When Cheaters Prosper

Photo Source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/apr/08/world-cup-moments-maradona-hand-god

The 1986 Mexico World Cup had already been a thrilling one, and the quarterfinal game between Argentina and England looked to continue that trend. This was a match between the two best teams in the tournament. England had a near impenetrable defense, but Argentina had Diego Maradona. He was electric. At age 25, the Argentinian was an incredible dribbler of the ball, and was already being spoken of as one of the all-time greats. Despite his talent, by the beginning of the second half of the game, he had not yet been able to breach the walls of the English defense. Finally though, in the 51st minute of the game, Maradona got a clear chance. His teammate had a cross deflected, and the ball awkwardly bounced up into the middle of the box. Maradona sprinted towards the ball, ready to strike, but just as he was getting there, so was England’s goalie, Peter Shilton. Maradona needed the leap of his life if he wanted to reach the ball. Shilton towered over Maradona. At a height of 6’2; he was just about 9 inches taller than the Argentinian. Even if Maradona jumped higher than he ever had before, he had no chance of heading the ball in. He would have to find a different way to score. 

It was a hot and sunny day at Crocker Amazon field in San Francisco, and as I stepped on the pitch, I could feel the heat radiating from the turf, making it uncomfortable for every player. There weren’t many fans on the sideline, as is usual for a youth soccer game, but I was still feeling the pressure. I did before every game, but this one had me particularly worried. Unlike Maradona, I hadn’t been in the greatest form over the course of the season, and I was nervous that I would be benched if I played poorly. As the game kicked off, I was on a mission to score. Every time I got the ball I would dribble forward and shoot at the goal, with no regard for my open teammates. But as shot after shot missed, I started looking like a ball hog, not a good player. Towards the end of the first half, however, I got a golden chance. My team's winger dribbled down the sideline and crossed the ball in the air to the middle of the box, where I was standing. There was only one issue: the cross was just about at waist height, so I couldn’t reach it with my foot, and it was ever so slightly to my right, so I had no way of controlling it with my stomach. Like Maradona, I would have to find a creative way to score. 

Cheating in sports is a controversial topic. Some people think it’s dishonorable and disgraceful, and that it takes away from the game. Others think that if you can do anything to get a leg up, you should do it. The way I see it, there are two main types of cheating in sports, one of which is acceptable, and one of which is wrong. The acceptable type of cheating is cheating within the parameters of the game. This type of cheating has consequences written into the rules of the game, and when you get caught you have to face them. It takes skill and knowledge of the game to get away with it, and to know how to do it well. An example of this is what Uruguay’s Luis Suarez did against Ghana during the quarter finals of the 2010 World Cup. Suarez, who is not a goalie, made a last minute save with his hands, to prevent Ghana from scoring what would have been the game-winning goal. He was given a red card, and Ghana got to take a penalty kick, but they missed that penalty, and Uruguay went on to win the game. Though Suarez broke the rules of the game, and what he did was not allowed, he took a calculated risk. He knew he would be punished, but was willing to concede the red card and the penalty, if it prevented a goal. Though many consider what he did to be cheap and against the spirit of the game, I think it was a smart and savvy move that ended up paying off. 

Now, one example of cheating that I don’t condone is steroid use. What differentiates it from the types of cheating I’ve previously mentioned is that it is completely outside of the parameters of the game. It doesn’t even take place within the time frame of the game, but it is an obvious way of giving yourself an unfair advantage. A handball has a designated penalty, giving it that aspect of risk vs reward. Steroid use is not a split-second decision that the ref can punish. It’s a pre-planned cheat that the ref can’t detect or punish. When you buy into a game, you also have to buy into its built-in punishment system, and while types of cheating like a handball accept that, steroid use attempts to dodge it entirely. A few other examples of this type of cheating include stealing opponents playbooks, corking the bat in baseball, and paying off the refs. All of these types of cheating attempt to avoid the parameters of the game, and that’s what makes them wrong. 

When Maradona was facing down Peter Schilling, with the ball bouncing in the air, he played out the risk vs reward scenario in his head. He knew he would be punished if he was caught using his hands, but the reward of a goal far outweighed that risk. So, as he leaped in the air, somehow managing to beat out Shilton, he stuck his hand out above his head, just enough to tap the ball over the stunned Englishman. England’s keeper could do nothing but watch the ball bounce into his net, having been out jumped and out-thought by Maradona. Of course, using your hands in soccer is illegal, and Shilton looked over to the referees, hoping that they could save him and erase his mistake, but he got no help. None of the three referees had seen Maradona sneak his hand above his head to tap the ball, so the goal was given. Some, such as England’s keeper, complained, whining that what Maradona did was unfair, but at the end of the match, when the game was won by one goal, Maradona was the victor, and his risk had paid off. 

I faced a similar dilemma to Maradona during my soccer game at Crocker Amazon. I wouldn’t be able to score legally, but my team needed a goal, and if I could use my hand to score without the ref knowing, we could get that. I swung my body towards the ball, pretending to hit it with my hip, while I secretly stuck my hand out and slapped the ball past the keeper. The opposing players immediately whined to the ref, but my trickery had worked. The ref ruled the goal in, and I was able to celebrate freely. For the rest of the game, the opposing players fouled me, and whined to me about how I was a dirty player. But the thing was, no matter how much anyone complained, the goal counted, and we won 2-1 because of it.  See, that’s the thing about cheating in soccer; it’s a risk that you take. And when you do pull it off, no matter how much anyone complains or calls you a cheater, you reap the rewards.