mini case

Case 1: How much cheating is wrong? In November of 2017, the Houston Astros won baseball's World Series. The championship was the first for the franchise, and after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, the team lifted the spirits of many beleaguered Houstonians. Much of that joy turned to shock and anger in late 2019, when former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers claimed that the Astros 2017 championship came about because the team engaged in a sophisticated scheme of "sign stealing." Hitting a baseball is said to be the most difficult athletic maneuver. A batter is trying to use a 2.6-inch-wide bat to hit a ball flying in at up to 100 miles per hour, and sometimes "curving," "sinking," or "jumping" during its flight. The speed, spin, and trajectory of the ball are strategic decisions on the part of the pitcher, and the decision on which pitch to throw is communicated between the pitcher and the catcher (who needs to know which pitch is coming in order to successfully catch it). If the batter knows which pitch is coming, he is better able to hit the ball.

All teams engage in sign stealing, and the attempt to figure out which pitch is coming is considered a part of the game. Pitchers and catchers create elaborate sign systems, and often change signs in order to avoid sign stealing by opposing players and coaches. What is not part of the game, however, is using advanced technology to steal signs. The Astros had an employee in center field (directly behind the pitcher and in full view of the catcher and the sign-giving catcher). This employee would view video of the catcher's signs, and then note the ensuing pitch. After a couple of innings, the employee would match signs with pitches, and when the catcher signaled for a "breaking ball"one that would curve, sink, or jump, the employee would send a signal to the Astros bench, and a player would bang on a garbage can. The batter would then know to expect a "breaking ball" and react accordingly.

In January of 2020, Major League Baseball, the sport's governing body, announced that it had confirmed that the Astros had cheated and suspended two of the team's leaders, who were later fired from the Astros. No players were sanctioned; in exchange for exposing the scheme, they were given immunity. Major League Baseball chose to punish those who organized and perpetuated the scheme, but not those who participated in it or were the direct beneficiaries of it.

Answer this three question

1. Is cheating in sports wrong? How can some cheating be an accepted part of the game, and other cheating be unacceptable? Where should the line be drawn? How does modern technology change the game of sign stealing? 2. How can Major League Baseball control cheating? What rules and punishments might be effective? 3. What role does cheating play in living a happy and meaningful life? Does winning a championship through cheating diminish its value? Why or why not?