From
time to time, American sports will fall prey to some form of cheating. It can be the Black Sox or steroids, Tom
Brady or Gaylord Perry, skirting NCAA rules or goosing a racehorse with a jolt
of electricity. By and large, though,
American sports don’t involve influence peddling. Chicago begged to get the NFL draft last month,
yes, but the sweeteners to get the deal—access to Grant Park, downtown space
blocked off, hotel rooms reserved—were penny-ante stuff compared to what goes
on in the international community.
Right
now, there’s a soccer scandal unfolding, and it sound a lot like the corruption
charges that stick to the International Olympic Committee. All these geezers a million years from being
athletes trade in influence, they say, “You want our games, you gotta pay.” And pay.
I’ll take a good old college basketball scandal any day. Fat-cat poohbahs with palms in need of
greasing rub me the wrong way.
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