mid-1980s had most of their top drivers pretty much marijuana smugglers in concert with Colombians to pay for their racing, leading to the joke that IMSA stood for "International Marijuana Smugglers Association". The ring leader was John Paul Sr. who is now on the run. Some of the drivers are still in jail, such as Randy Lanier, who was convicted for murder along with his drug smuggling. There were the Whittington Brothers, all three of which ran in the 1982 Indy 500. The youngest and least talented driver of the three, Dale, took part in a controversial accident on Lap 1 of the race that pretty much destroyed Kevin Cogan's career (Cogan was middle of the front row and on the start ran into A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti, the two most famous drivers at the time, leading to fans and the media hating him as a talentless hack). Supposedly, Mario was pretty pissed off after DNFing before the green flag that day and told the Whittingtons that if Dale got in an Indycar again, he would expose their drug smuggling activity, leading to the obvious question of how well-known it was in the racing world if that was true. The Whittingtons ran everywhere: Indycar, NASCAR, road racing, two of which won at Le Mans.

There was the very political and very ugly CART-IRL split which lasted from 1995 to February of last year. And before that was the split that created CART in the first place from USAC in 1979.

There are rule changes all the time in racing, which are usually political and usually designed by one of the participants to hurt his competitors. Whether's it engine restrictions based on manufacturer (NASCAR), saying something out of the blue is illegal (NASCAR, F1), only saying certain teams can buy certain cars (the old CART), or not allowing customer cars (road racing, the old CART, F1). In NASCAR now, there are a ton of fans that think NASCAR should remove horsepower by rule from Toyota. Why? Well, "the Toyotas are winning too much".

There's also when there are not clear winners, which are always fun. The 1981 Indy 500 between Bobby Unser and Mario Andretti, the 1995 Indy 500 when Scott Goodyear passed the pace car, the 2002 Indy 500 between Paul Tracy and Helio Castroneves, the race a couple years where the fans thought Junior had passed Jeff Gordon but the caution had come out right before it happened and froze the field (a carbon copy of Tracy-Castroneves). There was a NASCAR race in the early 1990s at North Wilkesboro where they ran the caution for something like 60 laps. Why? Well, they couldn't figure out who was on the lead lap. So they ran the caution for an hour while crew chiefs argued on pit road.

There's Formula One, which is a piece of work. I could write 10 pages on F1 stuff. I'll leave it for vinylbandit if he wants to do it. Espionage on other teams, which happened last year. I know a guy in racing who knew the uncle of the McLaren "spy". He went into hiding for fear of his safety! The 2005 United States Grand Prix where 16 cars pulled off before the green flag for safety reasons, but it could have been avoided if F1 just put aside their damn politics for once. The year-after-year notions that Ferrari controls F1 to their benefit. The rivalries on track that sometimes become a bit too real, Senna-Prost being the most obvious.

[Edited on June 11, 2008 at 8:03 PM. Reason : /]

6/11/2008 7:46:57 PM

I actually have much more first-hand experience with IMSA.

6/11/2008 8:16:03 PM

^ I didn't mean firsthand experience of F1, just I knew you were an avid follower and could comment on the politics more than me.

You could tell us about Andy Evans I guess. Any more marijuana smugglers?

[Edited on June 11, 2008 at 8:31 PM. Reason : .]

6/11/2008 8:28:20 PM

Quote :

"Spying, steroids, pushing the nascar rules, and being violent are all in the competitive nature of the game. The match fixing, while not surprising, is infinitely more bothersome and frustrating to me."

Exactly how I feel. I can stand the other things, because you still have to go out and win. You still have to hit the ball over the fence, or make the tackle even if you know the play call, and drive your car around the wreck. None of those involve the person enforcing the rules handing you victory.

6/11/2008 10:19:59 PM

PGA tour by far has the most dignity imo. think about it; they are the only major sport where no cheating occurs that we know of at all and they ACTUALLY CALL PENALTIES ON THEMSELVES with some regularity. no other sport even comes close. nba and college bball players do things to persuade refs all of the time (see Duke: flopping and any time a player gets hit on any team and loses the ball he throws his hands wildly as if he was hit by the world's strongest man). NFL players take roids and cheat on the field constantly (o-line holding and such) as do MLB obviously with roids. i know selling the refs isn't cheating but it kind of is in a way as it changes game outcomes.

The PGA tour has the most honorable players by far. you def. don't see an nba player say i got away with traveling so i should just give the other team the ball to make it fair. and playing as much golf as i have i know there are plenty of times where ive hit my ball in a hazard or gotten a rotten lie or whatever and just wanted to move it so bad or what not with my rationale being that golf cheats you enough as is. pga players, at least to public knowledge, don't ever cheat and call stuff on themselves that seems bogus.

6/11/2008 10:49:09 PM

shoeless joe jackson

6/11/2008 11:02:32 PM

Golf is the only sport that doesn't rely on officials to make the correct calls....

PGA tour is easily the most dignified of any of them.

Quote :

"pga players, at least to public knowledge, don't ever cheat and call stuff on themselves that seems bogus."

This would be kinda hard to accomplish with so many watching them so of course they don't cheat.

[Edited on June 11, 2008 at 11:35 PM. Reason : GO PGA!]

6/11/2008 11:33:51 PM

Would be funny to see if they tried to cheat tho

Vijay looking around to see if anyone is looking, then kicking his ball out of the rough

All captured in HD from the blimp cam

6/11/2008 11:54:43 PM

there is NO cheating in golf

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QErHj1pAG00

6/12/2008 6:54:05 AM

Ironically enough, professional golf might have the most dignity left but it is also the sport that the average person probably cheats at the most.

6/12/2008 8:05:46 AM

Wrestling. The guy that's supposed to take the dive by the end always takes the dive. Wait, if that's the standard that would mean the NBA is legit as well.

6/12/2008 8:24:17 AM

^ I know you're just joking, but that's still not always true. See "Screwjob, Montreal."

6/12/2008 12:59:22 PM

Quote :

"First off, NASCAR is not a sport, it's a sanctioning body in a sport."

6/12/2008 1:01:27 PM

Quote :

"yeah that NHL broadcast on OLN deal is real dignified "

Hey now, let's get it right. Indoor hockey is no longer on the Outdoor Life Network (Ironically, the outdoor game was not on OLN). It's on Versus.

I know it's the same network, with a different name, but I'm just being an ass.

[Edited on June 12, 2008 at 10:52 PM. Reason : ]

6/12/2008 10:51:09 PM

http://www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/15477.html

6/14/2008 9:23:46 PM

wait a second....people honestly count driving as a sport? seriously?

6/15/2008 1:08:39 AM

i dont think its as much of a sport as some other sports, but it would definitely classify as one of the USA's "major sports" based on the revenue and # of viewers

6/15/2008 1:33:34 AM