Competitive sports gather a lot of interest from the public and from brand deals. Big sums of money in prizes are at stake. It is well known that in the world of sports, a lot of illegality goes on. Many athletes have put their reputation on the line when trying to conceal their cheating ways to win. Some of these were caught in plain sight and reported to the authorities. They would be banned from competing ever again, be fined large amounts of money and even be put in jail. One of the main motives is greed for money but greed for glory could easily be second place. Here we have gathered 30 of the greatest sports cheating scandals.
Colorado Football and The Fifth Down
The Colorado Buffaloes faced the Missouri Tigers in 1990 and trailed late in the game. The Buffaloes marched down inside the Tigers’ five-yard line on their final drive. The ball should have gone to the Tigers after a fourth-down run attempt failed.
The Buffaloes, on the other hand, lined up fast, snatched the ball, and scored the game-winning touchdown. In retrospect, it was revealed that the down card was never actually flipped in the confusion.
Fred Lorz Hops a Ride, Wins a Race
Fred Lorz competed in the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis. He ran the marathon in three hours and thirteen minutes, easily beating all of his competitors. He pulled it off by grabbing a lift for about 11 miles with a passing automobile.
Before race organizers found he had cheated, he had already posed for photos with then-first daughter Alice Roosevelt. He was sentenced to a lifetime ban, which was only lifted a year later.
Clint Bowyer’s Illegal Car
After his race car failed an inspection after easily winning in New Hampshire, Bowyer and his team were fined 150 points. His automobile was deemed to be just outside of NASCAR’s tight restrictions for vehicles that compete on the track.
His team would file an appeal, but it would be in vain. NASCAR would not cave into their demands whatsoever. Bowyer is still enraged that Denny Hamlin would win the Sprint Cup Championship Chase.
David Robinson, 1985 British Open
Golfer David Robertson was caught putting his ball on the green closer to the cup during the British Open in 1985. Robertson fetched his ball and moved the marker closer to the cup by placing it on his putter instead of the spot.
Robertson was fined $30,000 in US dollars and barred from the Pro Tour for the next 30 years.
Whitey Ford, Yankee Great and Cheater
“Ford cut the ball with his wedding band or had catcher Elston Howard slice it with a buckle. Ford also employed mud pies to load the ball to which he admitted after pitching against the Dodgers in the 1963 World Series.
He also tossed a ‘gunk ball,’ a concoction of baby oil, turpentine, and resin. He kept it in a roll-on dispenser, which Yogi Berra mistook for deodorant and accidentally glued his arms to his body.”
Danny Almonte and The “Age-Gate” Conspiracy
It was discovered that a coach had faked Danny Almonte’s birth certificate and he had already hit puberty during the 2001 LLWS. The 14-year-old pitcher has a fastball velocity of 70 mph, which is comparable to a 92 mph major league fastball.
When the story came about Almonte mowing down the 12-year-olds he was throwing to,the game’s integrity was questioned. Another team had already engaged a private investigator to figure out Almonte’s true age.
Tim Donaghy Shames His Name, and The NBA
From 2005 to 2007, the former NBA official purposefully blew or made wrong calls in order to win wagers on game point spreads. The FBI looked into it, and he was found guilty and sentenced to 15 months in prison.
This case shows the greed of not just on players and coaches, but also on officials who are put in high-pressure situations with large sums of money at stake. This time it was the referees.
Thierry Henry’s Hand-Ball
In a 2009 World Cup qualifying soccer match, France defeated Ireland 2-1 thanks to Thierry Henry’s obvious hand-ball. It was perfectly caught on video as we can see from this picture.
But not long after, a guilt ridden Henry admitted that he handled the ball to help teammate William Gallas retrieve the ball. Ireland erupted in wrath as a result of the missed call. The event is also known as the “second hand of God”.
Alex Betrays His Teammates
Famous American baseball player Alex Rodriguez was accused of tipping pitches to opponents in lopsided games in the state of Texas in 2009. What makes this so worrisome is that Major League Baseball teams play each other multiple times over the season, frequently three times in a series.
