It's no secret that cheating is synonymous with big-time college athletic programs. From recruiting violations to illegal substance abuse to dishonesty in the classroom, most of the heavy-hitting DI programs are guilty of bending – if not breaking – the rules in one way or another. Money is the primary catalyst; let's take football, for example. If Alabama has one loss season but does not make the BCS National Championship game, they are forfeiting millions of dollars in television revenue, merchandise sales, etc. Likewise, if Duke loses in the second round of the March Madness tournament, they are similarly forfeiting millions of dollars had they made the final championship game. Alabama and Duke have historically been big-time programs that have held up their integrity, but the point remains the same; more wins equal more money when it comes to DI college athletics; therefore, teams will do whatever it takes to win.
If you're a prospective DI college athlete, be prepared to adopt the culture of that team. Some athletes relish in the “do whatever it takes to win” mentality. For others, DIII athletics is a great alternative. If you are an athlete and are on the borderline between DI and DIII, you may want to consider DIII college sports. You will not have the same financial incentives, but the competitive energy in most cases are just as high.
Here are some of the biggest college cheating scandals:
– Memphis Tigers 07-08 SAT Scandal; an unnamed player (suspected Derrick Rose) was accused of having someone else take the ACT for him after failing it three times so he could be eligible as a first-year student. The 07-08 Memphis Tigers wound up recording an NCAA record for most men's basketball wins in a season.
– 1993 ASU Point-Shaving Scheme; Stevin “Hedake” Smith was one of college basketball's stars at the time. Smith met Benny Silman, who agreed to pay Smith $20,000 per game for ensuring that when ASU was the favorite, they won by fewer points than the betting line was placed at.
– 1940s-1950s City College of NY Cheating Scandal; similar to the cheating scandal at ASU, this one involved mob ties that ensured that star players would win the game but only by enough to cover the spread. This was on a much larger scale though with the likes of Manhattan College, NYU, Long Island University, Bradley, Toledo, Kentucky, and more involved. At the time, this was called the greatest cheating scandal since the 1919 Black Sox scandal and also led to no NCAA tournament games in NY for nearly 50 years.
* Originally published on August 9, 2015, by Keirsten Sires
