S2E5: Is ARod cheating on JLo?
The consequences for top sportspeople who cheat can be severe. Just ask the likes of Lance Armstrong, Dwayne Chambers and Ben Johnson. But what is it that causes people to break the rules, and how likely is it that the rest of us would make the same decision if the opportunity arose? This week on DTMTS, Simon Mundie sits down with the former chair of UK Athletics Ed Warner to discuss cheating, to unpick what we can learn from those people who followed that path- and paid the price. Ed has written a book about the effects of money on sport called "Sport inc- why money is the winner in the business of sport", and part of it inevitably focusses on cheating. Ed argues that we should understand how easy it can be to make the decision to cheat, and that we should not be too quick to condemn those who may have been led astray. Part of it boils down to having an extrinsic motivation- so judging oneself solely against the competition and aiming for wealth and recognition- rather than an intrinsic motivation- where the goal is just to be the best you can be. But the importance of values and character shouldn't be underestimated either.