Book review about sport journalism
Jimbo-Weed
EAC955NBANBBRevisedWeek121.doc
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EAC 955 NBA NBB Week 12
The Olympic Movement and The Corruption of Sports
“Follow the money.”
Introduction
A few weeks ago, we examined how the rampant use of doping agents is corrupting sports. We covered the utterly disturbing practices by the former Soviet Union in which coaches impregnated gymnasts and then induced them to timely abortions in order to hormonally enhance their performances.
We also examined the win-at-all-costs psyche now pervading all sports. You might recall, for instance, the results of one survey that revealed that 50% of all Olympic class sprinters from the U.S. would be willing to die within 5 years if given a doping agent that would guarantee them a gold medal performance.
Given this context then, was it really that much of a shock when Tonya Harding attempted to crack open the knee of her Olympic figure skating rival Nancy Kerrigan back in 1994?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T09XWRkq5M
If this is what is going on in the seemingly genteel world of figure skating, one has to wonder what is taking place in the more aggressive realm of the professional sports leagues.
In this unit, we are going to narrow our focus on the corruption of sport by first examining the shady activities in the Olympic movement. Has big money, egoism, politics and internal corruption rendered this movement beyond redemption?
Probably.
We will then examine how these same forces are corrupting sports in general.
The reason that I have devoted considerable focus on the Olympic Movement in this course is because of its “universal” appeal. The Olympic Games are watched by both North American and non-North American sports fans alike. As such, we ALL can readily relate with the issues and themes plaguing this movement and then compare and contrast them with those of the professional sports leagues.
As we examine these issues, we will finally connect a series of “dots” (or themes) that have been covered throughout this course. As they become connected, you will see a disfigured “composite drawing” of the state of modern day sports- a drawing suggesting the desperate need for radical surgery.
I will provide my solutions to these problems- though the road of sport’s redemption appears to have already been passed through.
Above all, I look forward to your perspectives and solutions. Perhaps I have taken too cynical a view here and welcome ideas or insights that may counter balance my own. Maybe sport is still at a crossroads. Whatever your position might be, I look forward to reading it in the Discussion Forum.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
· Examine and articulate the issues associated with the corruption of sports.
· Determine whether the corruption of the Olympic movement is beyond redemption. And,
· Articulate solutions to the problems associated with the corruption of sports.
Glossary
· Pancratium
· Baron Pierre de Coubertin
· Avery Brundage
· Juan Antonio Samaranch
· Points Shaving
· Match-Fixing
· Media Oligopolies
· Concentrated Media Ownership
· The Marketplace of Ideas
One last time (really! (): This is just a reminder that whenever you see words that are capitalized, in big letters, have been bolded, coloured, underlined, or highlighted, I am simply trying to emphasize something. Please don’t assume that I’m writing in anger here. Thanks. (
The Corruption of Sports?
Part I: The Olympic Movement- Corrupt Beyond Redemption?
Watch The Following Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRWHwt91oj0
The following clip was provided to me by a student concerning the 2002 Olympics in which Jamie Salé and David Pelletier skated a perfectly clean free program but were nevertheless denied a gold medal by corrupt judges who fixed the outcome of this event. After intense media pressure and videos of the judges signalling to one another as to how to vote, the IOC awarded two gold medals for this competition. As this student points out, “This particular video is awesome because it shows scoring reactions from the audience and skaters, as well as the looks of pure shame on the judges faces.” Check it out.
Go Ahead And Take It!
Back in 2008, Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian made a huge statement on corrupt officiating in the Olympics by dropping his bronze medal on the ground and calmly walking away. Abrahamian, lost in a VERY controversial semi-final match between him and an Italian wrestler named Andrea Minguzzi.
Ara Abrahamian’s coach Leo Mylläri accused the judges of corruption because they initially awarded Abrahamian a point, but after the round they assigned the point and the match to his opponent because Abrahamian had his hand in the blue zone. Normally, having a hand in the blue zone is not penalized. The Swedes demanded a video review of the match, but the referees refused.
After his semi-final wrestling match, Ara Abrahamian said: “It’s very sad that this kind of corruption is still growing in sports, especially in the Olympic Games. I really hope they change some rules in how they pick the judges to prevent this from happening”. (Draupner, “corruption in Olympic”)
The International Olympic Committee held a "disciplinary hearing" on Abrahamian after the incident, where it was decided that the Swedish wrestler would be disqualified and excluded from the Olympic Games due to "violating the spirit of fair play." Is this adding insult to injury or what?!
Here’s a video of Ara Abrahamian shaming the IOC in front of the world’s cameras. I have never seen anything quite like this in my life. http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/862677/
The Golden Age?
A “Golden Age” myth has been perpetuated concerning the ancient Olympics. Yes, wars would stop so athletes could compete. That’s pretty noble and idealistic. And yes, the Olympics consecutively took place every four years over a 1,200 year period. This means that this no war thing had some amazing staying power. All of this is good. However, it would be very naïve to think that these games reflected the “pure” ideals of sport. Nothing is further from the truth.
(Actual footage of Ancient Greece, eh ;-))
The ancient games, like today, were plagued by cheating, scandal, gambling and oversized egos.
“The ancient Greeks were not as idealistic as we represent them to be,” says archeologist David Romano of the University of Pennsylvania. “They had many of the same problems we have today.” (Verrengia, “Ancient Olympics had”)
Types Of Cheating And The Consequences
The first recorded incident of actual cheating occurred in 388 B.C. when the boxer Eupolus of Thessaly bribed three opponents to take a dive.
For the ancient Greeks, winning was EVERYTHING and athletes would oftentimes do ANYTHING to win. Some would trip or deliberately hurt their opponents before events. Others would bribe them. And when these were not sufficient, they even hire “black arts” persons to invoke curses on rivals.
Unlike today, there were serious consequences if one got caught cheating. The most popular was to flog cheaters in front of thousands of spectators. Oftentimes, they would also have to pay huge fines and purchase statues that contained humiliating statements about their cheating. These statues would be placed in VERY prominent places. Despite these harsh measures though, cheating persisted. Why?
