Cheating is not a shortcut to greatness

Cheating has many definitions. A dictionary defines it as “to act dishonestly or unfairly to gain an advantage in a game or examination;” or to deceive or trick such as “he always cheats at cards,” or “to be sexually unfaithful like cheating on your spouse,” or to avoid something undesirable by luck or skill such as “she cheated death in a spectacular crash.”

When you think of it, there are as many examples of cheating as there are people. That is why recent research has been able to claim that virtually everyone cheats. This means that everyone reading this column cheats. There are no exceptions.

So if everyone does it, what’s the big deal? Why is cheating making the sports headlines almost every week?

I guess you could say that there are different levels of cheating, like when top athletes cheat by sneaking around and taking performance-enhancing drugs and lying about it until they are caught. That is a big deal because they harm the image of their sports as well as themselves, but mostly they harm the people who pay their ridiculously high salaries —not the owners, but the fans who pay to see them play.

Whether it’s Mark McGuire, A-Rod, Lance Armstrong et al., cheating at that level can only be compared to a magician showing everyone the secrets behind their tricks. When you see how it’s done it ruins the impact. You no longer think it’s so great. What you thought was magic, or exceptional talent in the case of athletes, is no longer mystical or exceptional. It’s no longer what you see is what you get. Athletes who need performance-enhancing drugs are actually losers. They are losers who need artificial stimulants to compete. It’s all done with drugs.

They don’t have the physical strength or talent to compete on a level playing field with everyone else. Worse yet, they sneak around taking performance-enhancing drugs, and even when caught red-handed still deny it.

Another level of cheating is on high school and/or college exams. Academic cheating is just as serious as cheating in sports. In many ways it is scary or even nightmarish.

Think of those who cheat on college exams. Did they get there by cheating on high school exams? Would you want a doctor who cheated his way through medical school operating on you? An attorney who cheated his way through law school representing you? How about an engineer who cheated his way though engineering school designing a bridge or highway? Of course not, but that is what’s at stake.

Cheating is wrong, yet it is permeating our society nevertheless. It is sadly becoming acceptable. Lance Armstrong is already trying to arrange acceptance to compete in future cycling races. Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire and A-Rod are still trying to get into the baseball Hall of Fame, meaning they have not accepted responsibility for what they did.

When it comes to cheating, there is absolutely no excuse. Cheating should be condemned in the strongest possible way and not accepted under any circumstances. It is a personal choice one makes. It is not an act that is forced on anyone. No one held a gun to Lance Armstrong’s head and made him take performance-enhancing drugs.

Where is the athlete who will step forward and declare that he or she would rather loose without drugs than win with drugs? Where is the student who will come forward and say that he or she would rather fail an exam without drugs than pass the test using drugs?

Those are the kinds of examples our leaders should be supporting. To the athletes who choose to use performance-enhancing drugs and get caught and asks when they can start competing again, the answer should be never, never, never.

Bob Lewis lives in Wasilla.