Sports Cheats and Scandals: "As Long As It's MY Guy, It's Okay"

It's July 3rd baseball fans, which means it's time to cue up that popular Manny Ramirez soundbyte:

"I'm baaaaaaack...."

In other words, the seemingly fastest 50-game suspension in the history of sports is over, and looking back on the timespan from when Ramirez tested positive for a banned substance to right now, you'd think basically, "No harm, no foul."

Just as it was when the lights went out in "Mannywood" 50 Dodgers' games ago, L.A. is firmly atop the NL West standings and listed at the top of just about every reputable MLB power rankings list out there. Manny might have a lost a few bucks in the process, but all of a sudden, he is a potent addition to a team that probably didn't even need one.

And the fanbase out at Chavez Ravine?

Don't worry about Manny there, he'll no doubt be welcomed back with wide-open arms—by child and adult alike—and cheered just as overwhelmingly as he was in his short minor league rehab stint this past week.

I'd like to perch myself way up on my high horse and and chastize those shameless Dodgers fans for being so accepting of a cheat, but, oh yeah, that's right—I'm a San Francisco Giants fan.

Surely, there should be no trouble for me throwing some criticism down south to our hated rivals, but I'm going to do my best to avoid being the pot that calls the kettle black. With years of rooting for Barry Bonds under my belt (and having grown tired of the last ditch excuse that technically he hasn't failed a test yet), I'm in no position to judge Dodgers fans for endearing themselves to their roided hero.

In fact, no baseball fan is, in light of the Mitchell Report and the subsequent steroid bombshells that have been dropped in its wake.

All across the baseball landscape, from the Bay Area to L.A., New York to Chicago, Baltimore to Boston, all fans have been guilty of cheering and supporting a cheat, whether they knew it at the time or not.

And the sad truth is, once you've found out your beloved All-Star isn't doing it on pure talent, you can't just flip a switch and turn your back on him.

Just ask fans of the Giants' rivals across the Bay, the Oakland A's.

Oh, how they loved ragging on Bonds during his home run record chase, never passing up a chance to label him a fraud and lump the fans who rooted for him right into that catergory.

They also never hesitate to remind Giants fans of the 1989 Bay Bridge Series, when the A's swept the Giants to take home a World Championship.

But don't remind them of whose bats got them there in the first place...oh yeah, that's right, both Jose Canseco and Mark "I'm not here to talk about the past" McGwire.

The fact remains that while steroids are (at least publicy) a baseball problem, the trend of supporting proven cheats, liars, and all-around scumbags because they play for our team is prevalent throughout the sports world.

I remember attending a 49ers-Rams game a few years back and being appauled—and baffled—that someone was sporting a Leonard Little jersey. This fan could have chosen Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson, maybe a little nostalgia with Henry Ellard, but, nah—he chose to rock the suit of a guy twice convicted of a DUI, the first one resulting in someone's death.

Two years removed from his disgraceful bannishment from the NFL and months after his subsequent prison sentence, how many Michael Vick jerseys will be in the crowd at Atlanta Falcon games this season?

What about "Iron" Mike Tyson?

He somehow managed to re-invent himself after his rape conviction and get back into title contention, and with millions of his fans watching on Pay-Per-View, he cannabalized Evander Holyfield in the middle of the ring. Yet how many of us (myself included) were laughing when he laid out the fat guy in the box office hit The Hangover?

The problem with supporting cheaters and bad characters probably goes beyond just a "rooting interest."

Anti-sports critics would have us believe that there are major character issues within the world of professional sports; however, it's merely a microcosm of the general public itself.

Granted, the vast majority of us can't relate to these athletes on a physical level, but we all know people who have cheated to get ahead.

We all know someone who has gotten a DUI, perhaps ourselves.

Live long enough and you'll know someone that has cheated on their spouse and lied about it.

In fact, many fans out there are guilty of the same mistakes these athletes make, and the fact that we're all human likely makes it almost as easy to forgive them as the 40 home runs our roided superstar hit last year.

Certainly, there are some athletes out there that we will feel deserve no forgiveness, but even that is a matter of personal opinion.

Personally, I never want to see Todd Bertuzzi take the ice for my hockey team. No matter how many spins I see his fans put on it, I could never forgive him for the Rick Steiner-bulldog he put on Steve Moore and how it cost him his career.

Likewise, given the severity of the charges that put Maurice Clarrett behinds bars, I just can't see myself ever rooting for him should he get a second chance at football.

But other fans do and will continue to root for guys like them, and even in disagreement, I'll withhold my own judgement of those fans.

Afterall, even if we aren't a cheat or scumbag ourselves, at some point we all root for one.