I think I have the finger on the difference between our attitudes towards cheating in sports.
Some seem to see sports as a completely separate realm from the rest, a realm whether the normal ethical rules are suspended.
I see sport as a form of culture which is part of the larger social realm, and therefore subject to the same ethical rules. And of course because the nature of the type of attention paid by children to athletes, sports has a strong effect on the larger social realm.
I detest those who cheat in real life for their own advantage, particularly if they boast about it afterward, and apply the same standard to sports.
In fact, high level sports such as the World Cup should have an even higher ethical standard because each athlete can affect the emotional and ethical development of millions of children around the world by a single action. For instance, how many children will use the example of Saurez as justification to embark on the first step toward a life of crime? "Saurez cheated, and he's a hero, even my Dad says he made the right choice, so my little cheat must be OK." It will be a tiny percentage of those who saw his abominable act who take that example that far, but a large absolute number nonetheless.
LC |
