The Astros Cheating Scandal
In late November, a report came out that the Houston Astros had been using
hidden cameras to illegally steal signs in order to inform their hitters
about what pitch was coming. For a little context, the Astros have been the
most successful team in the MLB for the last 3 years, including two World Series
trips and one win back in 2017.
hidden cameras to illegally steal signs in order to inform their hitters
about what pitch was coming. For a little context, the Astros have been the
most successful team in the MLB for the last 3 years, including two World Series
trips and one win back in 2017.
For non-baseball fans, this is bad. Imagine going through an exam and
having an arrow next to the correct answer to every question.
Imagine going through an interview for a job and having the questions
sent to you before they are asked. It isn’t fair to other students or other
applicants. It’s cheating.
This scandal has potentially screwed other players and organizations
out of millions and millions of dollars because they gave themselves an unfair
advantage and were incredibly successful in doing so.
out of millions and millions of dollars because they gave themselves an unfair
advantage and were incredibly successful in doing so.
As Frankfurt explains in On Truth, Lies, and Bullshit, there is obviously a
difference between lies and bullshit. Lies entail knowing the truth, and are
sometimes used to hide the truth from others for their own good. However
bullshitting is a purely selfish act and entails a mix of both lies and the truth.
So where does cheating fall on the spectrum?
difference between lies and bullshit. Lies entail knowing the truth, and are
sometimes used to hide the truth from others for their own good. However
bullshitting is a purely selfish act and entails a mix of both lies and the truth.
So where does cheating fall on the spectrum?
After stepping back and looking at this specific case, it is evident to me that cheating falls closer
to bullshit than to lying. In this case, the Astros gave themselves an unfair advantage in order to
put their own interests ahead of integrity of the game. They cost other teams and players a fair
chance to win in the process and at the end of the day it was about themself.
According to Frankfurt, this aligns with the one of the main values of a bullshitter: selfishness.
Cheating falls into the path of bullshit.
As a fellow baseball fan I found myself disillusioned with the Astros franchise and with the MLB failing to place any serious punishment for these actions although there have been quite a few changes to the league due to the incidents.
ReplyDeleteWhen you state: "After stepping back and looking at this specific case, it is evident to me that cheating falls closer to bullshit than to lying. In this case, the Astros gave themselves an unfair advantage in order to put their own interests ahead of integrity of the game." it seems as though you are trying to identify the situation as either a bullshit or a lie when in reality given the definitions one entails the other but not the other way around. If something is "bullshit" then it is also a lie but not every lie is bullshit. So when you make that the argument that it seemed more of a bullshit than a lie to cheat I would instead say this is bullshit and therefore a lie. Very good job on analyzing the situation and identifying it a single category by finding good premises to back it up.
As another baseball fanatic, I agree what the Astros did was disrespectful, not only to the integrity of the game, but the reputations of their own and opposing players. In fact, I'd argue the Astros are liars as well. The Yankees, among other players and teams, called the Astros out for dugout whistling after game one of the 2017 ALCS. When pressed on the issue, Astros management blatantly denied any wrong-doing, and fired back at the Yankees team for thinking the Astros had to cheat to beat them. In any regards, the dilemma is entirely, indisputably unethical.
ReplyDeleteAs a die-hard Yankee fan, I was incredibly upset with what had transpired with the Astros situation considering we may have been robbed of an opportunity to play in the World Series twice. I think you did a great job of providing background information for the non-baseball fans to understand what happened. I think one place you can improve is by providing more direct quotes from the reading and by making your blog more structured in terms of paragraphs and get rid of the one line paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteYour topic drew me in because I wouldn't think of the Astros as associated with information technology devices and ethics. As I read, I understood how this topic was indeed related to this class.
ReplyDeleteYou could improve your argument by placing your claim and evidence from Frankfurt, that cheating is under the category of bullshit, toward the beginning of the post. This situates us readers with why we should care about the example about to be explained.