Sportsmanship

[tigerseye]

Are you sure it was a foul or were they playing cue ball fouls only? If it was a foul then Earl should have admitted it.

He did admit he fouled but the referee has to be the one to call it.
I am with everyone else here also.... Earl should have called the foul on himself... He may have been able to win the match if he would have gotten that off his chest....Guilt can take a role on your mindset which causes you too play bad.

 

[JoeyA]

I like how the snooker players approach it: absolute honesty, respecting the game and their opponent. They also use referees a lot more, for any kind of organised competitive game you would not be surprised for someone impartial to be watching every shot.

While I haven't watched the first snooker match, I have second hand information that snooker players are not absolutely honest and don't always respect the game and their opponent. Let's not make the snooker players out to be saints. Please don't say there is absolute honesty and total respect in snooker or any other sport.

No offense but can we just agree that there are FINE GENTLEMEN in both sports?

JoeyA

 

[Bobby]

If it's not right to cheat, then the appropriate question isn't why is there a double standard; it's why do baseball players cheat?

pj
chgo

That's exactly what I meant. I was just surprised to hear everyone calling out pool players on this issue and not other athletes.

 

[JimS]

I always call the foul on myself. For 2 reasons, first it is the right thing to do. Secondly if you don't say anything and someone else sees it then your personal credibility will be in question. I like being able to say something to someone and they take my word for it because I have a reputation for being honest. I think once you start cheating or being dishonest nomatter how small u just took something away from yourself that you will not be able to get back.

Amen and amen.

When I was a kid I stole a lot. When I got a bit older I realized that if I stole... I had to admit that I am a thief.

Period. No more discussion. No, "well yeah but...." :groucho:

 

[cardiac kid]

jims,

I empathize with your comment. I've spent the last ten years trying to make up for past sins. I call all fouls on myself. Whether or not my opponent saw it. Only problem is, I can never repay my earlier sins. You only get to do the right thing once!

Guess I've been too lucky in life. Never had to worry about where my next meal was or where to live. One of my good friends essentially lives game to game, tournament to tournament. Probably be dead if I had to live that life. Way too much pressure. Especially for a young person. It creates conditions where.........

Lyn

 

[BVal]

That's exactly what I meant. I was just surprised to hear everyone calling out pool players on this issue and not other athletes.

It could be because we are on a pool forum and not an other sport forum.

BVal

 

[Icon of Sin]

Im going to be 100 percent honest here.

If I was playing and I nudged the ball, if my opponent or ref didnt see it then I am going to continue playing. If my opponent saw it, then yeah I would give it up as a foul.

However, when Earl argued about it, that's where it got shitty to me. It's one thing to pretend it didnt happen, it's another thing to come right out and say you did it but the ref didnt see it so it's ok.

But yeah, if I make a small foul like that and no one sees it, Im going to continue playing...

Heath<---is a pool player afterall...

 

[snipershot]

Like mr441 said, why does everyone think its bad sportsmanship if a player doesn't call a foul on himself but no one ever thinks its bad form for a baseball player to fail to admit he was out when stealing a base even when it's clear to everyone that he was out.
I'm not saying it's right to cheat, it's just that there seems to be a double standard here.

Its my opinion, that pool and golf have it right, and other sports could sure learn a little about sportsmanship and character from us. It irritates the hell outta me when I see a baseball or football player do something wrong and get away with it even though they know it was wrong. I think honesty and integrity are lost in other sports or games, so all the more reason to try to preserve it in ours. Just because other sports or games have piss-poor standards, does not mean we should stoop to their level.



Joe

 

[alstl]

He did admit he fouled but the referee has to be the one to call it.
I am with everyone else here also.... Earl should have called the foul on himself... He may have been able to win the match if he would have gotten that off his chest....Guilt can take a role on your mindset which causes you too play bad.

Yep, bad karma. I was watching the Everlino vs Strickland 14.1 video which was posted in the straight pool forum and at one point Earl didn't get enough angle on his breakout ball and after the referee racked Earl accused him of moving the cue ball and tried to get him to move it so he would have more angle. It's something some people might do as a joke but Earl was serious.

I'm not an Earl hater but he has too much talent to be acting like that.

 

[inside_english]

Im going to be 100 percent honest here.

If I was playing and I nudged the ball, if my opponent or ref didnt see it then I am going to continue playing. If my opponent saw it, then yeah I would give it up as a foul.

