On Bill Belichick...

As linked here, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spent part of his Wednesday afternoon apologizing for his part in an alleged incident of cheating in Sunday's game versus the New York Jets. The Patriots are accused of sending an employee into the stands with a video camera with the intent of videotaping the hand signals used by the Jets' defensive players and coaching staff. While some in the media are coming down hard on Belichick for cheating, others are saying it is just part of the game. My thoughts on this are simple, if it's a rule, and it's broken, it's cheating. If not, it's a pretty clever way to gain an advantage, and it's fair until the authorities say it's not. I do think cheating is despicable, but who hasn't tried to gain an advantage in athletics or in life? Most of us look for ways we can win without breaking the rules, and we all know the line has to be drawn at some point. The question is, at what point do you draw that line? Would it have been OK if Belichick had seen the hand signals with his own eyes and guessed their meaning? Was it the camera that crossed the line? I am not referring just to this specific situation, but situations that all of us face in our daily lives. When is pushing for an advantage OK and when is it not? What is considered "fair" and what is considered "cheating?" I don't think there is necessarily a clear answer here.