When Right is Wrong

Many years ago, I used to listen to The Jim Rome Show. If you aren't familiar with who he is, Rome is a sports talk show host who was a borderline shock jock. One day, when talking about Major League Baseball, he said "If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying. And it's only cheating if you get caught." On the surface, that sounds pretty harsh. However, isn't that the mentality of most people when it comes to getting ahead?

Most non-Duke fans were incensed when Grayson Allen attempted to trip a basketball player that got by him during a game. What made the fans even madder was the idea that Coach K only suspended him for one game. To hear Kentucky fans talk about it, Coach K is the devil (no pun intended) who is single-handedly destroying college basketball. Allen's actions were immature and wrong, but did they warrant such hatred from college basketball fans?

Meanwhile, those same Kentucky fans who choose to vilify Coach K and his players, seem to be okay with the cheating allegations that have plagued John Calipari. Coach Cal has been found guilty of NCAA violations at every school he coached prior to getting the Kentucky job. His players have been guilty of larger infractions such as taking money from agents, cheating on college entrance exams and allowing player's family to travel with the team for free. His transgressions have cost schools NCAA sanctions and vacated victories. In fact, Calipari is the only coach to have victories vacated at more than one school. I guess Kentucky fans see tripping as a much bigger offense.

Now, before all of the Big Blue Nation rains down upon me, let me explain my point. I believe most of us have good hearts with the ability to separate right from wrong. Unfortunately, there are times when we throw all sense of ethics out the window. The word "fan" is short for fanatics. Die hard fans have a deep obsession with their team. All they want is for their team to win. That desire will cause fans to see things differently than most of us. A foul is only a foul when the other team commits it. The fix is only in when it keeps our team from winning.

The spirit of fairness holds true in the legal world as well. How times do we complain when the police give us a speeding ticket, but scream in frustration when they aren't there to catch that speed demon who's weaving in and out of traffic? We can't stand defense attorneys and their ability to manipulate the law in order to get shady individuals off UNTIL we need them to defend us. We scream out for the law to be fair and equitable, but is that really what we want? Maybe what we really want is for the law to work in our favor, whether we are right or wrong.

Sports are fun, but they are also a mirror of society. Morality and ethical lines have been skewed. Whether it's sports, politics, education or the work place, we have forgotten the need to call a spade a spade. If it's wrong, it's wrong. When we venture into situational ethics, no one wins. Most things that are gained unethically, won't last long. So cheer for your favorite team and have fun doing it, but don't lower your values in order to justify a win.