Because as one historian in the documentary “The Real Olympics” stated, “human nature is what transcends the centuries.” Basically, people will always be people and in sports do whatever it takes to win.
If today’s competitors are willing to kill themselves by injecting into their bodies cocktails of harmful chemicals to achieve greatness, why wouldn’t an equally obsessed ancient counterpart risk receiving a potential flogging?
The Gruesome Simple Rules Of The Ancients
The ancients had minimal rules governing their sports. Archaeologists have uncovered paintings on vases, urns and other fine pottery that show disfigured boxers with bloody noses and sprinters running on tracks with elbows flying. (“Sex, drugs and cheating”)
Gentlemanly conduct was virtually non-existent; especially the pancratium, which was a mixture of wrestling and boxing (think of it as MMA on steroids). It only had two rules: you were not allowed to either gouge your opponent’s eyeball or bite him. Poor Mike Tyson. However, you were allowed to choke your opponent and/or break his limbs.
One pancratium fighter punched so hard, his fist actually went into his combatant’s abdomen. Once in, he ripped-out an organ! Ah, the good old days. ;-)
Crazy Croton Milo, The Demi-God
The Ancient Greeks worshipped their great athletes as demigods – that is, they were seen as half men, half gods. We’re not that bad…yet. And this worship had nothing to do with their niceness. Milo of Crotan for instance, did not donate some of his huge earnings towards the St. Zeus’ “Let’s Walk To End Leprosy Hospital Fund.” No, Milo was a mass murderer who in one instance killed 70 children. Yup. 70 children.
Angry villagers chased after him and thought they had caught him hiding in a crate. When they opened it though, Milo was missing. He was never to be found again. They consulted the oracle of Delphi on what they should do on this matter. The oracle told them that Milo disappeared because he had turned into a god. That makes sense. Logically, from that point onwards then, Milo the child murderer of Crotan was to be worshipped as a demgod. And so he was.
Crazy Emperor/Olympian Nero
Olympic corruption peaked under Roman influence. In A.D. 67, Emperor Nero bribed the judges to include poetry reading as an event (and you thought that synchronized diving was a farce at the Athens games). They also declared him the chariot champion, overlooking that he fell out and never finished the race. (“Sex, drugs and cheating”) Details. Details. Details.
As a brief aside, did you know that the famous Olympic torch with its symbolic kindling from the sun’s rays in Olympia, Greece is not really an ancient tradition? It goes back to the 1936 games in Nazi Germany where Adolph Hitler’s advisors thought that it would be a good symbol for the “thousand year Reich” that the fuehrer fantasized about. (Ecenbarger, “They knew noe”)
De Coubertin
The first modern Olympics were founded by Baron Pierre de Coubertin (that man with the nice Movember stash). They had their own unique set of issues- particularly elitism. Only a select group of people were invited to participate- namely “gentlemen” who belonged to the aristocracy of his time. (Ecenbarger, “They knew no”) He did not want these games to include people of the lower or middle classes- and certainly not women. Even to this day, women are poorly represented in leadership positions in the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Myth Of Amateurism
Coubertin wanted to restore the ancient Greek ideal of “amateurism.” This ideal though was as ancient as the Olympic flame. In other words, it never existed.
Did you know that the word “amateur” was not even in ancient Greek vocabulary? And there were no second or third place prize winners? It was winner take all. And this all came in the form of money. All athletes, then, were professionals.
Amateurism came about in the modern Games in order to prevent the lower labourer classes of Europe from competing with the upper classes. The upper classes simply did not want to be embarrassed losing to fitter and stronger lower class athletes. For example, people who worked as boatmen were forbidden from competing in oars competitions. Only the rich then could afford to be amateurs. Do you see the irony here?
Many early Olympic athletes were terribly out of shape. It was quite common right up to the 1950’s for competitors to be smoking on the track before running a race. It was strongly encouraged that participants restrain themselves from going full tilt. Intensity in competition was a major social no no. It took up to 1981- nearly a hundred years after the modern games were introduced before the International Olympic Committee finally allowed professionals to compete in the games.
How ridiculous was the modern Olympic movement’s commitment to amateurism? Jim Thorpe, arguably one of the greatest athletes of the early 20th century, had his Olympic golds stripped from him for having played a baseball game and receiving money for it. Thorpe, who was of native Indian descent did not fit the ridiculous Olympic ideal of an upper crust gentleman.
The ideal of amateurism began to lose its luster after the 1952 and 1956 Olympics when the former Soviet Union first appeared with its athletes in the games and cleaned-up in the winner’s podium. The Soviets “sponsored” and employed the finest of scientists to help make their athletes win gold. Soviet athletes received training, food, lodging and housing.
I still remember their hilarious claims concerning hockey players who supposedly were “officers” in the Red Army. These “soldiers” trained 11 months of the year in their sport and spent the remaining month visiting family.
My how things have changed. Today, you can instantly change your nationality to get into the games! Take the case of U.S. citizen and WNBA All Star Becky Hammon who chose to represent Russia at the Beijing games. She had an “outside” chance of making it to the American squad. Rather than risk getting passed over, and taking into consideration the financial payoff for putting on a Russian jersey, Hammon made a very business-like decision. That is, club teams in Russia offer the best Americans a chance to supplement their WNBA salaries of $50,000 to $100,000 with five or six times that, and in Beijing the Russian women stood to collect government bonuses for bringing home silver ($150,000 per player) or gold ($250,000). (“Choosing Russia over U.S.”) More and more, we are seeing these “mercenary”/ultra professional athletes coming to an Olympic stadium near you.
In many ways, we have come closer to the real Olympics- not the idealistic, elitist version of the early modern era. Athletes now, like their ancient counterparts compete to WIN and earn good money. They do it with full intensity and are willing to win at any cost. It’s not about sportsmanship, love of country, or the unity of man that drives them to work out 14 hours a day 6-7 days a week.
