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.

Sports Shorts

Perth star Erin McGowan is the new WBO female 135 champion. Erin showed brilliance and superstar potential with a near-flawless performance last night over the United Kingdom's Lindsey Scragg at the Arena Jundaloop here in front of a raucous crowd that came to cheer for their fighter. McGowan worked behind a crisp jab, and surprised everyone when she took the fight to Scragg instead of just using her height and reach advantage to cruise to a victory. The undefeated McGowan proved the busier and stronger fighter in this exciting and explosive 10-round dukeout which had the crowd on their feet throughout.

By winning his third crown in 2010, Roger Federer matched Pete Sampras in career ATP titles at 64. The Swiss is now targeting John McEnroe’s 77 for the No. 3 spot. At the If Stockholm Open, Federer found himself down a break at 4-3 in the final to Florian Mayer until the German admitted that situation got into his head. After consecutive weeks in Shanghai and now Stockholm, Federer now has a week of rest before his home Basel tennis event begins next Monday.

Lote Tuqiri has played in World Cups in two codes, contested State of Origin deciders and tasted NRL premiership success during his 11 years as a professional footballer. But the veteran winger still found himself in a "dream state" when his name was read out in Australia's starting line-up for Sunday's Four Nations match against Papua New Guinea. The selection means the 31-year-old is the first player to earn selection as a Kangaroo, then a Wallaby, before returning to rugby league's international stage with Australia.

Former BYU player Ben Cahoon, 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, is one of only nine professional football players to catch more than 1,000 passes in a career (see chart), and only the second to do it in the CFL. Heading into an Oct. 10 game against the Calgary Stampeders, he needed four catches to surpass Terry Vaughn's CFL career record of 1,006. He made the fourth catch with five minutes left in the game, hauling in another pass from Anthony Calvilo, the former Utah State quarterback who arrived in Montreal the same year as Cahoon.

Chelsea are planning to test the resolve of Liverpool's new owners by making a fresh bid for Spain striker Fernando Torres in the Barclays Premier League January transfer window. Liverpool rejected an offer of £25 million ($40.2m) for the Spain striker last northern summer, but Chelsea are hoping to exploit the regime change at Anfield and the team's poor start to the season by signing one of their prized assets. Torres professed his loyalty to Liverpool in a prearranged statement in August, but his commitment is contingent on the club challenging for the biggest trophies, which are already looking out of reach this season as the Reds are languishing in 19th place.

While Sonny Bill Williams will be forever grateful to former Toulon coach Tana Umaga and the club's colourful owner, Mourad Boudjellal, for the opportunity and support they gave him in adapting to the new code, Williams's development has accelerated at a rate faster than even he anticipated since his move to New Zealand. In just five national provincial competition appearances for Canterbury, the 25-year-old has confounded his critics with a devastating attacking style that convinced New Zealand selectors to choose him in a 30-man squad for this weekend's Bledisloe Cup match against Australia in Hong Kong and the end-of-season European tour. Should he make his Test debut on tour, Williams will become only the second Kiwi league international to switch codes and represent the country in rugby union.