Letter: Some schools cheat better than others

S.C. Gwynne reviewed Lars Anderson's book, "Chasing the Bear," in the Fall Books section of the Sept. 28, 2019 issue of The Wall Street Journal. In his review, headlined "Even Better Than the Bear," he claimed to be seeking a "gaudy revelation" behind the success of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, but settled for "The answer may be that Mr. Saban's process can only be seen as a totality: Every piece of what he does is as important as every other piece ... And perhaps Nick Saban's 'secret' is just that he does everything a little bit better than everyone else. Indeed, the University Alabama and Coach Saban likely do everything a little bit better than everyone else."

To be sure, the "gaudy revelation" sought by Mr. Gwynne won't be found in Anderson's book. The following may very well be the sought-after revelation: "They all cheat" as claimed University of Chicago President Robert Maynard Hutchins back in 1939 when terminating the school's Big-10 football program. Everyone knows, or at least should know, that virtually all schools cheat in some way or another, some better than others, and that deceit, deception, and exploitation are part and parcel of today's college sports programs.

Frank G. Splitt

Mount Prospect