Brundage
Back in a previous lecture, we learned that the success of any enterprise is based on its management. If there ever was a “glory days” with the Olympics, it was under the leadership of Avery Brundage from 1928 to 1972. Profiteering and corporate exploitation was strictly forbidden in Brundage’s I.O.C.
During his reign, big money from television rights and trademarks had not yet made the Games the mess that they are today- a mess that began when Juan Samaranch took over.
Samaranch
Brundage was succeed by Lord Killanin who resigned after the disastrous U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 1980. Killanin was replaced by the infamous Juan Antonio Samaranch who quickly gutted all of the Olympic’ ideals and made it into the corrupt, secretive and unaccountable multi-billion dollar enterprise that is today.
In a previous lecture, I provided you with a colourful quote former hockey player Dave “Tiger” Williams’
“A fish stinks from the head on down.”
Under Samaranch’s reign from 1980 to 2001, the number scandals associated with the games and the I.O.C grew exponentially. And despite his retirement, the legacy of his appalling leadership’s “stench” remains as pungent today as it did when he first presided over this sporting body. Under his watch, I.O.C. faced numerous bribery allegations involving Olympic host city bids as well as money laundering activities. For years, the I.O.C. kept its accounting books closed. (Toft, “Continued need for”)
Andrew Jennings, the award winning and very courageous journalist, once presented a scathing indictment of the I.O.C. and its former President Juan Antonio Samaranch at the University of Toronto entitled "The Olympic Games: Past Their Sell-By Date?" Jennings wrote the highly acclaimed book, The New Lords of the Rings: Olympic Corruption and How to Buy Gold. This book was an incredible expose on the shady activities of both the I.O.C. and Samaranch.
Jennings points out that Samaranch was a loyal supporter of Spain’s fascist government where he held the Ambassador position to the former U.S.S.R (Soviet Union). Here’s a photo of him performing the fascist salute on July 18, 1974, in Barcelona.
As Jennings stated, "Fascist dictatorships were hugely corrupt, never mind the horror of their ideology. That's what Samaranch brought to the IOC." (Starkman, “The thorn in”)
Juan Samaranch, owed his election as President to the ties that he had forged with the former Soviet Union. In return, he turned a blind eye to their corrupt practices.
When Samaranch took over the helm, he immediately expanded the I.O.C. membership, recruiting fawning supporters, many of whom were thoroughly corrupt to begin with including ex-Stasi (East Germany’s secret police) members, Saddam Hussein’s super insane son Uday- even one of ruthless Idi Amin’s Ugandan generals made the grade.
The I.O.C. President went so low as to award the Olympic’s highest award to brutal dictators such as Nicolae Ceaucescu of Romania, Erich Honekker of East Germany, and Todor Zhivkov of Bulgaria (whose son-in-law, Ivan Slavkov, Samaranch appointed to the I.O.C. in 1987).
Samaranch changed I.O.C. membership rules so that members could serve for life- or at least until age 80, depending on when they were nominated by him. Few of these members were women. Of 15 IOC Executive Board Members, one is a woman. (“Women”)
As the expression goes, “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This was certainly the case with President Samaranch whose inflated ego made him into a walking parody.
“Samaranch and his I.O.C. cronies turned the Olympics into a cash cow, and a sacred one at that: there are hilarious accounts of his insistence that people treat him as a virtual head of state, with a gaggle of servants who were required to call him ‘Your Excellency.’ He allowed his sycophants to secure for him a regal headquarters and private penthouse in Switzerland, with expense accounts and trappings worthy of royalty.” (Manion, “The Stench of”)
Under his reign, I.O.C. officials lived in the lap of luxury. For example, Billy Payne, the president of the Atlanta Olympics Organizing Committee, made $670,000 a year. This was the highest salary for any non-profit organization in the U.S. (Powel, “Sound Bytes”)
Meanwhile the “stars” of Samaranch’s Olympic TV show, the athletes have hardly been able to make ends meet. Most Olympians, including those from Canada, live below the poverty line.
The Olympic Charter states that "the Olympic Games are the exclusive property of the I.O.C., which owns all rights thereto." 3,000 corporations pay $500M to associate their brands with the Olympic logo. The I.O.C. vigorously protects its logo sometimes to shameful extents including suing those who organize “Olympic” games for the disabled or run Greek restaurants with this name.
As far as games costs go, the International Olympic Committee stays clear of this expensive realm. " I.O.C. rules forbid Olympic revenues, such as broadcast rights, corporate sponsorships, and ticket sales, from being used to cover costs, such as construction, environmental remediation, and infrastructure." (Lynskyj, "Faster, Higher, Stronger”)
Rogge
With Samaranch having stacked the I.O.C. with loyal supporters, he was able to decide who would be his next successor. This person would have to be someone who would not expose him for all of his indiscretions. Jacques Rogge was the man for the job. This hand-picked successor did little in terms of cleaning-up Samaranch’s mess. The scandals associated with this sporting body continued unabated.
There is considerable controversy associated with the IOC election of Jacques Rogge. Stories recently surfaced that his selection was part of a deal in which Beijing was ensured that it would receive the 2008 games instead of Toronto. To make this happen, Rogge’s main rival, Canadian Dick Pound needed to be removed from the equation. So how was this done?
According to a memoir published by Yuan Weimin (a retired Chinese sports minister and president of his country’s Olympic Committee) a verbal, inside deal was struck that would bring the Games to Beijing in exchange for support of Jacques Rogge's bid to head the International Olympic Committee.
Yuan wrote that, "The Beijing Olympic bid committee decided on a tactic of strategic alliance-making. We would link Chinese support for Rogge in exchange for European committee members' support for Beijing,"
Beijing went on to win the 2001 vote in Moscow, defeating Toronto, Paris, Istanbul and Osaka after two rounds of voting. It received 56 votes in the second round, followed by Toronto with 22. As for Jacques Rogge, he won convincingly over Canadian IOC member Dick Pound and South Korea’s Un-Yong Kim.
