Cheating in Sports and in Life: The End Does NOT Justify the Means

Ok, so everyone is talking about the Lance Armstrong interview where he "comes clean" to Oprah Winfrey. After years of taking banned substances to enhance his performance, and lying about his actions for years, he has finally admitted to his doping.

I'm not impressed by his after-the-fact "falling on his sword." As many of you already know, I have some real issues with these armchair "true confessions," particularly by celebrities and public figures. Whether it's Tiger Woods' press conference where he admits to his infidelity or Bill Clinton admitting to "improper relations" with Monica Lewinsky or John Edwards finally acknowledging his affair and lovechild while wife Elizabeth battled cancer, it just seems like a media moment that's scripted to try to salvage a seriously-eroding public image. When the Titanic is goin' down...let's point out that the iceberg wasn't supposed to be there, huh?

Particularly with sports figures, it seems that what they did is somehow understandable given their positions. Look at Barry Bonds: he breaks the home run for a single season record, but it's all been done with the assistance of steroids. When asked about his usage, he admitted to it sort of: his excuse is that his personal trainer "misled him" by making him believe the drugs were really flax seed and arthritis cream. Lance Armstrong implies that it is the expectation of winning at the level top-notch athletes that drives them to win at all costs.

Oh, so are they saying that other people are essentially to blame because they cause the immoral actions?

I can understand pressure to perform.  Really I can.  But you have to consider the bigger picture: it's not just the celebrities and athletes that are taking this attitude of "hey, as long as I don't get caught, it's ok."  Consider cheating amongst our children as an example. In the most recent Josephson Institute report on cheating and ethics (2012), these are some of the results published:

51 percent of students admitted they had cheated on an exam in the past year; a third admit to doing it more than two times
55 percent said they lied to a teacher in the past year about something significant
20 percent of the students said they had stolen something from a store in the past year
One in three students admit to having used the Internet to plagiarise an assignment

And, While 92 percent of students believe their parents want them to do the right thing, more than eight in ten confessed they lied to a parent about something significant (2010 Report)

Of course, these are only the kids who had admitted it. My worry is that there are many more kids out there who are lying, but aren't willing to 'fess up to doing it!

That's where we get to the heart of the matter: it's not just the bad deed that's the problem, it's the lying and deceit that makes it worse. As human beings, we all mess up, really, we do.  We are blessedly imperfect.  But when we screw up -- whether intentionally or accidentally -- the right thing to do is to come clean and be accountable for your actions.  I've previously shared in a post about sneakiness and the damage it does that, my personal mantra has been that I'd "rather take a bad truth than a good lie."  When people lie to you, they are saying that they don't respect you, don't really care what you think and that sticking to the falsehood to preserve their "dignity" makes them much cleverer than you!

These people are often proud that they are such good liars. They will look you straight in the eye (because, after all, any of us who have watched crime shows or know anything about body language knows that someone lying will break eye contact and look downwards and to the left) and tell you something that is not true. Or, it may be only partially true. It might even be vaguely true, if you put the right "spin" on it.  And they think they can get away with it because it's "my word against yours."

Problem is, a liar's word is no good, even long after the truth has been found out and the confession has been made (if it has). Trustworthiness is a fundamental character trait; most people will assume that others are being honest with you. "Innocent until proven guilty" is one way we express that. But, "once burned, twice shy" is a saying in response to what happens once someone has been labelled a liar. Also, the common phrase "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" demonstrates how others feel toward someone who has lied to them.

The point is lying undermines any credibility the liar may have had. We may "forgive" someone who has been caught lying -- Tiger Woods is back on the PGA Tour and earning his millions, albeit at a lower rate since sponsors dropped him, -- but do we really forget?  Bill and Hilary Clinton may still be husband and wife, and Bill is certainly back in a high-profile position "saving the world," but do you really think that the rift that the cheating and lies cause (oh, we didn't even get to the Whitewater scandal) have been forgotten? Don't you now wonder how much of Hilary's recent "concussion" was true and valid without wondering if there's a more plausible explanation having something to do with the matter at Benghazi?

I guess this is why we are often cynical: we are a culture of believers in a society of liars. And when the lie is found out, why are we to believe that this is the truth, really, this time? When the "truth" contradicts the previous lies -- particularly when that lie has been going on for years and staunchly defended, even in a court of law, -- you can't help but wonder:

"Were you lying then, or are you lying now?"