INTRODUCTION

There are few so rude as to imagine that we can direct infinite wisdom in the dispensation of providence, or persuade him to alter the laws he devised before the foundation of the world in order to set things on a regular course.. — Mateo Tindal, 1653–1733

He will not exert himself with prayers and supplications, with fasting and

genuflections, to change the mind of ‘Infinity’ or alter course

of the nature; nor will he employ others to do those things for him… he Will know that honest work is the highest form of prayer. He won’t waste time ringing bells or moving sensors or chanting the litanies of barbarism.… –Robert Green Ingersoll, the improved man1890

Both Tindall and Ingersoll, centuries apart, expressed views on a subject that, centuries later, informs a question of ethics and fair play in modern sports competitions.

Requests for external assistance from a divine and supernatural force were perceived by Matthew Tindall as a great impertinence, an affront to any deity. How dare mere mortals be so rude as to seek adjustments in the laws set on a regular course by the One with infinite wisdom?

Robert Ingersoll also pointed out that a highly desired improved man I would appreciate the folly of importuning the Infinite to change its mind or alter the course of nature. How disrespectful. Honest work, translated in the sports world as training hard and giving it your all, is the only ethical path to glory.

SPORTS COMPETITIONS AND THE ETHICS OF SEEKING EXTERNAL HELP

What happens when a baseball player points to the sky when approaching home plate after hitting a home run, suggesting a conspiracy with a sky god who somehow helped him?

Is that fair?

Isn’t that foreign help?

Or in football, when a player scores a touchdown and engages in a ritual that suggests a debt to a higher power, not even on the field of play, which seems to be getting credit for the player’s success.

Should home runs, touchdowns, etc. count if athletes seek or receive outside help?

ï»Shouldn’t everyone be required to honor a level playing field where everyone does their best, relying solely on preparation, teammates and their own talents?

Didn’t the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros find themselves in a bit of a bind in recent years after getting help with home plate signals from team members who weren’t actually on the field? If mere mortals are prohibited from interfering, how much more flagrant is the violation if a competitor enlists the help of the ruler of the universe?

EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE IN TRIATHLON

I have been competing in triathlons for 40 years and I can assure you, dear readers, that obtaining help from any source is strictly prohibited under Article III, Section 3.4 of the Rules of Racing Conduct. The penalty for receiving outside assistance is a DQ (ie, disqualification).

Despite this rule, however, many triathletes invite outside help. We know this, not because race officials or anyone else witnessed such assistance, but because winners have openly declared having outside help, even bragging about it. Furthermore, they publicly thank their unauthorized beneficiaries profusely and show no remorse for deliberately procuring illegal aid from a powerful ally.

Reforms are needed.

Don’t you think it’s about time those of us who play fair, rely on intense training and hard-earned skills, and never seek or receive outside help in racing, demand that shameless testimonials extolling non-compliance stop? the rules of external interference in our beloved sport?

That was a rhetorical question. Of course it’s time, it’s time!

Just play fair. You did the training, you do the race.

A GUEST COMMENT

Is the invocation of divine intervention from an imaginary deity really a trap? Of course, there is intent, but if the request is directed to the clouds and it can be proven beyond a doubt that no one lives in the clouds, then surely speaking into the air cannot be an indiscretion. Madness, maybe. Delirium, certainly. Attempt to cheat, probably. External assistance doubtful.

(Guest commentary by Grant Donovan, Perth, Australia)