DeLand column: Why do they cheat? Because they can

have two daughters, neither of whom has ever been particularly interested in sports.
The older one occasionally liked to play catch with dad in the front yard. The younger one played a little volleyball, and at one point in her life (around age 7) was going to marry Michael Jordan.
But that's about it. They were focused on academics and extracurriculars, so I never had to explain many athletics-related things or answer any of those really tough sports questions.
Like this one: Why do so many professional athletes cheat?
Sometimes they cheat at their sport. Sometimes they cheat in conjunction with their sport. Sometimes they use their sports fame and fortune to cheat at other things.
It happens all the time, and it's been a particularly busy week:
» Barry Bonds is about to break the most hallowed record of the most hallowed sport, even though he reportedly ingested enough performance-enhancing drugs to grow hair on a bowling ball (but not on his bowling ball-sized head);
» NBA referee Tim Donaghy is accused of betting on games he officiated and shaving points, ostensibly because he owed gamblers so much money from boneheaded bets he made on other sports;
» Michael Vick is under federal indictment for running a dog fighting ring, which isn't a sport (unless you consider clubbing baby seals a sport) but was funded by his NFL earnings;
» Tour de France favorite Alexandre Vinokourov was booted after failing a blood doping test, further cementing cycling's reputation as the dirtiest sport that nobody really cares about.
There's others, and there will be more. And it makes me thankful that I don't have kids asking me ...
Why?
Why do athletes feel they have to cheat?
Why are cheaters allowed to continue competing? Why are they honored?
Why should anybody care about sports dotted with cheaters?
Nobody really has an answer for any of those questions.
Maybe it's like everything else. Why do people fudge their taxes, or cook the books at Enron? Why do they cheat on their golf score, on their spouse, on their crossword puzzle?
Because they can. Because they gain a competitive advantage. Because they get something they want. It's simply human nature to cheat.
But for some reason, we expect athletes to be above that. We expect them to be role models, and expect their conduct to be better than everybody else's.
It's not. Frequently, it's worse.
Why? Again, because they can. Because athletes can use their position and wealth and celebrity to get away with things that the rest of us can't.
So, what do you tell the kids? Hopefully, they'll be like mine and won't ask. Some questions don't really have answers