So Cheating Does Pay...

So it's been a couple of days now since the World Series ended and the San Francisco Giants were crowned champions.  At the risk of sounding like a bitter Dodgers fan, I cant help but wonder what message we are sending to our children.  Something doesn't seem right when a team can have two of its players suspended for using performance enhancing drugs (PED's), yet still be eligible to end up  the ultimate winners. 

If I'm 100% honest, I have to admit that the Giants fielded a great team, and their manager is top notch.  I also understand that whether someone is using PED's or not, it still takes a great amount of skill to hit a breaking ball, or perform at a level worthy of reaching the big leagues.  But what credibility do we have when we tell our kids that "cheaters never win, and winners never cheat" yet, the team that ultimately won, had at least two players who didn't follow the rules of the game? 

I'm not naive, I know that PED's are an issue throughout baseball, not just on the Giants.  Yes, Major League Baseball suspends those players and they are subject to being banned from the game, but in an industry where players are making millions, do the players care?  Do we even care?  As long as our team wins and the drugs are not hurting anyone other than the one using them, can we honestly say we really care if they are using PED's or not.  If I was in charge, any team would forfeit all games they won using a player who cheated.  But, I'm not in charge, of Major League Baseball, so short of boycotting the game, there is nothing I can do.

My real point goes back to how our actions affect our children.  Just watch any youth sport, and see the touchdown dances, the home run trots, and the trash talking after making a basket with a man in your face, and it will become clear to you that they are watching the actions of professional athletes.  We can not control the actions of the athletes our kids want to emulate, but we can control our own. 

So next time we eat some grapes from the produce section at the grocery store without paying, tell our six year old to "tell the lady you are five" so they can eat for free, or leave off a few strokes on our golf game, remember, we are sending a message to our kids that cheating is OK.  If we send that message to them when they are young, lets not act so surprised when  they take the "If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying" mentality in other areas of their lives...

Go Dodgers!