There’s a popular sentiment among baseball fans that sign stealing is simply part of the game. But where does the act of breaking the rule in order to gain competitive edges fall from an ethical standpoint?
Salem State ethics professor Michael Mulnix says it comes down to the fairness of things.
“I think ethics would say that as long as you’re operating within the rules of the game, then it’s fair game,” Mulnix said. “If someone breaks the rule, corks their bat, takes performance enhancing drugs, uses technology to steal signs, then they ought to be punished for that. The Rockies, for example, are looking at trading a once-in-a-generation third baseman because they can’t pay him. Then the Astros and Red Sox are possibly cheating to get there. The fairness of it is what we’re looking at here.”
Mulnix played Division III college baseball at Cornell College in Iowa and held stints at semi-professional levels in Colorado. He’s well-aware of the “everyone does it” mentality that comes with stealing signs in the sport.
“In football, the linebacker’s looking to pick up what the quarterback’s doing to adjust his defense,” Mulnix said. “It’s my smarts versus your smarts. Can you hide your moves from me? It’s like chess. But I do think that teams take issue when other teams break rules that the rest of us are following.”
And that’s where the Red Sox and Astros, who reportedly used video replay rooms to steal signs, come into play.
“Sign stealing is part of the game,” Mulnix said. “If you’re a base runner on second you’re trying to steal signs from the catcher or look over at the third base coach. That’s a bit different from what the Red Sox or Astros are doing by using technology. We seem to have a ‘win at all costs’ mentality. We shouldn’t make players exempt from ethical views. Assuming this is actually cheating, it seems to me that whoever was involved ought to be morally punished by it.”
Owning up to the mistakes and accepting punishment, Mulnix said, also plays a role in the ethical way of doing things.
“Apologizing for it, promising to correct the behavior going forward — and that’s an organizational thing too,” Mulnix said. “That’s tough in sports because there’s so much money involved. It makes sense why players get caught up in ways of cheating. They really want to have that edge. Organizations want to show players the right ways to act but at the same time without crossing the line and breaking the rules.”
What would philosophers say about sign stealing in baseball?
“There’s something dishonorable about cheating,” Mulnix said. “Someone like Emmanuel Kant would argue that cheating’s a kind of deception. When you lie to others you’re treating them with a lack of respect. Cheating undermines the belief that we need to treat opponents with respect and be good sportsmen. Cheating operates on the principle of selfishness. As opposed to doing what’s best in the interest of Major League Baseball, it’s weighing your own interest over those of the game and that doesn’t seem to be ethical either.”