How about four or five years ago during a Yankees baseball game. Derek Jeter was at bat and the pitch hit the end of the bat. Jeter, dropped the bat and grabbed his hand and pretended that the ball hit him. The trainer even came out and looked at his hand. The replay clearly showed the pitch hit the bat, but Jeter was awarded first base. Is he a cheater? Should he be disallowed from getting into the hall of fame?
For me, sports is entertainment, nothing more. Whether or not the Patriots altered the footballs doesn't matter one iota to me. I'm still going to go to work on Monday, and my life will go on as normal. I'm still going to watch football and will continue to be entertained during the games.
When I go to the movies, I know it's all fake but I'm still entertained by them. I know that the actor playing Sonny didn't really die in The Godfather, but I still love that movie. I don't feel cheated to know that everything in movies is fake.
I just don't see why people are getting their shorts in a twist over something that doesn't matter to them. Why is altering the footballs such a big deal and purposely holding or pass interference isn't? All those infractions are against the rules and could alter the outcome of the game.
When Dan Rather uses forged documents in his newscast are you entertained?
Did you know or expect that the Patriots would be using footballs that violate the rules? Punishments for rule infractions are not intended to be payment for the infractions. They are intended to discourage the infractions in the interest of fair play.
For those who think that players cannot tell the difference and that under-inflated balls do not give an advantage...
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12206777