© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WNPR News sports coverage brings you a mix of local and statewide news from our reporters as well as national and global news from around the world from NPR.

Cheaters Gonna Cheat

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Chion/Colin%20McEnroe%20Show%2008-07-2012.mp3

What is cheating? In games, It takes myriad forms. There's the spontaneous cheating that mainly tests the watchfulness and judgment of the officials. How much can I push you or nudge you with my elbow? Can anybody see this cheap shot to your face as we football linemen hunker down before the snap?

Then there's the cheating that's kind of an art. In the 1960's and 70's, a pitcher named Gaylord Perry dazzled, maddened and fascinated major league baseball fans with his legendary doctored ball. Perry was believed to be putting all manner of substances on the ball but he was hard to catch and roguishly charming. 
 
Then there's the doping kind of cheating. Ingesting potentially performance enhancing substances is not new, as we'll point out today, but the most obvious transition, to Americans, was from the spitballs and corked bats of the 70s and 80s to the juicing of the 90s. On the audio here, a show about cheating at games, especially Olympic ones. 
Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.

Tags
Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content