Cheaters never prosper?

By Mike Kaufmann

When did cheating become such a mainstay in our culture?

Last weekend, Kenny Rogers was seen with a substance on his hand while he pitched Game 2 of the World Series. After the game, Rogers claimed that it was just a clump of dirt, and that he didn't do anything wrong.

The next day, photos were posted on sportsillustrated.com that showed Rogers' hand from previous starts during the playoffs and -- surprise, surprise -- each photo revealed the same smudge on his hand.

Did Rogers happen to pick up the same troublesome type of dirt with the same part of his throwing hand while pitching in three different series?

On Sunday, the NFL announced that it would be suspending linebacker Shawne Merriman for four games because he broke the steroids policy. This is the same Merriman who was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL last season.

Not surprisingly, Merriman came out the next day and claimed the positive test was a result of supplements that he'd been taking.

Does anybody else see anything wrong with this picture?

Nowadays, athletes want to earn the biggest paycheck (which I can't really argue with) and in order to do that you have to be the best. Yet somewhere lost in all of that is the morality of becoming the best, more specifically by using illegal methods, such as steroids, to become a better player.

The worst part is that we allow them to get away with it.

Have you noticed that nobody ever confesses to using steroids, even if all signs suggest they do?

And how many times have we heard the supplement excuse (Merriman, as well as numerous baseball players), the irregular levels of testosterone (Floyd Landis) or the flaxseed oil excuse (Barry Bonds)?

I know it can be tough to fault these guys because it's hard to pass up millions of dollars when all you have to do is stick a needle in your butt. However, we need to hold them accountable when it's shockingly (not really) discovered that they've been using performance-enhancing drugs.

Just once, I'd like to see a big name athlete walk into a press conference and say, "I screwed up, it was wrong, but I did it." Jason Giambi was close, but he didn't quite make the cut.

The bottom line is that cheating isn't okay. But if we don't hold athletes accountable for their wrongdoings, then it's not going to stop any time soon.

Contact Mike Kaufmann at (408) 551-1918 or mlkaufmann@scu.edu.