18 of the Most Shocking Sports Cheating Scandals in History

Daniel Bonfiglio Published 05/04/2024 in wtf

Whenever competitive sports turn pro, there becomes an increased incentive to win. Livelihoods depend on it, and there are millions if not billions of dollars to be had. And whenever stakes rise to those levels, some people will do whatever it takes to get ahead, including cheating. Here are some of the biggest cheating scandals in sports history.

The cheating scandal that resulted in the biggest sporting fine in history might not have come from a place you'd expect. In 2007, the McLaren Formula 1 team engaged in a fierce fight with Ferrari for both the driver's and team's championships. However, it was later revealed that McLaren had stolen confidential technical information from a disgruntled Ferrari engineer. They were fined $100 million, and disqualified from their eventual team's championship. But that was hardly the only scandal to come from the 2007 season.

Read about that, and the 17 of the other biggest sports cheating scandals in history.

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1.
The Spanish Paralympic basketball team in 2000 was eventually found to have no disabled players.
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The 2017 Astros used a live camera feed to steal catcher signs in real time. They then infamously relayed this information to batters by banging on a trash can. They won the 2017 World Series, and many believe they continued similar practices for the subsequent years.
3.
Crashgate. In 2007, Nelson Piquet Jr. was found to have intentionally crashed his car, helping his teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. Had the race results stayed as they were, a different champion would likely have been crowned that year.
4.
Baseball PEDs. In the early 2000s, baseball was struggling for popularity. But thanks to performance enhancing drugs, prolific home run hitters provided a spectacle the game had never seen, and hasn’t seen since. However, the greatest players of that era now have stained resumes, and some were even called before congressional hearings.
5.
Deflategate. It is alleged that Tom Brady asked equipment managers to slightly deflate footballs during a frigid AFC championship game against the Colts, to help with grip. Brady was later suspended a few games, but it is unlikely this scandal actually changed any outcomes.
6.
The Black Sox. In 1919, the Chicago White Sox agreed to collectively throw the World Series in exchange for gambling money. The entire team was banned from ever competing in baseball again, although it is unclear whether they were all in on it. “Field of Dreams” alleges that superstar Shoeless Joe Jackson was unfairly banned from finishing a Hall of Fame potential career.
7.
Mclaren 2007, spygate. In a Formula 1 season with controversy like no other, it was determined that the front running McLaren team had illegally stolen technical information from a disgruntled rival Ferrari engineer. The result was a $100 million fine, the largest in sporting history, and the team’s disqualification from the 2007 teams championship, which they had won. The drivers got to keep their points, and their respective second and third place finishes for that year however.
8.
Michelle Smith at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. She came from nowhere to win three golds and a bronze for Ireland. She was later banned and stripped of her wins however, after it was concluded she had tampered with an anti-doping sample.
9.
Lance armstrong. The seven time Tour de France winner and greatest cyclist of all time was later found to have been a performance enhancing drug user.
10.
Tonya Harding. In January 1994, Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly orchestrated an attack on her fellow U.S. skating rival Nancy Kerrigan.
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In a 1981 cricket match between Australia and New Zealand, with a single bowl left, NZ could only win if they hit it out of the grounds. So, the Australian bowler rolled the ball along the ground and the game ended. Although not technically illegal, it was considered atrocious sportsmanship, akin to cheating, and remains the most controversial moment in the history of cricket, if not odd to western sports fans.
13.
Tim Donaghy was an NBA ref who was banned after being caught colluding with professional gamblers. However, he alleged that the NBA itself was influencing games with refs, and all he ever did was relay that information. Data suggesting he was biased with his own calls is inconclusive.
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The Hand of God. A goal by Diego Maradona led Argentina to a 2-1 win over England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup, which they would go on to win. However, he illegally used his hand to score it. While this incident is more the fault of poor refereeing than cheating, it is one of the most infamous moments in soccer history.
16.
Patriots Spygate. In 2007, it was found that the New England Patriots were using cameras to film opposing coaches and their playbooks and plays calls. The Patriots lost that year’s first round draft pick.
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Rosie Ruiz, an unknown runner, won the 1980 Boston Marathon in near record time. The result was under suspicion from the beginning, and it was eventually found that she had simply taken the subway.
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1.
The Spanish Paralympic basketball team in 2000 was eventually found to have no disabled players.
2.
The 2017 Astros used a live camera feed to steal catcher signs in real time. They then infamously relayed this information to batters by banging on a trash can. They won the 2017 World Series, and many believe they continued similar practices for the subsequent years.
3.
Crashgate. In 2007, Nelson Piquet Jr. was found to have intentionally crashed his car, helping his teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. Had the race results stayed as they were, a different champion would likely have been crowned that year.
4.
Baseball PEDs. In the early 2000s, baseball was struggling for popularity. But thanks to performance enhancing drugs, prolific home run hitters provided a spectacle the game had never seen, and hasn’t seen since. However, the greatest players of that era now have stained resumes, and some were even called before congressional hearings.
5.
Deflategate. It is alleged that Tom Brady asked equipment managers to slightly deflate footballs during a frigid AFC championship game against the Colts, to help with grip. Brady was later suspended a few games, but it is unlikely this scandal actually changed any outcomes.
6.
The Black Sox. In 1919, the Chicago White Sox agreed to collectively throw the World Series in exchange for gambling money. The entire team was banned from ever competing in baseball again, although it is unclear whether they were all in on it. “Field of Dreams” alleges that superstar Shoeless Joe Jackson was unfairly banned from finishing a Hall of Fame potential career.
7.
Mclaren 2007, spygate. In a Formula 1 season with controversy like no other, it was determined that the front running McLaren team had illegally stolen technical information from a disgruntled rival Ferrari engineer. The result was a $100 million fine, the largest in sporting history, and the team’s disqualification from the 2007 teams championship, which they had won. The drivers got to keep their points, and their respective second and third place finishes for that year however.
8.
Michelle Smith at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. She came from nowhere to win three golds and a bronze for Ireland. She was later banned and stripped of her wins however, after it was concluded she had tampered with an anti-doping sample.
9.
Lance armstrong. The seven time Tour de France winner and greatest cyclist of all time was later found to have been a performance enhancing drug user.
10.
Tonya Harding. In January 1994, Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly orchestrated an attack on her fellow U.S. skating rival Nancy Kerrigan.
11.
12.
In a 1981 cricket match between Australia and New Zealand, with a single bowl left, NZ could only win if they hit it out of the grounds. So, the Australian bowler rolled the ball along the ground and the game ended. Although not technically illegal, it was considered atrocious sportsmanship, akin to cheating, and remains the most controversial moment in the history of cricket, if not odd to western sports fans.
13.
Tim Donaghy was an NBA ref who was banned after being caught colluding with professional gamblers. However, he alleged that the NBA itself was influencing games with refs, and all he ever did was relay that information. Data suggesting he was biased with his own calls is inconclusive.
14.
15.
The Hand of God. A goal by Diego Maradona led Argentina to a 2-1 win over England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup, which they would go on to win. However, he illegally used his hand to score it. While this incident is more the fault of poor refereeing than cheating, it is one of the most infamous moments in soccer history.
16.
Patriots Spygate. In 2007, it was found that the New England Patriots were using cameras to film opposing coaches and their playbooks and plays calls. The Patriots lost that year’s first round draft pick.
17.
18.
Rosie Ruiz, an unknown runner, won the 1980 Boston Marathon in near record time. The result was under suspicion from the beginning, and it was eventually found that she had simply taken the subway.
19.
20.
21.

