Crooked: A History of Cheating in Sports

You probably heard your father say it when you were a babe in arms. Your coach told you these things the moment you flubbed a catch. Together, they’re Sportsmanship 101: “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”

Also: “Cheaters never win and winners never cheat.”

So how does a sports fan account for Shoeless Joe, Tonya Harding, Marian Jones, Rose, Bonds, Canseco, McGwire, Sosa, A-Rod, BALCO, Skategate, unethical officials, and angry parents at children’s games?

You can’t, that’s how. But in the new book Crooked: A History of Cheating in Sports by Fran Zimniuch, you’ll learn that cheating in sports is nothing new, unfortunately.

Innocently or not, we’ve all seized opportunity to make life better for ourselves at the sake of others. Fran Zimniuch says that cheating in sports is opportunity plus willful dishonesty and ignoring rules to gain unfair advantage. But, since it’s human nature to fudge a little, where do we draw the line?

Surely the line was first crossed during the so-called Black Sox scandal that’s still debated almost a century after it happened. Then again, maybe not: Zimniuch writes of cheating in baseball several decades before the Sox scandal in 1919.

College basketball was “nearly destroyed” by a points-shaving scandal in 1951. Thirty players from City College of New York and six other schools were charged with accepting money to fix games. It may seem insignificant now and there have been many NCAA scandals since then, but the events of 1951 hurt the reputation of several players and cast doubt on the legacy of a talented coach.

Can ball or equipment altering be considered as cheating? Are lip reading and secret videotaping talents or tricks? Can a fight—something fans often expect—be a sneaky way to give your team an advantage? Are officials and umpires trustworthy? Is it unethical for a player to get a “needle in the butt” or should the use of drugs—a nasty little sports secret for well over 200 years—be allowed as a boost-up in the game?

Any way you look at it, says Zimniuch, it all depends on one thing: point of view. If your team is taking advantage of opportunity, it’s all good. If it’s the opposing team, they are most definitely cheating.

Crooked: A History of Cheating in Sports is a nice little surprise of a book. Using psychology, history, sociology, and a fan’s love of the game, author Fran Zimnuich takes a hard look at duplicity in sports, both pro and amateur. His manner is folksy and fan-friendly as he examines dozens of unsavory scandals.

Interestingly enough, he’s also careful to remind readers that the vast majority of athletes “do not cheat, do not use steroids, and do not cross that invisible line…”

I liked that balance, and I liked this book.

If you’ve been shaking your head about the plethora of sports scandals in the news lately, then grab this perspective-giving book. Crooked: A History of Cheating in Sports is a good bet.

Crooked: A History of Cheating in Sports

By Fran Zimnuich

c.2009, Taylor Trade

$16.95

193 pages

Terri Shlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 11,000 books.

Financially Ever After: Couples' Guilde To Managing Money

By Terri Shlichenmeyer Times Columnist




You’re about to make a serious promise. An oath not for the faint of heart.
It starts with the “love, honor, and obey” bit and morphs into “in sickness and in health”.
So far, so good.
But then, you’ll say something like, “For richer and for poorer…” and you’ll suddenly realize that them’s some powerful words. You happen to like a checkbook in the black. How can you make sure your new life with your beloved is more toward the “richer” side and less of the other?
You can start by reading Financially Ever After by Jeff D. Opdyke. With this book in hand, your march down the aisle will start out on the right financial foot.
If you’re like most people, you’ve been taught all your life that money is something you shouldn’t talk about. Chances are your parents didn’t discuss family finances in front of you. But now you’re the adult and before you start your life with another grown-up, there are ten questions you should ask yourself and your future spouse.
None of the questions are easy, but they’ll get you both thinking about money styles and attitudes toward cash and the lack thereof, least of which being: why buy an expensive, shiny particle of carbon to flash on a finger?
Do you have a basic understanding of money? What is your money history? What do you want to do with your life and your career, and how can money make that happen? What assets and liabilities are you each bringing to the marriage? How have you both used debt? How will you merge finances and delegate financial duties? And—just in case—is there a reason for a pre-nup?
But a pre-nup is so anti-romantic. You’re in love and you trust your intended. In fact, you’re getting married soon anyhow, so you’re thinking about merging your finances now. Why wait, right?
Wrong, says Opdyke. Never join finances outside of marriage. Understand that chits happen, no matter the level of trust. Ask for and offer financial transparency. Communicate. Studies show that money issues are one of the three top hurdles couples face, and fights about finances have derailed many a marriage.
Why make yours one of them?
Looking for the right gifts for those inevitable weddings you’ll be attending this summer? It might seem strange, but Financially Ever After could be just perfect.
Author Jeff D. Opdyke uses practical, common sense and good advice to help couples avoid one of marriages biggest issues, thereby, in a way, circumventing other problems that arise because of underlying money matters. Opdyke advocates equality and openness, but he also says prenuptial contracts are sometimes near-mandatory and yes, women should have their own credit histories… within reason.
If you’ve been married for awhile, you’ll wish you’d had this book years ago. You may still find some good coaching here. But if you’re altar-bound in the near future, find this inexpensive paperback, for sure. Financially Ever After is a book you won’t want to miss for love nor money.
Financially Ever After: The Couples’ Guide to Managing Money
By Jeff D. Opdyke
c.2009, Collins Business
$16.99
232 pages

Terri Shlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 11,000 books.