Seemingly since organized sport began, people have always been looking for ways to gain an extra competitive edge, or gain a bit of extra cash by manipulating a game's result.
Although we now live in an era where there are entire organizations devoted to drug testing athletes and detecting corruption, some still try to get away with participating in a sports betting ring or taking a substance they think will go undetected. And when they get caught, the news often rocks our perceptions about our favorite sports and athletes forever.
As long as sports are played by humans, these types of scandals probably won't ever go away until the win-at-all-costs culture changes. Below are five of the worst sports doping and betting scandals in recent history.
Pakistan cricket spot-fixing scandal
Before a Pakistan-England test match series in 2010, a video recorded by News of the World undercover reporters showed bookmaker Mazhar Majeed sitting with large stacks of money before him on a table. In the video, you can hear Majeed claim that two Pakistani bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, were going to bowl no-balls during specific overs during the match in London the next day.
As predicted, Amir and Asif bowled blatant no balls at the named points in the match, and Majeed was arrested on charges of spot fixing. The bowlers and one other player were then banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for varying lengths of time, and all four were also found guilty and given prison sentences by London courts on similar criminal charges.
David Sheldon, editor at Casino.org, comments: "Although match fixing and other scandals have made mainstream news both in the UK, sports betting is still a huge industry. With online gambling now dominated by huge well-known brands like Ladbrokes, the public tends to perceive the industry as trustworthy. In spite of the scandals, sports betting in the UK, especially on the Internet, is going from strength to strength, with no signs of slowing down in the near future."
BALCO Scandal
The Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) was a San Francisco-based lab that was creating and selling performance-enhancing drugs (including anabolic steroids) to professional athletes. The co-operative came under federal investigation in 2002, shortly after which a syringe containing the anabolic steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (aka THG or "the Clear") was turned in by the coach of Olympic sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery.
Stored samples of over 500 athletes connected to BALCO were then tested retroactively for the substance, and up to 20 more athletes were then incriminated of using the designer steroid. Major League Baseball players such as Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Gary Sheffield were also implicated in the scandal, and in the aftermath MLB instituted a league-wide steroid policy for the first time.
1919 Black Sox Scandal
A surprise to fans and casual gamblers, the underdog Cincinnati Reds won the 1919 World Series by defeating the Chicago White Sox five games to three (as part of a then best-of-nine World Series experiment). But the result was a less of surprise to the insider-gambling community that had heard rumors that the series would be fixed and that Chicago players were going to intentionally throw the games in exchange for money from gamblers.
Due to restrictive rules at the time that left players with little bargaining power and barred them from changing teams without permission from their current owner, it was reportedly easy for gamblers to find players in search of a little extra cash. It took almost a year for the rumors to swirl before eight White Sox players and five gamblers were indicted on nine counts of conspiracy to defraud. The jury ruled all the players to be not guilty, however MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned the Eight Men Out (inspiration for the movie of the same name) from ever playing the sport professionally again.
IAAF-Russia Doping Controversy
In 2014, a German documentary was released making allegations of doping and associated cover ups within Russia's governing body for track and field, the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF). The film accused the organization of systematic cheating akin to the East German doping systems of the previous century.
An ensuing investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) discovered many of the claims to be founded, and that the ARAF was non-compliant with the WADA Code of which it was a signatory of. A few days after the report was released, it was voted 22-1 in favor of banning Russia indefinitely from competing in international sporting events until proper anti-doping standards are implemented.
Lance Armstrong
A comeback from cancer, seven Tour de France titles, and an organization in his name that raised millions for cancer patients and affected families worldwide: Lance Armstrong's underdog story was one better than fiction. And it was all built on top of an elaborate web of lies.
After fighting off rumors of doping scandals for most of his career, and even having charges dropped by the U.S. Government, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) opened up their own investigation in 2012 and charged Armstrong with using multiple banned substances and methods including steroids, EPO, and blood transfusions. A 1200-page USADA report of evidence detailed what was described as "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen," and included details on how Lance and his teammates took blood transfusions after Tour stages on their team bus, falsified drug test documents, and bullied, harassed, and intimidated anyone that might speak out against him.
Later admitting his guilt on national television, he was stripped of his Tour de France titles and most other cycling achievements past 1998.
