France’s Thierry Henry has caused a huge controversy this week, aiding his team qualify to the World Cup after using his hand, intentionally (i think) with the ref not blowing his whistle, starting a huge outcry from the Irish and neutral fans for a replay of the game and to maybe start introducing something pretty common in other sports – letting the refs use the cameras and watch the replay. Never mind that, it’s a huge discussion for a different place and time, but as a warning to Henry, we remember some of those who shamed themselves and the sport they took part of –
Ben Johnson
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One minute you’re the Olympic gold medalist and a world record holder, the next – a disgrace. Johnson tested positive for Stanozolol and was disqualified three days later, with the gold medal going to Carl Lewis. Later on Johnson admitted he used steroids when he won the World Championship and set his previous world record in 1987. Johnson wasn’t the first and as we all know far from being the last to be caught doping, but his case was at the biggest stage and highest profiled one. Although many other athletes who excelled at the 100 meter race were tested positive at some point in their careers, including Lewis, Johnson was the only one who was forced to give up his medals and records.
Diego Maradona
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To some, this goal, the hand of god goal, is pure delight, symbolizing some sort of justice for the Argentinians and revenge against the English for the Falklands War. To most, I hope, this is pure cheating and disgrace to soccer and to sport that so many people take pride in this goal. It’s one of those incidents that shows we need replays in soccer, it’s a proof to Al Bundy’s famous saying: “It’s only cheating if you get caught”.
1919 Chicago White Sox
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Some people say this even changed Baseball from a national pass time into a sport, killing the game’s innocence. You can say that about the last 20 years in Baseball, with news and evidence of players using steroids and who knows what else to improve their game keeps popping up, but the “Black Sox Scandal”, when eight players from the Chicago White Sox took money from Arnold Rothstein and intentionally lost the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. All eight of them were banned for life, with “Shoeless” Joe Jackson being the biggest star involved in the scandal. Despite admitting to accepting 5,000 dollars, Jackson recanted his confession and declared he was never part of the whole thing. Many other players and evidence dug up along the years cast doubt on Jackson’s involvement in the scandal.
Tim Donaghy
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Maybe there’s more to this story, maybe not. Maybe Donaghy was just a “rogue”, as David Stern referred to him. Donaghy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting wagering information. The investigation regarding specific games in still ongoing, and he could face more jail time if found guilty in deliberately miscalling individual games. The game most people refer to is the 2002 Western Conference Final between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings, with the Lakers getting 18 more free throw shots in the fourth quarter than the Kings. Did Donaghy do it, along with other officials? Was there an order from above to make the series go seven games and for the Lakers to win that one? I usually don’t buy into conspiracy theories, but I believe Donaghy didn’t act alone. There are more dirty refs in the league, and the league’s ivory tower isn’t exactly clean either.
35 responses to “Biggest Cheaters in Sports”
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Athletes cheat or try to cheat all the time, it is simply part of sport. Sometimes they get caught, sometimes they don’t. Henri’s handball happened in the heat of the moment and ended up resulting in an important goal. The referee and his assistant did not see it, so they were not able to make the call. I do not blame Henri or the referees, if there is blame to be placed, it should go to FIFA for there stubborn refusal to use the technology available. This problem is much bigger than this one goal, it is just being spotlighted because of its magnitude; one team qualifies for the world cup and the other does not. Get it together FIFA!
The Donaghy one was plain cheating. But I believe the NBA wanted the lakers to win. The NBA always wants the more popular team to win.
what about bill belichick? I know his most recent blunder is all over the news, but did everyone forget about the season where he had people videotape other team’s practice sessions? That seems like a pretty big instance of cheating in sports, not to mention the pats went 16-0 after that
I think its hard to believe that after all that Maradona has done for football and Argentina’s national team that you can classify him as a cheater. And no, we do not need replay in football we need to add a referee behind the goal to monitor goals, handballs, fouls, and dives. Replay, like other sports, kills the game. I for one would probably watch little football if replay was adopted. As for your list of cheater, there are plenty of others out there that put some of the ones to bed. I think you should at least recant the mention of Maradona and Thierry Henry, because they have both admitted it was a hand. Therefor, it is the referee’s responsibility to make the right call. If all goes as it should, there will be a replay.
One goal here and there makes little difference. The biggest cheaters damage the entire sport.
Just take a look at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Formula_One_espionage_controversy
There guys take cheating to an entire new level.
How can you have Ben Johnson but not Carl Lewis? What Lewis did was far worse.
These people who cheat spoil the sport for everyone else.
Although vaguely mentioned above , I consider Barry Bonds “alledged” (yeah right!) use of steroids to gain stardom has smeared the honest effects of ballplayers of yesteryear and of the present.
Even worse than Ben Johnson is Marion Jones’ scandalious use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The Donaghy one was plain cheating. But I believe the NBA wanted the lakers to win. The NBA always wants the more popular team to win..
What about the cheaters in Soccer? The recent match-fixers? Sports is no more a loyal sector now,,.
Scott P – you must work for FIFA. They seem to be the only people on the planet who can’t see the sense in having video referees. What good is another referee behind the goal? There’s no guarantee that a second or even third referee is going to see an incident. With TV there is little doubt. Rugby has TV referees and so does cricket. It’s only football that stubbornly refuses to leave the 19th century.
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some do it for the money and some do it for the win, does it matter their motivation or is it just no good?
tisk tisk……just for the gold and the win and the titles…….I WANNA DO THAT!
WHAT THE HECK???? What about Marion Jones?????????????????????? SHe boasted and bragged and won how many Gold Medals? How many medals? Ben Johnson wins ONE. She is so much worse than that.
Gotta throw in the Pittsburgh Steelers for their two most recent Superbowl Victories.
This article is way too short. Not having anyone involved in the baseball steroid scanadals is a huge oversight.
The first touch was an accident, the second touch was cheating.
Again it was not accidental, not when he touched it the first time, not when he touched it the second time
I agree with you… Henry knew what he was doing…
There was nothing accidental about that handball.
No Bill Bilichick? Come on South Park even labeled him as the biggest cheater.
You can fill the Internet by making a proper list of sports cheaters. Way too short, IMO.
You are nuts if you don’t think that NBA game was rigged. What better way that to generate more income than having the Lakers go to a game 7. Maybe they will get smart next time and not have such a variance in the number of free throws that it screams, ” Hey look at me, im cheating!”
you are all fat and ugly
I say that no one besides kobe and the lakers helped the lakers be back-to-back NBA champions!! KOBE ALL THE WAY!!:)))) <3
@ Scott P, Maradona could have gotten a bit, just a bit away with not being a cheater had Argentina lost that World Cup, but who knows if Argentina would have won that World Cup had the “hand of God” goal not been validated? We will never know. That fact taints Argentina title for that year, no doubt! Let’s not forget that in 1994, the Argentinean was again the villain of the tournament, sent home for ephedrine doping. After scoring an opening-round goal, he celebrated in such a hopped-up style that a urine sample was almost unnecessary, everybody could see the guy was high as a flying kite. I would dare to say, however that Rivaldo, with his play-acting in the group match against Turkey could be taken in the same light (and yes, I am Brazilian, I will admit when our players do something horribly wrong and indecent). The same can be said of Bill Bilichick and the Patriots. Would they have won if the Bilichick had not resorted to videotape other team’s practice sessions? Hummmm…
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