How much for your character?

Sooner or later, the truth always comes out. As far back as the Black Sox point shaving scandal that left “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, with his .345 batting average in the World Series, out of the Hall of Fame for life, we have found that point shaving and player scandals are part of our national (and international) pastimes. Not only has this disgrace occurred in baseball, but in professional basketball, football, and hockey, even involving referees. In addition to happening frequently in amateur sports like college football and basketball, it has also happened internationally with cricket, soccer, boxing and now even tennis.

I understand it makes the most economic sense for young players who are struggling to be on the tour and throwing a match can pay for the overhead for an entire year. Nowadays, these corrupt athletes can make big paydays by shaving points and throwing matches. Even tennis superstar Novak Djokovic has acknowledged being offered $200,000 to throw a match in the past. Unfortunately, gambling is a national pastime and the economics have become so great with all types of gambling and online sports books. These avenues make it so not only the player himself can benefit, but even more disturbingly it allows the guys who are paying these athletes to manipulate the result of the match or game to benefit.

I recently read a great book by Joseph N. Gagliano called No Grey Areas. He gave the inside story of one the largest point shaving scandals in history and the consequences thereafter. At twenty-four years old he coordinated the ASU basketball scandal, one of the largest in history. Joe not only created a number of legitimate businesses from his scams but reflected on how the truth always comes out and details the reflection on greed, love and freedom that was won and lost.

Like anything else in life, sooner or later the truth comes out. Is it worth thousands or even millions of dollars to risk ruining your reputation for life? Joe Gagliano, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and former NBA referee Tim Donaghy would pray for us to listen…It’s not worth it! I’m sure that former Australian tennis star, Nick Lindahl, does not think so now that he has pled guilty to match-fixing charges stemming from a 2013 match. His reputation and character are tarnished forever!

90% of what we want in life is manifested through money. The remaining 10% that we cannot buy or influence with money is the truth. The truth vibrates the fastest and that is why the truth always comes out!

We must live by a standard much higher than any commissioner, league, or International Olympic Committee Regulations. We must live to a higher standard... the “gold standard” of truth. It is extremely disheartening and disappointing to all fans when we find out that the games that we watch or play are fixed or even worse are somehow not real. If we are going to have true competition in the world, we need to play by the truth... unconditionally!