It is also untrustworthy and betraying teammates. Rodriguez is used to being the focus of media smears, but this one appears to be out of his league.
John Calipari Violates Recruiting Rules
After it was rightfully proven that the coach faked guard Derrick Rose’s SATs and had the institution pay for Rose’s brother’s travel expenses, the 2008 Memphis Tigers had their entire season record wiped out.
Nowadays, in collegiate sports there is an ugly trend: coaches who know how to break the rules in order to get their teams to the top. Calipari might very well be a fantastic coach, but he has also succumbed to greed.
Gaylord Perry: Spitball Specialist
Gaylord Perry is a Hall of Fame pitcher who was threatening, domineering, and a big cheater. Perry was well-known for purposely putting Vaseline beneath the bill of his cap, in his waistline, and even under his sleeve in order to throw a so-called “spitball.”
These were forbidden due to the difficulty in controlling the pitch’s trajectory. From 1962 to 1983, Perry was a member of the Giants, Indians, Rangers, Padres, Yankees, Braves, Mariners, and Royals.
Ty Cobb Is A Jerk
Ty Cobb was infamous for tripping base runners, cleating infielders, and stealing signs. Cobb’s mother had murdered his father just before his rookie season. He had to endure hazing during his rookie year while going through an emotionally unstable situation.
It’s really sad what happened to him but that doesn’t excuse his dirty play and tripping that were the worst offenses in baseball at the turn of the century. He misplaced his anger in cheating.
The CCNY Point Shaving Scandal
Back in 1951, The City College of New York basketball team was found out to be shaving points in a gambling scandal involving several other schools and around 30 of their players. It was one of the first reports of college basketball players shaving points in collegiate sports history.
In reference to the things we get to know about in the news about today’s college sports, this seems a mild case of child’s play.
Joe Niekro and The Emery Board
When the pitcher digs his sharp fingernails into the ball, it is called a “knuckleball” dance
So it’s understandable that in 1987, while pitching for the Minnesota Twins, Joe Niekro used an emery board and sandpaper in his pocket to keep his nails sharp.
It’s far more plausible, however, that he was tampering with the ball to his advantage. Niekro’s brother Phil sent him a ten-game suspension and a power sander in the mail.
Dora Ratjen and High Jump
During the 1936 Olympics, an athlete named Hermann was persuaded to bind his genitals tightly to his body in order to compete against other women in the women’s high jump competition. He came in fourth place.
The rumor has been for years that Ratjen later spoke out, stating that the government forced him to do this in order to help win more medals for Germany at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Kenny Rogers Gets Caught
Kenny Rogers started Game 2 of the 2006 World Series for the Detroit Tigers. Cameras caught a strange substance on Rogers’ pitching hand, which was later defined as “soil mixed with rosin.”
The St. Louis Cardinals accused him of cheating, claiming that the team collected five or six balls with deep scuff marks. He was clearly cheating, but the Cardinals went on to win the World Series, and all of his transgressions faded into the background.
Brett Hull’s Goal
Brett Hull’s goal gave the Dallas Stars a 1-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 Stanley Cup Final. Hull’s skate was in the goalkeeper crease, which meant that if he took a shot with the puck outside the crease, he wouldn’t be able to score.
The goal was allowed by the officials because Hull had possession of the ball prior to the shot and so had the green light to attempt the shot.
Stanisława Walasiewicz Is Polish For Stella Walsh
Stella Walsh won numerous gold medals for Poland at the 1932 Summer Olympics after winning multiple sprinting prizes in the United States. After being fatally shot in a robbery, her autopsy indicated that she had both XX and XY chromosomes, as well as ambiguous male genitalia.
There’s still controversy due to many wanting to erase her records and achievements since they believe she kept her biological advantage a secret. We’ll never know her real story.
Park Se Hun Defeats Roy Jones, Jr.