Perhaps these sleazy manoeuvrings by the IOC and China were the main reasons then Prime Minister Stephen Harper did not attend the 2008 Beijing Games.
Then in 2009, VERY SHORTLY after these allegations came out, Rogge did the unthinkable. The International Olympic Committee altered its revenue-sharing plan with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games Committee. This has
NEVER
been done before. Such help would have been desperately welcomed by Greece in 2004- with its considerably weaker economy to Canada’s. The timing of this remarkable act of kindness is simply too coincidental.
The way I see it, Rogge was trying to cover-up his tracks and remove some of the bad blood between him and Canada’s higher ups. As mentioned in a previous lecture, Vancouver was WAY over budget for a number of reasons and it owed this president no favours. Some compensation for these extraordinary costs might have been enough to keep the Canadians quiet during the upcoming games.
The IOC president would disagree. Rogge claimed that this action was done to soften the blow from the world financial crisis that began in 2008.
“It was definitely a gesture of support and partnership because of the economic crisis. There was a certain sense that we had to act appropriately.” (“2010 Games given ‘extraordinary’ help’)
Of course, the IOC president totally dismissed Weimin’s accusations.
“How do we say it in French, I stand straight in my boots. I know that my election has been a clean one, and I can say clearly that I have never lobbied neither in favour nor against any of the four candidates,” Rogge said. (“2010 Games given ‘extraordinary’ help’)
Pleeeeeeeeeeze! Never lobbied for himself? Now that’s just plain insulting. You don’t get magically elected IOC boss by just standing there and looking pretty. You shake a lot of hands and, as his predecessor Juan Antonio Samaranch did, you also grease a lot of palms.
That’s point number one. Here are two others that put the nails in the coffin concerning Rogee’s lame explanation.
First, why would Weimin make up such a story? What benefit could he get from doing so? If anything, he might receive some serious retribution by China’s dictatorial government.
Second, The IOC NEVER EVER EVER, gives away money. If a games host loses money for 30 years like Montreal did, then it loses money for 30 years.
The only reasonable explanation here- especially given the corrupt history of the International Olympic Committee is that Rogge attempted to cover-up his tracks and our lazy, corporate run media once again failed to adequately report this important story. Rogge then, was Samaranch 2.0.
The Thomas Bach Era: Same Old. Same Old.
The newest IOC President, Thomas Bach stated his job in July of 2015,
"We need to demonstrate that we are indeed walking the walk and not just talking the talk…People today demand more transparency and want to see concrete steps on how we are living up to our values and our responsibility… We know from our own history how long it takes to rebuild credibility and that implementing best practices with regards to good governance and transparency cannot happen overnight," Bach said. "Putting these changes in place has not been an easy process. But we see very clearly today just how these reforms have been for our organization." (AP News, “Thomas Bach I.O.C.”)
One year later, after the debacle in Brazil in which Russia was allowed to compete in the 2016 Games- despite the McLeran Report’s scathing rebuke of state sponsored doping by this nation, it was clearly evident that Bach just “talked the talk.”
Given the degree of corruption outlined here involving the Olympic Movement, how can one reasonably trust the legitimacy of the game’s contests? More than enough incidents involving questionable judging, deliberate match or event fixing and performance enhancing drug test cover-ups have been documented to make one cynical of the results of competitions within these games. But is corruption in sport contained within the Olympic Movement? Unfortunately not.
The Corruption Of All Sports
Sport in general is in deep trouble. Just like in the Olympic Movement, all you need to do is “follow the money.” Nine out of ten times, it will lead you to the fountainhead (the main source) of corruption.
The NHL’s “Black Sox” Scandal: The 1987 Oilers-Flyers’ Stanley Cup Final
In 1919, eight players from the Chicago White Sox (later nicknamed the Black Sox) were accused of throwing the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. This was arguably MLB’s greatest scandal. In 1987, the NHL had its own version.
According to former Toronto Sun columnist Al Strachan, the owners of the Philadelphia Flyers- the Snider family, deliberately sabotaged their team’s attempt at winning the seventh and deciding game of the 1987 Stanley Cup final by inviting all of their players to a booked a hall in Edmonton for a team “drunk fest.” This get together was held the night before they were to play the Oilers in the final game.
According to Strachan’s sources, the Sniders had made all the money that they possibly could make in playoff revenues in game 6 which was held in Philadelphia. The next game’s gate receipts were going to Edmonton. Had Philadelphia won the Cup, the Flyers would have had to pay out player bonuses at roughly $100,000 each. From a business standpoint, this was undesirable. From a moral ethical standpoint, this decision was repugnant.
This story has been buried. I have made repeated attempts to retrieve it off of the Internet with no success. If you can find this article, I will be most impressed.
How many of you were aware of this story? Probably none. And why? Because the media does a terrible job of covering sports corruption. And why is that? Well, again, you need to follow the money. As mentioned in a previous lecture, media convergence along with the purchase of sports franchises from the emerging media giants is the main factor. If you own a team and the broadcast rights to the sports leagues, the last thing that you want to do is expose the flaws in the product that you make money on. Here are some stories that some of you probably are not too familiar with concerning the corruption of sports outside of the Olympic Movement.
New York Hockey League?
Back in 2000, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman cleared the way for former Edmonton Oiler GM Glen Sather to go to the New York Rangers without any compensation. This was very unusual since other franchises were not given this same privilege. The same thing happened in 1998 when the Anaheim Mighty Ducks hired then “retired” Ottawa GM Pierre Gauthier to run their franchise. (However, since “Gauts” is now GM of the greatest team on the planet Montreal Canadiens, all is forgiven.;-))
In that same year, the league felt that it was right and proper to punish the Toronto Maple Leafs for hiring just one of Anaheim’s scouts. Why did Bettman bend the rules in favour of Anaheim and New York?
Did I mention that Anaheim is owned by Disney Incorporated? …Time to follow the money... You know, the same company that owns ESPN and ABC? The same company that paid the NHL over a billion dollars for the NHL’s ratings poor television rights?
