Category: Character

Integrity will keep you from making stupid decisions which you will later regret.

It’s been said that integrity is how you conduct yourself when no one is looking. In other words, part of being an upstanding person is doing right because you know it’s the proper thing to do, and not because somebody is watching you, or you’re afraid of getting caught. An individual who has integrity is a person who can be trusted to behave honorably and not bring shame upon himself or others by engaging in unethical or immoral activities.

Lack of Integrity: The Symptoms

Most people have enough of a conscience to do right if they know that their actions will be scrutinized. But how many will cut corners, how many will cheat if they think they can get away with it? Such people are wholly lacking in integrity. They are not trustworthy, because you are never certain if they are telling you the truth or trying to pull a fast one. People who lack integrity do not like it when the searchlight exposes them. It makes them uncomfortable, and they complain or try to shift the blame away from themselves. Like a stuck pig, they will squeal if you dare to hold them accountable for their misdeeds.

Lack of integrity may manifest itself in any number of ways: lying, making promises that can’t be kept, breaking vows, and being two-faced are among the most common, unfortunately. Cheating is another indication of a lack of integrity, and it is this manifestation I want to focus on here. Someone who cheats is a sneak. He never imagines he will be found out, and when he inevitably does get caught, he always seeks to justify his cheating: he deserves the award, it’s not fair that others have an advantage over him, it’s not his fault he can’t win without cheating, he’s only trying to get what he deems rightfully his, and so on. A cheater thinks his case is special, and hence the rules may be bent or broken to his benefit.

Cheating: The Consequences

But cheating is never justified. No system will ever be completely or perfectly fair, if for no other reason than it is implemented by fallible human beings. Two wrongs never make a right, and cheating, rather than compensating for any unfairness, only perpetuates the inequity: it is not fair to those who do not cheat, who play by the rules. A victory won by cheating is not a true victory; it is a tainted victory, a victory stolen from the honest and bestowed upon the dishonest. It is the epitome of injustice.

That’s what is disturbing about the Jackie Robinson West incident. The adults in charge of the team were wholly lacking in integrity, and their cheating brought shame upon not only themselves, but upon the children on the team, children who had nothing to do with the decision to cheat. The kids may have been innocent, but their victory is not: it is stained with dishonor, thanks to the unethical actions of the adults. The kids were let down by the very people who were supposed to guide them and be their role models.

Nor were the teammates of Jackie Robinson West the only victims of the adults’ lack of integrity—the teams who played fair and square had a legitimate victory stolen from them. The Las Vegas team, Mountain Ridge Little League, should have received the honors and accolades that come with making such a notable achievement. Where is their trip to Disneyland, their visit to the White House? They’ve been denied their fifteen minutes of fame.

Cheating: A Serious Problem

Some people might be tempted to say, “Well, what’s the big deal? It’s just a kids’ baseball game. So what?” Such a response, however, betrays a profound ignorance of the real issues at stake. Maybe baseball in and of itself is not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. But the rest is.

Integrity is a big deal.

Honesty is a big deal.

Unfairness is a big deal.

Defrauding innocent people is a big deal.

Being an ethical role model is a big deal.

That’s the shame about the Jackie Robinson West cheating scandal. And the adults should have known better.