Over the past decade, Boston sports have been associated with cheating, whether it be Spygate, Deflategate or now Applegate. After a three game series with the New York Yankees in early September, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman filed a complaint to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stating that the Red Sox illegally used Apple watches to record opponent signals. There has always been a blurred line however, because attempting to steal signals without the use of electronics or binoculars is legal. Situations like this occur in all sports. Therefore, this form of cheating might have become

more acceptable in our society.

In this particular situation, the Red Sox admitted to their wrongdoing and disobeying the rules, but also said the Yankees did the same thing but with cameras. In the end, both teams were fined.

Is it possible for them to justify it by saying other teams have cheated in the past? George Cole, a junior, doesn’t think so. He thinks that if you are caught cheating, then you deserve to be punished. He does admit that other teams do cheat, but that doesn’t mean it can be justified

“It takes away the advantages gained by teamwork and talented individuals,” Cole said. Cheating by a select number of people can make it unfair for those who actually play by the rules.

Red Sox fan Lance Kuntzman, a history teacher, disagrees. He thinks that you can justify cheating because teams have done it for years. He also agrees that there is a gray area when it comes to cheating. Teams are allowed to attempt to steal signals but not electronically.

Regarding if cheating in sports can be justified since other teams do it too,

Kuntzman said with a smile, “Sure, if it’s a Boston team.”

Unlike the Red Sox, the New England Patriots never admitted to cheating by using cameras to record opponent signals. When they did so against the Jets in 2007, they told the NFL commissioner that the reports were false. After an investigation, they were proven guilty and punished with a hefty fine of $1 million. The Red Sox were quick to admitting their guilt and weren’t given as bad of a punishment.

“[Admitting it] is better than lying,” said Cole, “but it