But what about the Rangers? Why were the rules bent for this franchise? The New York television market is of the utmost importance for the NHL. A weak market in this city translates into a weak national contract deal with a television network such as ESPN. For this reason, it was deemed crucial that the Rangers be transformed into a powerhouse franchise- especially before ESPN’s five year contract with the league concluded. There are 4 teams that yield incredible influence in the NHL and oftentimes receive preferential treatment. The New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs. I’ve explained the Rangers’ ability to sway. The other three also boil down to money. The NHL’s Chairman is Boston Owner Jeremy Jacobs. He’s the one who writes Bettman’s cheques. The Flyers are owned by the Snyder family which has a huge interest in ComCast- which owns the NHL’s TV rights in the U.S. Rogers Communications and Bell Enterprises own the Toronto Maple Leafs and they own the NHL’s TV rights in Canada. Follow the money. Always follow the money.
Other Infamous NHL Memories
We also covered the infamous dealings involving Alan Eagleson and the NHL’s player’s union where the owners fleeced the players from their pensions- only to be forced to restore them after a Supreme Court of Canada decision.
Then there is the mob influence in this game. There was the “Operation Slapshot” scandal involving Wayne Gretzky’s wife Janet who bet $100,000 in a gambling operation with ties to the New Jersey and Philadelphia mob. The Great One’s Assistant Coach at the time, Rick Tocchet, also put considerable sums of money down on contests. (Westhead, “Operation Slapshot Lingers”). Some have argued that Wayne Gretzky threw his wife under the bus on this matter to minimize the bad press on his “brand.” Tocchet who plead guilty went on to be an assistant coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins and in 2017, the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes. At least Major League Baseball banned Pete Rose from coaching and from the Hall of Fame for being caught wagering on games. The NHL just turned a blind eye to it.
There is also hockey’s link with organized crime in Russia. Indeed, many players from Russia and its former satellite countries- particularly those that arrived to the NHL in their mid to late 20’s are athletic products of their notoriously corrupt governing bodies. A number of them live in fear because of death threats involving either themselves or their family members living both here in North America or their native land. (Frontline, “Excerpts from 9/1997”)
Baseball’s Double Whammy
In baseball, this sport continues to turn a total blind eye to the steroid scandals involving its players and appears ready to even forgive- if its former Commissioner Bud Selig had his way, the notorious Pete Rose for his dealings with gamblers.
Basketball’s Off Court Under the Table Problems
Dewey Williams
was one of two former
Northwestern starters
was charged in 1998
for point-shaving scandal.
In basketball, the NCAA’s problems with organized crime have been well documented. Numerous athletes have “shaved points”* from their performances in this multi-billion dollar sports property for significant “under the table money.” Is it too far of a stretch to believe that these same players when they enter the NBA may continue such unsavoury practices?
People are excellent at rationalizing away inappropriate behaviour. The first time a poor college amateur athlete might feel a sense of shame or guilt for his actions. The second time, he’ll likely begin to rationalize the obscene profits made by his school and how he “deserves” a piece of this pie. By the 5th or 6th time, neither guilt nor rationalization has much of grip on him. At this point, he is simply desensitized or numb of guilt.
Once this person enters the NBA, does he simply switch on a new sense of morals or is he pliable for new kinds of rationalizations? Isn’t he also more vulnerable to blackmail and extortion? Few people can simply walk away from their shady past.
Some athletes have serious gambling problems that leave them open to suspicion. Superstar Michael Jordan retired from the game shortly after issues concerning his gambling problems began to surface- problems that some connected with the murder of his father. (Tuohy, “Don't wanna be ”)
In the summer of 2007, the NBA was rocked with yet another scandal- this time involving 13 year veteran referee Tim Donaghy who was charged with betting on games he officiated. Despite Commissioner David Sterns assertion that this was an “isolated incident” the reality was that organized crime had now infiltrated this sport.
* Point shaving is when an athlete intentionally under performs or limits the amount of points that he will make in order to ensure that his opponent(s) would cover the point spread. A point spread is a device established by bookmakers to equalize 2 teams for betting purposes; e.g., if a team is considered to be 4 points better than another, the spread is 4 points; to win a bet on the favourite, that team would need to win by more than the spread -in this case, by more than 4 points. The margin of victory is more important than whether a team wins or loses.)
Back in 2015, on TSN radio, Donaghy claimed that the NBA pressures refs to determine game outcomes. In playoff series, league officials will show a bunch of video footage of one team and how “bad” they are and what needs to be called; and very little of their opponent.
He also claimed that league favoured the Brooklyn Nets in the 2014 playoff series over the Toronto Raptors; as a Miami Heat vs. the Nets series would draw higher ratings than Toronto and Miami.
Donaghy has his own website that predicts the outcomes of NBA games based on the refs calling them. Was all this talk just the words of a disgraced corrupt official looking to make a few bucks by promoting his website or legitimate claims? Let’s hope that it’s the former.
Soccer Scandal Weekly
In soccer, scandals involving players and referees accepting bribes or being extorted take place on a near weekly basis. Critics of its international governing body, FIFA, contend that its former president, Sepp Blatter has even taken bribes. (Jennings, “Blatter faces revolt”)
The stench of Russia’s 2018 and Qatar’s 2022 successful bids will not go away. Indeed, Blatter refuses to enter the United States because he will have to face FBI officers who are investigating his involvement in the bidding process.
Delegates from impoverished nations (many of whom are closely connected with a who’s who of Third World dictators) have been bought-off through exorbitant salaries in order for Blatter to maintain his power. (Jennings, “Havelange to Blatter”)
What also does not help is that FIFA, like the IOC is located in Switzerland. This country has a long history as being a haven for hiding money in Swiss bank accounts. Also, “non-profit sporting entities are exempt from Swiss anti-corruption laws.” (Bradley, “Sport minister to lead”) It’s a great place to hide some money generously “donated” to FIFA by delegates from successful World Cup bidders such as Qatar and Russia.
