Ethics Newsline®

Last week’s column about the ethics of Alex Rodriguez distracting an infielder prompted several letters not only about the propriety of his actions but also about the relationship between competitiveness in sports and life in general.

About three-quarters of those who wrote to us agreed that Rodriguez crossed the “unwritten line” when he shouted as he was running the bases, distracting the opposing third baseman into dropping the ball.

One reader, though, argued, “A-Rod was well within the unwritten guidelines. Most interplay of this nature is not so obvious but still there. Bush league or heads-up? Depends on whether you win or lose.”

Another agreed that A-Rod was wrong, then added, “but I can’t help admiring his quick-thinking opportunism.”

A Yankees fan pointed out that the still-unclear contents of the shout make the difference: “Whether A-Rod shouted “ha” or “mine” is more important than it would seem at first glance. Distracting or psyching out another player is common to many sports and literally part of the game. ‘Ha’ would be fine and fair in my book, but ‘mine’ would be an unfair lie.”

One reader recalled a similar incident during a football game where a fan on the sidelines blew a whistle, distracting the defense, who thought the play had been blown dead, and allowing the runner to continue. “This sort of thing is just not right,” concluded the writer. “You can’t let these ’infractions’ of common-sense agreement slide or sporting events will be reduced to slapstick comedy routines.” He also added that “no true golfer would ever go along with such nonsense!”

A tennis fan also weighed in, arguing that the excessively loud grunting that has become common in tennis is not only distracting, but possibly a calculated maneuver that “takes away the possibility of the opponent’s being able to hear the ball being struck, thus removing an important sound that may be a clue to how hard the ball was struck or any other perceived possibility. Most notably, Maria Sharapova’s screaming is so hard on my own ears that I mute the TV when watching her play.”

Finally, one reader contends that while competitiveness is valuable in sports and society in general, the damage comes from an anything-goes approach. But, he argued, organized sports can be “a place where we learn what is proper behavior…. Sports is where one generation can help teach another generation what is right and ethical, not just entertain us.”