However, when Earl argued about it, that's where it got shitty to me. It's one thing to pretend it didnt happen, it's another thing to come right out and say you did it but the ref didnt see it so it's ok.

But yeah, if I make a small foul like that and no one sees it, Im going to continue playing...

Heath<---is a pool player afterall...

Remind me to never play you.

 

[Marcl3954]

Honsety first

I'd always call the foul on myself.
I'd feel too guilty winning a match knowing I cheated.
In most cases you end up winning anyways.
Even if you do lose, you still end up winning in the long run

 

[ShootingArts]

reminds me

There was another thread about ethics years ago, which is what this thread has became. Forty-two people posted before I did. I was the first poster in that thread that had ever fought fire with fire or not behaved to the highest possible standard at all times on a pool table.

There are at least dozens of times more saints on AZB than there are on public pool tables.

Hu

 

[Neil]

...............

 

[TWOFORPOOL]

I always call a foul on myself. I would rather loose than cheat to win. Not calling a foul on yourself is a form of cheating.

 

[TWOFORPOOL]

This is to BVAL

I used to be the honest guy and always had integrity when gambling with others. I got tired of always calling my mistakes but when the other guy made them and didnt call them and I did, it would always get into a big argument. And seeing that I am always playing away from home the majority of their buddys against my skinny ass usually rules.

So I got sick and tired of watching all of this and now if someone does something shady then I try to get away with what ever I can. If I play you and you have integrity then I will too. If you dont then I wont. I have lost to much money to assholes with no integrity while I was the honest guy and telling myself it makes me a better person with empty pockets. BULLSHIT! Their is a reason Paul Newman said , "The Best is the guy with most". When I am gambling I am there to win. And if you cheat then I am going to level the playing field by doing the same.

Now Earl did something shady and I am glad he lost because of it.

I think alot of you on here can relate to what I am saying.

This is ridiculous having to explain myself on forums.

So when gambling your honest when you opponent is honest and your not honest when your opponent isn't honest. Why play a dishonest gambler in the first place?

 

[woody_968]

So when gambling your honest when you opponent is honest and your not honest when your opponent isn't honest. Why play a dishonest gambler in the first place?

And as I said before, it may not be the opponent being dishonest, he may just not know the proper ruling. Does that make it ok to not be honest?

 

[TWOFORPOOL]

And as I said before, it may not be the opponent being dishonest, he may just not know the proper ruling. Does that make it ok to not be honest?

I always play honest when playing pool. A few times in a tournament I have accidently racked the balls poorly and didn't realize it. When my opponent broke the rack it looked like I slug racked him (but I didn't). I offered an immediate re-rack or he can play from there - my opponents choice. This is a good faith effort to tell my opponent it was done by accident.

 

[JDB]

I always play honest when playing pool. A few times in a tournament I have accidently racked the balls poorly and didn't realize it. When my opponent broke the rack it looked like I slug racked him (but I didn't). I offered an immediate re-rack or he can play from there - my opponents choice. This is a good faith effort to tell my opponent it was done by accident.

I do the same thing. I have done it twice and both times it was followed up with a Break and Run...lol. However, I don't have a problem with that.

 

[NINEBALLART]

Why is golf called a gentleman's game ???? How many times have they busted someone, male or female for cheating on strokes or moving a ball???
I haven't played a lot of golf but when I have, with my Uncle and Aunt, my own Aunt would cheat on strokes. I have played with friends and they have done the same thing. So why is golf called a Gentleman's sport ???
Just curious. Not trying to start anything....

 

[BVal]

Why is golf called a gentleman's game ???? How many times have they busted someone, male or female for cheating on strokes or moving a ball???
I haven't played a lot of golf but when I have, with my Uncle and Aunt, my own Aunt would cheat on strokes. I have played with friends and they have done the same thing. So why is golf called a Gentleman's sport ???
Just curious. Not trying to start anything....

It is called a gentleman's game because a lot of the calls/rules are enforced using the honor system.

Your experience, unfortunately, was with dishonest people. With all of the professional golf tourneys and tours it doesn't happen much in comparison to how much golf is played. Most of the DQ's on tour happen for not knowing the rules or thinking they know the rule and they don't.

My suggestion would be to play with honest people and you will understand why it is called a gentleman's game.

BVal