For a hilarious take on FIFA and Sep Blatter, watch the following John Oliver video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-hL553eK9w
In June of 2015, FIFA finally began to “empty its Blatter.” (O.K. bad pun). After incredible pressure, the President announced that he would resign after the organization elected a new leader at an “extraordinary congress.” His surprise resignation came days after his re-election. In December, both he and UEFA boss Michel Platini, were hit with eight-year bans by a FIFA ethics court after it was “uncovered” that Blatter had wrongfully given Platini a $2 million dollar payment.
Dispite Blatter now being out of the picture, FIFA remains in a total mess.
INCLUDEPICTURE "http://macleans.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/091130_soccer.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET
If you are interested in this topic, another great book written by Andrew Jennings is Foul. Likewise, you might also be interested in the book, “The Fix” by Canadian investigative journalist Declan Hill.
Hill points out that there is a major gambling problem with players from poor developing nations as well as third-division pro to Champions League teams. According to Hill, Asian gambling rings have bribed teams to manipulate games by losing or winning by certain scores. He said that a game between Ghana and Brazil at the 2006 World Cup may have been may have been rigged. Hill claimed that an Asian syndicate wanted Ghana to lose the quarter-final match by at least two goals. Brazil went on to win 3-0 in Dortmund. (The Fix)
According to MacLean’s Magazine,
“Mr. Hill was careful not to give away his sources—‘Some of these people would kill me if they thought I was co-operating,’ he says. But he did offer ideas as to how UEFA might fight back, most importantly by monitoring betting patterns in places like Shanghai and the Philippines.” (“Organized crime and”)
In November of 2009, German police announced the arrest of 15 people as part of a sweeping investigation into match-fixing in nine European countries, at levels ranging from third-division pro to Champions League qualifying games. At least 200 matches were under suspicion mainly through Asian gambling interests that Hill had documented.
In his book, author of The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime Declan Hill estimates that over 80% of Malaysian soccer games were fixed throughout his investigations (Hill, 7).
According to a report by Associated Press, Interpol chief Ronald Noble said that, “Gambling on sports generates hundreds of billions of dollars a year, and up to 90 per cent of that is bet on soccer.” (Culp, “Organized Crime Biggest”)
In this same story, he estimated that in this sport alone, we are talking something in the area of $500 billion a year. “FIFA has estimated that organized crime takes in as much as $15 billion a year by fixing matches. In Italy alone, a recent rigging scandal is estimated to have produced $2.6 billion for the Camorra and the Mafia crime syndicates”. (Culp, “Organized Crime Biggest”)
Remember, these are FIFA figures so double or triple this number. Sportradar, a company in London that monitors global sports betting, estimates that about 300 soccer games a year in Europe alone could be rigged. (Culp, “Organized Crime Biggest”)
Declan Hill points out that for every position on a soccer field, there are specific tactics used to ensure a successful fix (Hill, 29). For example, goalies sometimes intentionally hesitate, thereby giving strikers a second longer to take a shot. They’ll also not cover their angles as well as they should. Defenders may not help their line mates break up an attack. They may also intentionally press forward, leaving the space behind them open. Forwards shoot towards goalie chests, providing them with easy save s (Hill, 29).
Bribery scandals involving referees are rampant in this sport. In 2004, Portuguese team FC Porto won the prestigious UEFA Champions League title as the top club in the world. They also won the Portuguese Liga title as the top team in Portugal. Nearly four years later it was discovered that these titles had been won fraudulently because of FC Porto’s bribery of referees.
Then there are the “favour-banks.” What happens here is that teams will intentionally lose to help another team out. They can do this because they understand this action will be reciprocated when they require the points from the win (Hill, 29).
If bribery and favours don’t work, some good ole fashioned intimidation will do the job. For instance, Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United, admited in his autobiography he was threatened by the Ukrainian mafia into selling his top player. He immediately complied to their demands (Ferguson, 364).
A fish stinks from the head on down. This is certainly true in soccer. So long as Sepp Blatter is the head, this sport will continue to smell pungently foul .
Sticky Wickets
Cricket has been rocked by “match-fixing” and bribery scandals in recent years, with leading names like Hansie Cronje and Mohammed Azharuddin banned for life for their involvement in corruption. (Srivastava, “Scandal damages Indian”)
Things are so bad that in the summer of 2011 the International Cricket Council began debating the idea of using lie detectors to combat the rise in match fixing.
F1 Scandals: Billions Of Dollars Are At Stake
Over and over again, the world of Formula One racing keeps getting rocked by scandals. The most shocking one to date had to be during the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 where team Renault got one its drivers, Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash in order to help team-mate Fernando Alonso win.
F1 is BIG business. For car manufacturers, success on the track leads to success in their show rooms. We’re talking billions of dollars worth of success here.
If you’re interested in this topic, here is one person’s Top Ten Scandals list. Which other ones would you add here? http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2007/07/12/ten-of-the-best-f1-scandals/
The NFL Model
On the surface, the only sport in North America that seems to have its house in relatively good order is football. It is a league in which there is true parity. Money does not buy championships- superior management, coaching and scouting allows even tiny communities such as Green Bay to thrive and prosper. Player salaries are under control and stadium ticket prices are reasonable. These factors may explain why it attracts so many stadium fans and viewers.
Of course this league has still has some work cut out for it in terms of the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs and concussions. If it does not adequately address them soon, the NFL might find itself mired in multimillion dollar law suits. How many more incidents involving multiply concussed/mentally unstable NFLers shooting of their wives or girlfriends need to take place before this league takes SERIOUS action?
And let’s not kid ourselves. The NFL is the colossus that it is due to betting. This is what drives TV ratings through the roof. Americans place more wagers on professional football than on all other sporting events combined. Pre-game shows openly discuss the odds of each contest. Fantasy football, has changed the way people view games. I know some guys who have multiple screens in their basement “man caves” so that they can simultaneously watch someone kick a field goal rather than kneel out the clock while screaming at a quarterback on another TV to throw to some obscure player on his or her rotisserie team. Any reasonable person has to assume that given the huge amount of mob money vested in this sport, there has to be some funny business taking place within the sidelines.