Park Si Hun was overpowered by Roy Jones, Jr. during the 1988 Olympics Gold Medal match in Seoul, South Korea. Hun, on the other side, was victorious in a surprise 3-2 result.
Payoffs and bets that handed Hun the victory were later revealed in German police files. Following the controversy, an investigation into other illogical Olympic achievements was launched.
Sammy Sosa and Albert Belle Bat-Corking
When Sosa was hit with an inside fastball, his bat cracked into a smattering of pieces, revealing a cork lodged in the barrel’s beginning. He was discovered to be a cheater.
Sosa claimed it was an unintentional mix-up of a practice bat with his game-time rotation. His already tainted reputation was further harmed when he was rightfully suspended for these acts.
Bill Belichick and The Spy Gate Scandal
The New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 and a first-round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft after being caught taping New York Jets defensive signals.
The most ironic aspect of the situation was that Belichick was awarded Coach of the Year back in 2007. Some people are willing to do illegal stuff to win.
1994 Arizona State Basketball Team
Steven Smith and several ASU players were in a controversy involving a local bookkeeper who bribed them to shave points in order to keep them from beating the spread.
After pleading guilty to rigging four Arizona State basketball games and collecting money from gamblers at the close of the 1994 season, Benjamin Silman was sentenced to four years in prison.
Chinese Gymnasts Change Athlete’s Age
China utilized an underage girl in the Sydney Olympics in 2000, forging her birth certificate and birth date. In consequence, Dong Fangxiao and her teammates lost their bronze medals, which were awarded to the United States team instead.
The 2008 Olympics are still being investigated for the same reason on behalf of China’s female athletes to achieve fairness in competition.
Hansie Cronje, The Bad Boy of Cricket
In 1999, authorities in Dehlia, India, reported that Hansie Cronje, who was the most famous cricket player in the world, was caught on tape discussing the tossing of matches for thousands of dollars.
Cronje was given a lifelong ban, but he lost his life in a plane crash in June 2002 while attempting to overturn the decision of the panel.
Rosie Ruiz’s Boston Marathon Shortcut
Rosie Ruiz was the first woman to cross the Boston Marathon finish line back in 1980. She was awarded the laurel wreath and hailed as Boston’s fastest woman.
Rosie had registered for the race, but had jumped out of the onlooker crowd and onto the course just a few hundred feet from the finish line, as it was later discovered.
Marie Reine Le Gougne Sells Out
Le Gougne said she was pressed by Didier Gailhaguet, the chairman of the French federation, to put the Russians first as part of a pact to give the French ice dance team the gold medal in ice dancing.
The International Skating Union suspended both Le Gougne and Gailhaguet from the sport for three years, although the incidents were never thoroughly investigated.
Donald Crowhurst Sails To Infamy
Crowhurst, a British businessman, competed in the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a round-the-world sailboat race for single-handed sailors. Crowhurst utilized radio transmissions to suggest he was well ahead of the competition as the race progressed.
In truth, he had docked in the South Pacific, far from his intended destination. He was quickly caught and expelled from the competition.
The 2000 Spanish Paralympics Team
This was a big scandal back in the day. Only two of the 12 members of Spain’s Paralympic team in 2000 were mentally challenged. They went on to win Gold, but a Spanish writer would later discover and expose that they were not disabled at all.
There was no formal testing to determine the athletes’ disability. Controls are stricter now.
Tonya Harding Orders Knee Wack on Nancy Kerrigan
During the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Tonya and ex-husband Jeff Gillooly planned along with Shawn Eckhardt and Shane Stant to attack Harding’s skating competition Nancy Kerrigan during a practice session.
Figure skating is constantly chastised for its shaky ties to sports, yet it is also home to some of the most egregious cheaters in the sport’s history.
Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson had previously been humbled by Evander Holyfield, who had defeated him for the World Heavyweight Championship. In the rematch, Tyson bit down on Holyfield’s ear, ripping a small chunk from the top of it.
The fight was called off after Holyfield lost a part of his other ear during the fight. The fight went down in boxing history.