The Spanish Paralympic basketball team in 2000 was eventually found to have no disabled players.

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1. The Spanish Paralympic basketball team in 2000 was eventually found to have no disabled players.

2. The 2017 Astros used a live camera feed to steal catcher signs in real time. They then infamously relayed this information to batters by banging on a trash can. They won the 2017 World Series, and many believe they continued similar practices for the subsequent years.

3. Crashgate. In 2007, Nelson Piquet Jr. was found to have intentionally crashed his car, helping his teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. Had the race results stayed as they were, a different champion would likely have been crowned that year.

5. Deflategate. It is alleged that Tom Brady asked equipment managers to slightly deflate footballs during a frigid AFC championship game against the Colts, to help with grip. Brady was later suspended a few games, but it is unlikely this scandal actually changed any outcomes.

8. Michelle Smith at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. She came from nowhere to win three golds and a bronze for Ireland. She was later banned and stripped of her wins however, after it was concluded she had tampered with an anti-doping sample.

9. Lance armstrong. The seven time Tour de France winner and greatest cyclist of all time was later found to have been a performance enhancing drug user.

10. Tonya Harding. In January 1994, Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly orchestrated an attack on her fellow U.S. skating rival Nancy Kerrigan.

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13. Tim Donaghy was an NBA ref who was banned after being caught colluding with professional gamblers. However, he alleged that the NBA itself was influencing games with refs, and all he ever did was relay that information. Data suggesting he was biased with his own calls is inconclusive.

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16. Patriots Spygate. In 2007, it was found that the New England Patriots were using cameras to film opposing coaches and their playbooks and plays calls. The Patriots lost that year’s first round draft pick.

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18. Rosie Ruiz, an unknown runner, won the 1980 Boston Marathon in near record time. The result was under suspicion from the beginning, and it was eventually found that she had simply taken the subway.

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eBaum's Picks

1.
The Spanish Paralympic basketball team in 2000 was eventually found to have no disabled players.

2.
The 2017 Astros used a live camera feed to steal catcher signs in real time. They then infamously relayed this information to batters by banging on a trash can. They won the 2017 World Series, and many believe they continued similar practices for the subsequent years.

3.
Crashgate. In 2007, Nelson Piquet Jr. was found to have intentionally crashed his car, helping his teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. Had the race results stayed as they were, a different champion would likely have been crowned that year.

5.
Deflategate. It is alleged that Tom Brady asked equipment managers to slightly deflate footballs during a frigid AFC championship game against the Colts, to help with grip. Brady was later suspended a few games, but it is unlikely this scandal actually changed any outcomes.

8.
Michelle Smith at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. She came from nowhere to win three golds and a bronze for Ireland. She was later banned and stripped of her wins however, after it was concluded she had tampered with an anti-doping sample.

9.
Lance armstrong. The seven time Tour de France winner and greatest cyclist of all time was later found to have been a performance enhancing drug user.

10.
Tonya Harding. In January 1994, Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly orchestrated an attack on her fellow U.S. skating rival Nancy Kerrigan.

13.
Tim Donaghy was an NBA ref who was banned after being caught colluding with professional gamblers. However, he alleged that the NBA itself was influencing games with refs, and all he ever did was relay that information. Data suggesting he was biased with his own calls is inconclusive.

16.
Patriots Spygate. In 2007, it was found that the New England Patriots were using cameras to film opposing coaches and their playbooks and plays calls. The Patriots lost that year’s first round draft pick.

18.
Rosie Ruiz, an unknown runner, won the 1980 Boston Marathon in near record time. The result was under suspicion from the beginning, and it was eventually found that she had simply taken the subway.