Brian Touhy And NFL Corruption
If you are interested in someone who dishes-out the shady goings on of the NFL, then Brian Touhy is your man. He’s the author of Larceny of Games: Sports Gambling, Game Fixing and The FBI. At one time, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation used to monitor sports gambling. When the cocaine epidemic kicked in the 1980s, it diverted its resources away from sports. So, we really don’t know how bad things have become. As an interesting tidbit, Tuohy points out that,
“If the NFL wanted to rig its own games it could do so perfectly legally. There’s no law that prevents any sports league from altering the outcomes of their own game.”
The following website is an interview with Touhy on corruption in the NFL and other North American sports leagues. If you have time, check it out. http://uncommonjournalism.blogspot.ca/2013/11/is-nfl-fixed.html
The Connected Dots of Corruption
Indeed, prior to taking this course, how many of the “dots” of corruption that we have covered had you connected on your own?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that you are not knowledgeable sports fans- far from it. In all likelihood, if you signed-up for this course based on the fact that you have both a considerable passion and knowledge for sports. (O.K. you also needed just one more pesky English credit.()
The problem is that the media has not readily provided us with frequent and easily accessible information on these issues. And before you think that I’m “smarter” than you are, think again. Let me state here and now that that prior to my research, I never fully realized the extent to which sport has become corrupted. Let’s just say that my jaw also dropped when I first read of some of these issues.
If people in the know such as us are poorly informed of sport’s fallen state, then it would be fair to say that the general public’s knowledge is even worse. For this reason alone, a significant “fan revolt” might require decades to occur. After all, it may take this long before average fans begin to see for themselves just how marred the composite drawing of sports has become.
Solutions?
Yes, sport is in a mess but it can be repaired. I have already mentioned that the courts and government will likely force positive change. The other potential solutions could come from:
· science;
· better media scrutiny- particularly of referees;
· harsher penalties on “small” infractions;
· government/community based youth initiatives; and,
· a bag load of money to pay for all of my crazy ideas.
· breaking up the media oligopolies
Break Up Media Oligopolies
Let me start off with the best solution and then sadly tell you why it will never happen.
As discussed in a previous lecture, concentrated media ownership means that in sports, basically 3 companies here in Canada and 5-6 in the U.S. decide what should and should not be discussed. The only solution to this very serious problem is to break-up these monopolies. They are too big. And if we beyond the topic of sports, these enterprises pose a serious threat to our democracy as they have snuffed-out what once were many alternative voices in the marketplace of ideas.
In terms of this specific lecture, these media oligopolies, pose a major risk in terms of corrupting sport. Sadly, the only a few people are aware of this problem and the politicians, not wanting to annoy their media masters, will do nothing unless our society demands them to. So while, this would be the surest and fastest way to deal with corruption in sport, the reality is that change in this area will never happen. So, here then are more Band-Aid solutions.
Sport Needs To Embrace Technology
I have already mentioned in Week 8 that athletes will need considerable monitoring to eliminate cheating. Blood, urine, saliva and hair tests will need to be taken early on in athletes’ careers so that “baselines” can be established for “future” detection technologies. And these samples need to be legitimately monitored and properly secured and not dumped in the back of UPS trucks beside employee’s lunches. What a joke.
Just as many old murder and rape cases are now being routinely solved through DNA testing, so too will future doping detection methods likely be made available. Test centre banks containing urine and blood samples of the top six finishers at Olympic events need to be established. These samples should be held in storage for several decades as a deterrent to cheaters.
Athletes should also be made aware that they will not only be stripped of their medals if they get caught cheating in the future but they will also suffer a severe financial penalty. To make this happen, Olympic officials should have them sign “contracts for participation” in their sport whereby if they are caught cheating by some future technology, they will:
· not only lose their medals; but in addition,
· they will have to forfeit a portion of their endorsement earnings to those who finished below them.
If athletes don’t sign such a contract, then they cannot participate in their sport. Perhaps, one model to use involves having athletes put aside some of their revenues for a period of 15 years. These revenues could be invested to ensure that no money was lost due to inflation and the like. At the end of this 15 year waiting period, if nothing has been detected, they then can receive their earnings adjusted to inflation tax free. If some nations refuse to adhere to this tax free solution, then the IOC could move the money into a tax free bank account in a country that has agreed to protect athlete earnings. With this initiative, virtually no one gets ripped off and virtually no one wins a gold the dirty way. Everyone therefore wins.
How will the testing be paid for? Have all IOC member nations dump a huge lump sum of money into a special fund that will allow for an INDEPENDENT agency to conduct constant inspections. The fund would be large enough so that it could invest this money on its own in order to sustain itself without any further funding. Think of this idea like a giant mutual fund that pays some of its dividends to the inspection agency. As a result, employees of this agency would not be on the payroll of the various professional sports leagues. This should keep everyone honest.
Sport is a multi-billion dollar enterprise, wouldn’t such actions eliminate one of the main factors that could lead to its demise? It’s better to invest now than pay later.
Radio Frequency Identity (RFID) Technology
Ultra tiny, Radio Frequency Identity (RFID) technology chips or other monitoring innovations which allow for pin point tracking need to be used to on equipment and nets. For example, RFID technology should be mounted on pucks, tennis, football and soccer balls; player shoes, skates, gloves, jerseys and helmets. Sensors also need to be placed on nets and goal lines. This would put an end to virtually any questionable play or call. I know, you already have your list of arguments all lined-up but hear me out by reading the next suggestion.
Video Replays
Video replays need to be fully utilized. Woe Budy! What about the flow of games?!!!!
I hear ya. I feel your pain.
Why can’t a game keep running while a questionable call is being examined? Whoever said that everything had to come to a complete stop? Plays can be reviewed on a bank of monitors while the game is still in progress. Perhaps coaches could be given permission to demand 2-3 reviews of goals or penalties per game at their discretion. They could signal either to a referee by holding-up a yellow flag or press some handheld device demanding a review. If the review found that a questionable goal was scored in soccer or hockey, then it counts.
