Cheating in sports....
Watching the NBA and reading the news on soccer this past week has been a bit a roller coaster ride for me this week. Aaron Gordon's performance in the slam dunk competition, i was so sure he won it, that dunk on the 7'5" Tacko Fall should have sealed it, however it seems fairly certain that Dwayne Wade robbed him...Yep that's right, in my opinion Dwayne Wade robbed my man Aaron Gordon.
I've always loved sports as I felt that is probably the last thing that humanity has to offer where an individual that is gifted or engaged in it can only get ahead on merits....the above events this week is starting to show me that maybe that reality no longer exists.
There is no way, no how he should have lost it, A tie would have been acceptable as well, but relegating him to another loss in the competition is just highway robbery.
Plus this video sealed my opinion that this man was robbed:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1229059568686288897
As if that was not enough, the news that Manchester City would be banned for two seasons from UEFA's competitions for financial irregularities, brings in to question the legitimacy of Manchester City's sporting achievements in the recent past and in some aspects ever since the Abu Dhabi royal family took over the club.
Now, if their players had been using performance enhancing drugs, or if the club was engaged in match fixing a'la Juventus in 2006, you could make a case for a ban as well as titles being stripped off. In my opinion what Manchester City is accused of is financial fraud, not sporting fraud.
Yes their financial resources (or doping) resulted in them fielding a team they would not have been able to if they had followed the Financial Fair play rules, it is not fair to ban them or strip them of their achievements. I believe the way forward (if Man City is found guilty) is to deal it as you would with any other financial offence. A heavy fine or an unprecedented ruling. One idea would be that Man City would have to pay back the amount they are accused of spending and this amount would be shared by equally among the clubs it played against during those years, the fine would also comprise of prize money won, sponsorship money it had fraudulently declared, any other bonuses earned.
The result?
Well it would cause the following:
1. It would serve as a deterrent for other clubs not not flout the Financial Fair play rules;
2. Instead of enriching UEFA or any of the other authorities, it would send the money back to football and enrich the clubs which were wronged.
3. The players would be able to keep their respective honors earned and thus there would be no ill will throughout this, thereby ensuring only the club and its owners feel the hit.
Of course the above, while making sense to me, would most likely not happen as I feel that the authorities would take the lazier method which is to just ban them for a few years and strip them of honors won.
As if that was not enough, the news that Manchester City would be banned for two seasons from UEFA's competitions for financial irregularities, brings in to question the legitimacy of Manchester City's sporting achievements in the recent past and in some aspects ever since the Abu Dhabi royal family took over the club.
Now, if their players had been using performance enhancing drugs, or if the club was engaged in match fixing a'la Juventus in 2006, you could make a case for a ban as well as titles being stripped off. In my opinion what Manchester City is accused of is financial fraud, not sporting fraud.
Yes their financial resources (or doping) resulted in them fielding a team they would not have been able to if they had followed the Financial Fair play rules, it is not fair to ban them or strip them of their achievements. I believe the way forward (if Man City is found guilty) is to deal it as you would with any other financial offence. A heavy fine or an unprecedented ruling. One idea would be that Man City would have to pay back the amount they are accused of spending and this amount would be shared by equally among the clubs it played against during those years, the fine would also comprise of prize money won, sponsorship money it had fraudulently declared, any other bonuses earned.
The result?
Well it would cause the following:
1. It would serve as a deterrent for other clubs not not flout the Financial Fair play rules;
2. Instead of enriching UEFA or any of the other authorities, it would send the money back to football and enrich the clubs which were wronged.
3. The players would be able to keep their respective honors earned and thus there would be no ill will throughout this, thereby ensuring only the club and its owners feel the hit.
Of course the above, while making sense to me, would most likely not happen as I feel that the authorities would take the lazier method which is to just ban them for a few years and strip them of honors won.
I've always loved sports as I felt that is probably the last thing that humanity has to offer where an individual that is gifted or engaged in it can only get ahead on merits....the above events this week is starting to show me that maybe that reality no longer exists.
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