Sunday, April 6, 2008

The Addiction Defense?

Tim Keown asks a really interesting question, "Would the Addiction Defense Work for Professional Athletes?"

Fear and Greed are huge motivators. Most of us are just hitting our strides in our careers. We're 30 years old, making some pretty good money, gaining responsibility, and our life path is unfolding quite nicely.

Now put yourself in a professional athlete's mindset. You're 30 and yes, you've made a lot of money, but you are on the downswing now. Maybe you have 1 more contract in you. You'll be done in a few years and you'll be just another one of the guys or gals reliving old memories. However, there's a magic elixir that could extend the fame and fortune for another 5 years. It doesn't really seem illegal, you know some other people in your clubhouse who are doing it and it only seems to be helping them. No side effects, at least that you can tell. What do you do?

Now fast forward. You've done it, and you're caught. You're on the stand and you can look like an idiot and rely on complete denial. Or you can come clean, explain why you did it, and remove that huge weight from your conscience because deep down, you know you cheated. What do you do?