The media is making a big deal about Derek Jeter acting like he got hit by a pitch and "fooling" the umpire last night in the New York Yankees - Tampa Bay Rays game last night. They are calling him a cheater and charging him with poor sportsmanship. This is ridiculous and I couldn't disagree more.
In a sport that has officials, an athlete has no obligation to tell an umpire or an official if they have made the wrong call or not. For example, in the Cleveland Indians - Detroit Tigers game earlier this year when the Tigers' pitcher Armando Galarraga beat the Indians Jason Donald to the bag and was ruled safe and ruining his Perfect Game, you didn't hear ANYONE get on Donald for not admitting to the umpire that he was actually out. Jeter's job is to get on base any way he can. If it meant acting a little to sway the umpire into making a call, then you do it. Every professional athlete has made some attempt in their careers to deceive an umpire or an official, that's the way it is. It's not unsportsmanlike, it's part of the game. It would be different if they were playing an individualized sport where policing yourselves is the right thing to do. Team sports is not like that and there is no place for athletes to correct officials & umpires calls, it's simply not their job and they should not be expected to do it.
