The Many Times Sports Have Lied to Us
While one would think that no one would want to be considered a liar, over the years, people in sports have absolutely proved us wrong.
Whether telling a small fib to save face or doing something completely extreme, there have been tons of cases in which sports have let us down once the truth was revealed.
We all might tell a white lie here and there, but when a prominent sports figure does it, it tends to get blown up just a little bit more—and these are the times that sports have lied to us.
Danny Almonte
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Before there was the whole Mo'ne Davis phenomenon in this year's Little League World Series, there was Danny Almonte.
A left-handed pitcher from New York, Almonte mixed a number of pitches into his repertoire that made other kids look flat-out silly.
Of course, word came out that Danny was just a couple years older than the rest of the kids, making him ineligible and thus stripping his team of glory.
“It’s Not About the Money”
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How many times do athletes have to tell themselves that it's not all about the money until, well, a team throws tons of money at them to change their mind?
Across every single sport, players have tried to save their public image by coming up with reasons they either left or stayed with a team when, in actuality, their eyes just got too big after seeing all of those dollar signs.
Just ask Albert Haynesworth what it was all about.
Kevin Hart Chooses Cal?
3 of 15Talk about living in a fantasy land, former high school football player Kevin Hart proved to have the biggest Peter Pan syndrome of all.
Hoping to one day fulfill his dream of suiting up for a Division I program, Hart actually held a recruiting announcement at his high school, giving the perception that his decision had come down to the University of California and University of Oregon.
Problem was, neither school had recruited Hart, and the truth came out later that the whole press conference was a hoax.
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Pete Rose
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While I do think that MLB's all-time hits leader, Pete Rose, should be in Cooperstown, Rose might also be in the Sports Hall of Fame for Liars.
After denying ever betting on baseball for more than a decade following accusations, Rose finally came clean in 2004, saying that it was a mistake for not coming clean earlier.
Turns out that Charlie Hustle was trying to hustle some money while managing in the '80s.
Rosie Ruiz
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As someone who has completed a full marathon, I can tell you that running 26.2 miles isn't always the most fun thing to do.
Still, I would never think to ditch the miles and try to claim to be a winner.
Unfortunately, Rosie Ruiz did just that in the 1980 Boston Marathon, as she jumped on the subway to get around town, only ran the last half-mile or so and tried to claim to be champ.
After admitting she faked it all, she was clearly not given the first-place medal.
Josh Shaw of USC
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What seemed like such a heartwarming story about college football player Josh Shaw quickly evaporated into thin air once the truth came out.
After first telling his coaches that he hurt himself while saving his young nephew from drowning, the Southern Cal star backtracked a few days later after it turned out he was lying all along.
Now suspended indefinitely by the Trojans, the public still doesn't know why the dude lied—but it may have cost him an NFL career.
George Steinbrenner: "I'll Stick to Building Ships"
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When former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner first took over the team back in 1973, he was actually quoted as saying, "I'll stick to building ships."
Well, it turns out the guy sold himself short on the amount of knowledge he had on running a baseball team, as the Yanks won seven titles with The Boss at the helm—with which Steinbrenner was very much involved constructing.
Rashad McCants
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Some kids go to college in hopes of getting a solid education while others go strictly to do one thing—play sports.
And while it's supposed to be "student-athlete," former North Carolina hoops star Rashad McCants was anything but, dropping the "student" part to focus on just basketball.
McCants alleges that his tutors did his schoolwork so he could make grades to stay eligible.
Sadly, this probably happens all too often.
George O'Leary
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Even if you're just applying to a job at McDonald's, I would go against falsifying any info on your resume.
If, for some reason, you find yourself in a position to become the head football coach at Notre Dame, I would really highly suggest not lying about your past.
Oh, but current UCF head football coach George O'Leary didn't follow that advice, as he lied about having played football at the University of New Hampshire, which, as it turns out, he didn't.
That little fib was enough to cost him his job with the Irish, as he resigned amid pressure five days after taking the gig.
Tiger Woods
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No one could believe what was found out in November 2009—Tiger Woods was a sex addict?
Wait a second. This is the same Tiger Woods who helped transform the game of golf by inspiring a generation in the late '90s, right?
The same Tiger who was perceived as an altar boy, protecting his squeaky-clean image and personal brand?
Yep, it turns out that Tiger had a lot of skeletons in his closet—and they came in the form of prostitutes and porn stars.
David Wells
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While it's an epic story to think that former MLB pitcher David Wells was still half-drunk when he pitched a perfect game in 1998, the fact is that, well, Wells wasn't.
Although the southpaw first claimed to be still buzzed—figuring it would add a few laughs to his already somewhat rebellious baseball career—he has backed off on the stance a bit, with only Wells knowing for sure what state he was in that day.
Lance Armstrong
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Once revered for being one of the best champions in any sport, former cyclist and *seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong isn't really thought of so highly these days.
That’s what happens when a guy denies any wrongdoing, only to admit a few years after retiring that he doped pretty much his entire career—as Lance did.
Armstrong did a lot for cancer research with his Livestrong campaign, but that's all he should be remembered for because he cheated his way to the top of his sport for a long time.
A-Rod
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I'm not going to sit here and say that suspended New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez is everything that's wrong with sports—but he's pretty damn close.
Once thought to be the future home run king in MLB history, A-Rod first denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs but then flip-flopped, saying he did so with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03.
After another controversy involving Rodriguez and steroids—which he continues to deny ever using—MLB banned him for the 2014 season, putting his legacy in question.
The Baltimore Colts
14 of 15If there's one thing that sports teach us all, it's to never say never.
And sometimes, that lesson is found out in the hardest way.
Just ask Baltimore Colts fans, who, following their then-owner Bob Irsay declaring for years that he wanted a new stadium to keep the team in Baltimore, promptly packed up the team's complex in the middle of the night and relocated to Indianapolis.
So much for loyalty, huh?
Wilt Chamberlain: "Twenty Thousand Different Ladies"
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Maybe we shouldn't have been so gullible to begin with.
I mean, really, how could one man bed over 20,000 women in his lifetime, right?
And given the fact that this guy was Wilt Chamberlain, who—although smooth with the ladies—did still concentrate on a pretty successful basketball career at the same time, we should have seen right through this.
A guy like Ron Jeremy who does stuff like this for a living? I might believe he could be capable of something like this.
But a Hall of Fame hoops player who would have had to shack with just less than two women per day from the age of 15 until his death? It's something we all wanted to believe was true.
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