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Giving Tech A Sporting Chance

Not being much of a sports fan -- sorry, guys -- I've always been a bit bemused by the lengths to which players will go in order to win for their fans, their teams, and (probably most importantly) their prize money or huge salaries. It seems to have gone from such traditionally accepted means as fixing games (as immortalized in countless boxing films) to taking unpleasant medications that will both increase your muscle mass and shorten your life span -- and now, to using technology to gain an advantage over your opponent.

For example, even such a presumably intellectual sport as chess has been in the "shouldn'ta done that" news lately -- last month, an Indian chess player was banned Tuesday from competition for 10 years after he was caught using a Bluetooth headset sewn into a cap. The idea was that accomplices would be using a computer at the other end and would clue him in on what move to make.

Not only does that read like a bad Mission Impossible script, but I can't help wondering whether the player in question shouldn't find some other sport to occupy himself with after his ten years is up -- say, marbles. Certainly, I can't imagine that anybody is ever going to be able to watch him wrinkle his forehead over a chess board with anything resembling a straight face.

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