Sportsmen and athletes are no less important than celebrities and they are worshipped by people who love them for the glory and victory they bring for their country, it would not be wrong to say that athletes are regarded as superhumans and their accomplishments are expected while their mistakes are criticized to no extent. There have some very big sports scandals in the past few decades that rocked the sports world and strikes the people as well as the sports fraternity.
A scandal in sports can be huge and it has a lasting impact. There have been several instances when people were shocked to know about the malpractices and the cheating that was going on in this field. Young people especially children look up to athletes as role models and getting to know about their scandals can be pretty shocking and wears off the hero-worship aura. Listed are the 5 biggest sports scandals shared by dissertation writing services that shocked the left and made people think if the people they take to be heroes are heroes and deserve so much praise and adoration.
Black Sox:
This baseball scandal took place during the 1919 World Series where the White Sox were playing against the Cincinnati Reds. It featured eight players banned for life from MLB for purposely losing games during the World Series as it involved large amounts of money. It was Arnold “Chick” Gandil who planned the idea of throwing off the games, and it was he who convinced his teammates to take the money as well. This scandal became very famous and it is the story behind the fantastic movie Eight Men Out. It is still a common topic when discussing the right of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, a player on the White Sox at the time whose involvement has been widely disputed to be in the Hall of Fame.
Nelson Piquet Jr. Crash:
Also known as “Crashgate,” Nelson Piquet Jr.’s crash did not become scandalous until a while after it occurred. In a race in 2008, Piquet had somewhat of a large crash with an opponent. It did not seem like such a big deal at that time, because, in Formula 1, where Nelson raced, crashes were a common thing. However, a while later, after Nelson pulled out of his team, Renault F1, allegations surfaced that the crash was on purpose, and it was meant to get Fernando Alonso a victory in the race. Nelson came out and spoke to the FIA and claimed that, indeed, he had been asked by his coach to stage the crash which heated things and the team also pressed charges against Piquet and vice versa.
Floyd Landis:
Floyd Landis was an American cyclist who took part in the Tour de France in 2006 and was far behind in stage 16. However, to everyone’s surprise, he came back unbelievably in the next round. It was at this time that speculations rose about doping and investigation was carried out to get to the root of the matter. Doping and cycling were not something common and there had been no such case till then. When he was tested, Landis’ urine samples came back three times over the amount of testosterone was in his body, and it was a clear case of doping. It went to become a huge scandal and many other cyclists were also suspected of using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs to win the race.
Harding Attacks Kerrigan:
It was one of the most unethical, unsportsmanlike, and disgusting moments to take place in the history of sports. Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan were both great ice skaters, rivals on the rink evidently, but it was never suspected that they had less than full respect for each other’s achievements. In 1994, a man struck Kerrigan with a metal pole on her leg right before the U.S. Figure Skating Championships took place.
It was a dreadful incident, with her crying and screaming, obviously in an unbelievable amount of pain. Despite this, she performed in the championship. However, amid suspicion, she declared Harding to be the man behind this incident and claimed that Harding and her bodyguard had conspired together to break her leg.
2000 Paralympic Spanish Basketball Team:
No matter how bad cheating is considered, it happens most frequently. The 2000 Paralympic Spanish basketball team won the gold medal in the basketball tournament, and it seemed a just victory. However, a Spanish journalist investigated that most of the players on the Spanish team were not been checked for a mental disability. After further investigation, it was revealed that 10 out of the 12 players were not mentally disabled; Spain had just wanted to win a gold medal.