While I’m no soccer fan, I paid a great deal of attention to the recent 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The most noticeable thing was the cheating and the reactions these provoked.

I’ve noticed a person’s reaction to the cheating differs depending on who cheated. In the match between Germany and England, my brother, who was cheering for Germany, got angry whenever a German player was fouled, but was silent when a German player committed a foul. And in the game between Ghana and Uruguay when Luis Suarez used his hands to stop what would have been a game-winning goal for Ghana, my brother simply said, “It’s not cheating if the referee doesn’t catch you.”

It appears that Suarez and his fans think the same way. Many Uruguayans have defended Suarez’s actions and have said they were “proud” of his behaviour.

While I hate to admit it, there are many people who view cheating in life the same way as my brother and Suarez. As long as it benefits them or the team they like, they see nothing wrong with it. However, when they see someone cheating them, they cry foul.

This attitude extends to education too. A survey by the Canadian Council on Learning seems to confirm this. According to the council, approximately 60 per cent of high school students admitted to cheating on a test or an assignment. The rate was even higher among university students, with 73 per cent admitting they committed a major “act of academic dishonesty.”

Right now, these students may find this is no big deal, but I wonder how they would react if they learned their doctor cheated on his or her medical exams or if they missed out on a scholarship because another person obtained a higher mark through cheating.

This way of thinking is not only unethical but un-Christian. The Bible says to “do unto others as you would have others do unto you” and “rejoice not in wrongdoing but rejoice in the truth.” Rejoicing when cheating benefits you but throwing a fit when cheating disadvantages you or someone you care about violates these principles.  

Furthermore, holding double standards concerning cheating in sports sends the wrong message to sports fans, particularly impressionable youngsters. I am worried those who saw the match between Uruguay and Ghana will think that cheating is okay as long as it gets results or you get lauded for it. After all, if cheating turns you into a local hero as it did with Suarez it seems wrong not to cheat. Such a message degrades professional sports, turning it from a great pastime to a free-for-all where it doesn’t matter how you behave as long as you win or bring your team good fortune.

Such an attitude also goes against Christian values. The Bible says that hypocrites “blaspheme the name of God” among unbelievers and that anyone who “thinks he is religious… but deceives his heart” has a worthless religion. In the same way that players who cheat and apply double standards degrade sports, Christians who do so represent Christianity poorly, not living up to the Christian mandate of showing love and integrity. Approving of dishonesty no matter who’s engaging in it is unethical in sports, Christianity and life.

That’s a lesson today’s Catholic youth should take to heart, whether they’re sports fans or not.

(Mair, 19, is a second-year communications student at Carleton University).