This review decision would be announced either during the next stoppage of play in hockey or while in action for soccer. Most sports stadiums have huge screen scoreboards. These replays showing that a goal was or was not fairly scored could be shown back to fans as evidence after the fact. This would add more drama to a game while ensuring that the overall flow is undiminished.
In the summer of 2013, the English Premier League was the first soccer league to join the 21st century. It began its use of the Hawk-Eye system that has 14 cameras on each goal. The moment the ball crosses the goal-line, a signal is sent to the referees’ watch. This is a good first start.
Google Glass And Refereeing
Google is working on smart glasses for referees. In a few year’s time, this could become standard attire for those who officiate contests.
According to one of its original founders, Larry Page,
Google Glass – eyeglasses equipped with mini-computers, “will be a game changer in hockey, by giving referees the means to watch play and have it instantly ‘decoded’ over the Internet by experts and software programs at the other end. No way will you ever see another high stick, cross check or slash go unpunished. The referee will have the benefit of off-ice resources to assist in making sure players who don’t abide by the rules get caught.”
As for referees, I have a lot of respect for them. Did you know for example that in Major League Baseball, a 90 MPH fastball reaches the plate faster than a person can blink? Umpires in this sport arguably have the toughest job out there. They have to watch 300 pitches per game and can’t blink. A special part of their training includes having pitches thrown to their head. If they cannot control their blinking, they will never make it to the majors- or minors. Umpires also have to make snap decisions. If they hesitate, the players and fans will walk all over them. It is truly amazing what they do.
Having said this, some referees are on the take. Measures need to be enacted to ensure the integrity of each sport. Here are some of my suggestions.
There should also be statistical records for referees. That is, before games, television networks should publish the number of times per game a certain referee has given a questionable call not only per season but against each team. An independent organization or a media monitoring company paid by both the league and players unions of all the major sports should be brought on to do this monitoring. This is not super expensive. Small and large corporations do this type of media monitoring all the time.
In hockey, there is http://scoutingtherefs.com/ We need more of these types of websites with greater financial resources.
Finally, perhaps leagues should overturn any game costing decisions by referees. If for example, a team is given a bad penalty which leads to a power play goal or touchdown, etcetera; and as a result a subsequent loss for them, then why not give this club the point or points that it lost due to the bad call? This idea might work in the regular season. For the playoffs though, things could get very complicated. After all, if you give both teams a win, then you would need to have a “re-do” game? And what if a ref makes a lousy call during the “redo” match? As you can see, I have not fully worked out what to do here. Maybe you have a better suggestion or think that this is just crazy talk on my part. Feel free to tell us on the discussion board.
D.A.R.E. Program
Why doesn't the government make kids aware of the use of PEDs through the "DARE" (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program? If nearly 3 million young people in the U.S. are using these drugs- and thus probably 300,000 here in Canada- then it should take a more aggressive position on this issue. This 300,000 number is 100,000 more people than the city of Buffalo. The government’s inaction in this area is unacceptable.
Will All Corruption End? NEVER. But…
Human nature will never change. In many respects, sport reveals the human condition at its best and worst.
And when it’s at its worst, this nature needs to be put in check in the same way that crime is supposed to be suppressed by the state. The main purpose of laws is to deal with this dark aspect within all of us. Like strong laws, tough positions by sports leagues will help to reduce cheating.
Leagues can’t make it totally go away. When money and egos are on the line, some people will risk virtually anything. However, strong measures can certainly help restore some order. And these strong actions have to begin by going after the “little things.” That is, if you take care of the small things, the big ones take care of themselves.
As evidence of this concept, I’ll use the highly prosperous and successful city of New York. In the 1970s, this city was on the brink of bankruptcy and crime was rampant. Then, under the leadership of Rudy Giuliani, the city’s police were told to crack down on the slightest of infractions. For every minor crime, be it urinating in public or scratching a car, if you were caught, you were booked and finger printed. The thinking was that if someone committed a major crime, the odds of him or her doing a minor one were a lot higher. The city now started to have a huge database so that when major crimes happened, the police had an easier time of tracking down who committed them. As I stated near the start of this course, little things matter- be they in sport or solving crimes.
These are but a few potential solutions. You might want to add your own in the discussion forum. I look forward to receiving them. (
Summary
We began this unit by looking at the degree of corruption in the Olympic Movement. This issue though goes way beyond the activities of the I.O.C. I believe that it is fair to say that in any large business enterprise- including sport, the weeds of greed, graft and corruption eventually spring forth. This should not be surprising. These problems have plagued humanity throughout the ages. Sport whether it was played thousands of years ago or today has never been immune to these darker aspects of the human psyche. The question that needs to be asked though is can sport positively change its ways? I’m not certain. If as a society we force our politicians to break-up media monopolies, then yes, change can happen. If this is not possible, then perhaps fans will at the very least demand that technology be used to curb corruption’s excesses.
In the meantime, I have to cling on to the hope that there will always be someone, who every once in a while brings out the virtues of sport that draw me so very near to it. People who beat all the odds and achieve great things. People like Shun Fujimoto who I discussed in my opening lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq-C5-vIim8
There are still great athletes who can inspire us; who are incredible role models. These are the people that we need to cling to. So long as they exist, then there is some semblance of hope for the future.
Works Cited
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< http://olympics.thestar.com/2010/article/712975--book-alleges-china-cut-deal-to-host-2008-olympics >.
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Did you:
- Read the online materials for this unit?
Are you now able to:
· Articulate the issues associated with the corruption of sports?
· Determine whether the corruption of the Olympic movement is beyond redemption?
· Articulate solutions to the problems associated with the corruption of sports?
If so, you start preparing for the final examination. See you there. In the meantime, don’t worry, I will provide a lecture concerning the final very soon. So don’t bug me about it. ( Thanks.
