Hire a shrink

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar
has advised disgraced fast bowler Mohammad Aamir to “hire a shrink” saying that he will need to be psychologically tough when he returns. The disgraced trio, Aamir along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, return to international cricket after a five-year ban for spot-fixing and apparently they will be eligible for international cricket in 2016 after a new Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) rehab programme for the three cricketers. The question is: can we treat the cheat in sports?
Much of the writing on cheating in sports has been written because the players are doing something that is taboo, illegal and criminally embarrassing. The evidence so far tells us that attempts to eliminate scandal from cricket have failed and there is a need for an analytical argument to determine what should be done about it. We are far from the days of amateur sporting competition. Elite cricketers can earn tens of millions every year in prize money alone and millions more in sponsorships and endorsements. The lure of success is great but the penalties for cheating are small. A six-month or five-year ban from competition is a small penalty to pay for further years of multimillion financial successes.
The enormous rewards for the winner and reduced fears of culpability all combine to create a cheating ‘game’ that is irresistible to cricketers. Unless the likelihood of cricketers being caught cheating is raised to unrealistically high levels, or the payoffs for winning are reduced to unrealistically low levels, cricketers could well be predicted to cheat. The current situation for cricketers ensures that this is likely, even though they are worse off as a whole if everyone cheats than if nobody cheats. The goal of cleaning up the sport is unattainable.
Cheating in cricket commonly falls into betting, bribery and spot fixing. Underlying motives behind some cheating scenarios are the gaining of fame, extreme financial incentives, success and acceptance. Psychiatrists can step in and help cricketers caught cheating by educating them about the error of their ways or helping them cope with the stress of dealing with a suspension or the end of a career. Analysis show that cricketers with personality disorders such as narcissistic, borderline or antisocial personalities are at higher risk of cheating behaviours and understanding the deeper motivations of such cricketers can drive treatment. It would also be important to explore childhood and family, and cultural dynamics to develop a treatment plan.
Therapy tools highlighted during the session to treat cricketers have included cognitive-behavioural therapy, family therapy, dynamic therapy and supporting therapy. The experts would agree that the key role of psychiatrists in sports medicine is to educate cricketers about cheating, help them not to cheat again and help with the consequential stress of being caught, which could result in a loss of identity for the player. The personal, family and cultural history of the player are essential points for success in therapy. Often, elite cricketers may feel a sense of entitlement that needs to be addressed.
We root for our favourite team because we love the excitement we feel when they win, and we feel the pain and disappointment when they lose. In this era of live sports, cricketers are often treated like rock stars and worshipped by countless fans. But, for those who think ethics plays a role in sports, professional cricketers are held to a higher standard. They are seen as role models responsible for setting an example for others to follow, especially young people.
Most would agree that sport has the power to bring a community together. Rooting for our favourite teams has a way of uniting people with different backgrounds and experiences under one common symbol. People often say that a sports team reflects the character of its home country and the people who live in it. For instance, if a player were to break the law, but then come back and lead his or her team to a championship, most people would quickly dismiss the transgression and celebrate the player as a hero. What does it say about a society when the success of its players causes it to suspend or lower the standards of behaviour? Is it right to give our most prominent players a free pass when it comes to their actions and do professional cricketers not have an ethical responsibility to set an example for the people living in their countries or are they simply entertainers, providing a service?
The possible, underlying cause of cheating stems from a pathological need to take the unnecessary advantage. Cheating behaviour also exists in media, politics and law, and some of the ethical and moral principles apply there as well. Where should we draw the line between acceptable behaviour and cheating? There is so much money at stake in professional sports, both for the players and for the owners, that the temptation to cheat is particularly strong. When cheating is discovered, whether it is spot fixing or ball tampering, should the penalty lead to expulsion from the sport?
A large part of ethics is defining a person’s moral responsibilities to others. In the case of professional cricketers, what is their moral responsibility to the country that they represent and how far should that responsibility extend? Ethical and moral development programmes for professional cricketers can help guide players towards professional level performance. A possible explanation for their cheating behaviour is the lack of quantity and quality of training over the years. When selectors, trainers and coaches are identifying, developing and selecting players, they have to keep in mind that good behaviour is mostly made not born.

The writer is a professor of Psychiatry and consultant Forensic Psychiatrist in the UK. He can be contacted at fawad_shifa@yahoo.com