The Common Thread in Sports: Cheating Doesn't Matter Because Cash is King

There is corruption in everything. As they say, cash is king and greed will imprison us all. Antonio Margarito loaded his gloves before a fight against Shane Mosley. He got caught and suspended for a year by the CSAC which basically means that he couldn't fight in the US. In my opinion he shouldn't be allowed to fight ever again but that's just me. He was proposed a fight with Manny Pacquiao in November due to Pacquiao and Mayweather not being able to agree to terms. Or Mayweather ducking Manny, whichever feels best to you. In order for Margarito to get that fight, which is to be held at Cowboys stadium in Texas, he would need to get licensed. Lo and behold the regulators in Texas did just that:

"After a thorough review of his application it was determined Mr. Margarito met the requirements of the Texas Combative Sports Act and Rules," William Kuntz, the executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, said in a statement.

You and I both know what this is about. We both know why this happened. It's because a fight with Manny Pacquiao will make a lot of money for the state of Texas. And once you take that into consideration then suddenly cheating isn't such a big deal, right?

Recently Shane Carwin was linked to steroids. For quite a while mum has been the word from both the fighter and representatives from the UFC. Carwin even told a fan on his Twitter that he couldn't make any statements regarding the issue. Finally, Dana White was asked about this and gave an answer that should surprise no one:

"What happened is, first of all I don't know enough about it to really get in depth but, I know he came up on, like a BALCO type list, on a list of guys who did it. But this guy's fought in the UFC now for a long time, under regulation and has never tested positive for anything. So it's not a good time for Shane and his family I'm sure but we'll see how this whole thing plays out."

That's all well and good and it's true that he's never tested positive for anything since being in the UFC but does that mean he's not a cheater? He used like crazy to get to be a monster and knock guys heads off and that's how he earned his way into the UFC. Presumably once he got in he stopped using because he couldn't use and still make the 265 pound weight limit. I don't know if that's the case but that's what's the rumor is. Now that the UFC knows about this they are trying to do two things. One, not say anything and hope the story dies. Two, if they are asked just say that he's not been busted for it since he's been in the UFC, so it's all okay. I think we can all agree why that line of thinking is a little bit off.

Scandals will always be a part of sports as long as their are humans in power. It's how each respective sport handles them. Roger Goodell has done everything he can to make it seem as if the NFL really cares about their public image. He's cracking down on drug users and guys who behave inappropriately. But the fact about football in America is that no one cares if they do something wrong. When Rodney Harrison got popped for steroids it was on the 5th page of the Sports section in the newspaper. We love the NFL and we'll turn a blind eye to such things. As much as the NFL likes to act like they won't, they do, and why? Because there is a ton of money to be made.

What about Baseball? They went on a huge crusade against steroids and what it has done to their great game, right? Wrong. They knew that guys were using and they let it go on because it was making the game more exciting and in turn making the league more money. Only after the ratings went to hell and the sports popularity started to wane did the steroids stories really become big. Guess what the steroids stories did? They made people pay more attention to baseball. Which leads to more money.

Pro wrestling, although not a sport, is the worst offender of any of the above mentioned sports. One need go no further than the story that Bix here at Cageside has been all over regarding the death of Lance Cade and the reaction of the McMahon family in the face of questions regarding their policies. It's always been the unofficial policy within the WWE that as long as you are making money for Vince McMahon then he loves you but as soon as you are not then he doesn't even know who you are. I encourage you to click that link to see all the coverage of the many issues being brought up against the WWE in regards to the death of Cade and the larger issue of the absolute joke that is the WWE's Health and Wellness policy.

That's the thing in all sports. The money means more than any player or team or organization. Men with money and power usually want one thing....more money and power. I hope that one day we can get to a place in pro wrestling where guys don't feel like they have to abuse steroids and work injured out of fear of losing their spot if they go to rehab or get help for their problems. Where Boxing and MMA have better regulation in every state they visit. Where drug testing isn't a complete joke like the fact that the Strikeforce: Houston fighters weren't even subjected to it. One day these things will hopefully improve but I'm not going to hold my breath.