Today?s world of sports is all about the victory.? Herman Edwards is famously quoted as saying, ?You play to win the game.?? Vince Lomabrdi is quoted as saying, ?If winning isn?t everything, why do they keep score??? What ever happened to, ?It?s not if you win or lose but how you play the game.?? I will tell you what happened to it. ?It does not exist.
Recently, the New Orleans Saints have been targeted by the National Football League for a ?bounty program? that awarded players financially for knocking players out of the game and injuring them.? This bounty program was in direct violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and of the moral code of sports.? It isn?t just that the Saints had the program; they were caught once and told to stop.? They did not.? They have now been caught by the National Football League and have a variety of players, coaches, ex-coaches and administrators waiting their punishment in terms of cash, suspensions and draft picks.? The Saints broke a moral code and they are awaiting punishment.? They knew what they were doing was wrong, but saw the personal and team gains that were possible and kept the program going. ?Many of those involved are probably wondering if it was all worth it. ?It probably was worth it while it was happening because they were profiting financially. ?Is it worth it now that their careers will always have this mark against them?
In 2007, The New England Patriots were caught by the National Football League for spying on, and videotaping, opponent?s practices.? Specifically, the Patriots were caught on September 9, 2007 by videotaping New York Jets defensive coaches hand signals during practice.? This was not just against the rules, it broke the moral code of football.? They cheated.? They probably won games because of the program that went back almost seven years.? They got caught and got punished.? Want to know how much it hurt, take a look and see how many Super Bowls the Patriots won before 2007 and after 2007 under Bill Belichick. ?Do you think the Patriots were wondering if it was all worth it? ?While they were winning Super Bowls, they thought it was worth it. ?What about the people that were fired from the organization after ?Spygate?? ?Was it worth it to them? ?Was it worth the reputation of Bill Belichick? ?Some people feel he cannot win a Super Bowl without spying. ?Do the positives outweigh the negatives?
In baseball, steroid testing did not officially begin until 2004.? In the 17 seasons before 2004, there were many offensive and home records that were broken and broken once again.? Between 1987 and 2004, the single-season home run record was broken twice.? There were five seasons of 60 home runs during that period, where there had been only two in the history of baseball.? Prior to 1987, there had been 5 times that the 50 home run record was topped.? Between 1987 and 2004, there were 14 times where the 50 home run plateau was topped.? Some of the top players of the time had been accused of or proven to have taken steroids; McGwire, Canseco, Sosa, Palmeiro, Ramirez, Ortiz, Rodriguez and others are on the list of power hitters that excelled during the ?Steroid Era?.? Steroids at the time were not against the rules of baseball, but they were illegal.? These men broke a moral code and artificially attempted to circumvent a century of baseball history.? How are these men punished?? Go to Cooperstown, New York, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and none of these men have their personal accomplishments mentioned or honored.? The Hall of Fame itself has refused to acknowledge these accomplishments and so have the voters for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame.? The broke the moral code and have lost against history. ?It may have been worth it for them then, but what about in 50 years when they are remembered. ?How will they be remembered? ?Was it worth it?
These are national stories and stories.? What about here on Long Island and one of our sports, slow-pitch softball?? What moral code do we have?? Bats.? Legal or illegal?
We have all heard the terminology, ?Painting?, ?rolling? or ?shaving ?.? What to these mean?? It means people do things to bats to enhance them above what the manufacturer intended.? What can happen?
First, altering a bat is a federal crime.? Changing a design and stating it is the original design is a patent and/or copyright violation.? All bats that have certain certifications that identify it as falling below a certain standard (such as speed).? Altering a bat to exceed the standard is a violation of the patent and copyright and can be backed up by lawsuits.? In 2006, ASA (Amateur Softball Association of America) was awarded over $100,000 in damages and legal fees against two defendants that altered bats.? So, by breaking a moral code, you can be sued for violations of copyright and patent. ?Is it worth it?
Second, you may be held criminally liable if you injure someone.? Think about it.? If you knowingly walk into the batter?s box with a bat that you know has been altered, you become personally liable for your actions.? Any league or organization will immediately throw you to the wolves once your bat has been tested and proven to be illegal.? Believe me, if someone is hurt, the first thing that injured person will do is have the bat tested. ?When I started playing pitchers did not worry. ?They pitched, they fielded and you can see who it is on the mound. ?Today, pitchers will wear masks, shin guards, chest protectors and anything else to help them not fear being hit by a line drive headed toward them. ?They have gone from a slow pitch softball player to Robo-Pitcher. ?As a batter, you may relax and not worry about hitting that person while swing an altered bat. ?What if you do? ?What if you hit someone? ?What if you seriously hurt that guy standing 50 feet away from you? ?A ball traveling at 98 mph takes 0.35 seconds to travel 51 feet. ?If you increase the speed 6 mph, the time drops to 0.32 seconds. ?Is that enough time for someone to save himself if you altered your bat? ?Is that worth it?
Thirdly, kiss your softball life goodbye.? If you are caught using an illegal bat under USSSA, you are immediately suspended for two years for your first violation and for life for any subsequent violation.? Is it worth it?
Look, we all have been there.? We have heard accusations of this player or that player using altered bats.? Most of us have even seen an entire team use the same bat until their home run limit is reached and then that bat disappears into a bag.? Personally, for those of you who know me know that I have never used an illegal bat. ?I have been in dugouts where I have been told, ?take this one up with you?. I haven?t.? To me, it is not worth it.? It isn?t that it is not worth hurting someone, because I know I probably cannot. ?I am not that strong that I can do that. ?I cannot hit a ball 400 feet ?or scare people with line drives. To me, it is not worth knowing I cheat. I do not like breaking moral codes. ?It is not worth it to be, but ss it worth it to you?
To tie this all together, no matter what the level of sports there are moral codes.? Some codes involve getting an advantage over your opponent.? Some codes are made so people do not get injured.? Other codes involve being able to look your opponent in the eye and know you are all on the same playing level.? Professionals have these codes.? College players have these codes.? High School players have these codes.? Even we, the slow pitch softball players have a moral code.? The difference is, if we break some of these codes, we will not get fined or lose draft picks.? We can lose the right to play our sport and potentially lose tens of thousands of dollars or maybe even end up in jail.
Is it worth it to you?
Source: http://globalrec.net/?p=2890
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