Sporting World Reeling From Misconduct

There are so many allegations of disgraceful sporting conduct taking place all over the world it makes you wonder if everything is tainted. Maybe WWE Raw is as as honest as it gets, and frankly, that is scary. We know of the reports of the Alberto Contador doping scandal from the Tour de France, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Making big headlines right now is the story of Cam Newton, the Auburn quarterback, being offered to the the highest bidder for between $100,000 to $180,000. Newton's father, Cecil is reported to have made the pitch and said that his son's enrollment was "not gonna be free this time." If this proves to be true it will rip open the NCAA governance of collegiate sport and probably negate any chance of Newton claiming a Heisman.

Topping that we have the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the Zurich-based soccer governing organization, saying on November 17 they will announce the ethics committee’s decision on whether to expel Nigeria’s Amos Adamu and Tahiti’s Reynald Temarii. The two were suspended on October 21, 2010 after the duo allegedly told undercover reporters they would exchange their World Cup votes for cash. If they are expelled, 22 members of the executive committee will vote on the 2018 and 2022 hosts for sport’s most-watched event.

On a lesser scale but bad enough, we have Ted Forstmann, the chief executive officer of IMG Worldwide Inc., making a $40,000 wager on Roger Federer, to beat Rafael Nadal in the 2007 French Open final. IMG is the sports agency that represents athletes including golfer Tiger Woods and Federer, said in an interview that he regretted betting on Federer to win the match against Nadal, also an IMG client. The ATP has sent the message very clearly to Mr. Forstmann that we consider his behavior inappropriate and that he will be in violation of the rules if he engages in such activity in the future,” the ATP said. Forstmann’s bet, which was criticized by Federer, may form part of a lawsuit that accuses the executive of using company funds to cover gambling losses, the New York Times said. Forstmann denies wrongdoing and said the bet was legal. It may have been lawful but it wasn't right and he should have known better.

What is going to take to get this garbage out of sport? I guess maybe it's impossible, but I sure hope that the governing bodies make examples of those proven to be breaking the rules. Greed seems to be the guiding factor in so much of sport and it is sickening. Sport is supposed to be the great leveler, where talent speaks for itself, it is supposed to be the arena where any person can shine and earn their way. There is nothing wrong with making a good living out of sport if one has the ability; as a player, scout, coach, referee or administrator. But not at the expense of the team, the league, the fans and the game. Thankfully we still have personalities with integrity, like Federer who set the right example and lead the way.

A Trophy in the Hand is Worth Two from a Bush

There is so much being written about Reggie Bush. Will he keep his Heisman Trophy, will the Trust make him give it back, will Reggie do the right thing as one NY Times blogger suggested, and give the trophy back on his own volition? All this speculation is interesting, but what is the right thing to do? Does it matter or is it all a big yawn?

The first question to really answer is, did Reggie deserve the Heisman for his heroics on the football field, if that was the only criteria? Clearly yes, as he had an absolutely amazing season, and was arguably the standout player of the year. Should somebody else have won the Heisman that year? A moot point because Reggie was chosen by the Heisman Trust, ahead of the only other real candidate, Vince Young.

Here's where it gets technical. Of course, on-field performance is not the only criteria by which a Heisman Trophy winner is selected. The winner must also have kept a multitude of NCAA rules to be eligible. Again, clearly Reggie Bush did not keep all those rules; as he and his family accepted lavish gifts that were definitely outside accepted boundaries. Should Reggie lose his Heisman for breaching those regulations?

That answer will depend on a number of things. Do you love Reggie or not, is one. Things like, are some of those NCAA rules just plain ridiculous? Should a person be held to those standards despite them being draconian? And I know some of the are; I have a friend that worked during an NCAA tournament, I won't say which sport, and the security staff at the venue were made the put athletic tape over the sponsor logos on their uniform jackets. You have got to be kidding!

But do we then condone unfair play, and set ourselves up for more misadventure, if we don't enforce those rules, and take back the Heisman? Integrity makes a man, or woman, that I can say. I think we open up a can of worms what ever the decision by the Heisman Trust ultimately ( and they don't seem to be in a hurry to make a decision).

For me the biggest regrets are, firstly that this all happened and Reggie is in this position. Second of all, why has this saga dragged on so long? It should be dealt with much more quickly and effectively. But the most distressing of all, according to the Yahoo report that broke this story open, is that if Reggie is stripped of the trophy then nobody will be awarded it, in his place. This would be a travesty of justice, because Vince Young, the second-place vote getter did obey the rules and also shone on the field, especially in the BCS Championship game. Surely if Reggie would not have been chosen if the selectors had known he was a rule breaker, then Vince would have won the trophy. Why not now?