--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cheating is baseball's oldest profession…" description: "\"Cheating is baseball's oldest profession. No other game is so rich in skullduggery, so suited to it or so proud of it.\" — Thomas Boswell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_cheating-is-baseball-s-oldest-profession_2897810.png" --- # Cheating is baseball's oldest profession. No other game is… ![“Cheating is baseball's oldest profession. No other game is so rich in skullduggery, so suited to it or so proud of it.” quote by Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_cheating-is-baseball-s-oldest-profession_2897810.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_cheating-is-baseball-s-oldest-profession_2897810.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_cheating-is-baseball-s-oldest-profession_2897810.png) > “Cheating is baseball's oldest profession. No other game is so rich in skullduggery, so suited to it or so proud of it.” [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Baseball embraces cheating as part of its culture, making it a unique, morally ambiguous sport. **In simple terms:** Cheating is seen as a traditional part of baseball. Key Takeaway Recognize the sport’s ethical complexities. Themes culture ethics tradition Mood cynical analytical Type critical observational When to use this quote - player contracts - league regulations - fan discussions - media analysis Key Concepts moral ambiguity sporting culture Questions to Reflect On - Is cheating ever justified in competitive sports? - How does this perception affect the sport’s integrity? A Different Perspective May romanticize unethical behavior, ignoring its harmful impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Baseball Oldest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball-oldest-4105499/) [Cheating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheating/) [Cheating Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheating-baseball-4105498/) [Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Skullduggery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skullduggery-4105500/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) ## Related quotes > [Attaching a Creator to the boundary is metaphysical skullduggery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taner-edis/attaching-a-creator-to-the-boundary-is-metaphysical-skullduggery/) [Taner Edis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taner-edis/) > [Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income tax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/hating-the-yankees-is-as-american-as-pizza-pie-unwed-mothers-and/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [One of two things when the guy you're dating isn't really ready to commit. He's an a\*\*hole and he's cheating on you; bottom line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-catherwood/one-of-two-things-when-the-guy-you-re-dating-isn-t-really-ready-to/) [Michael Catherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-catherwood/) > [Cheating is like eating fast food. You do it, you enjoy it, and then you end up feeling like shit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/cheating-is-like-eating-fast-food-you-do-it-you-enjoy-it-and-then-you/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Cheaters are like fruit flies. They taste each fruit from time to time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teejay-david/cheaters-are-like-fruit-flies-they-taste-each-fruit-from-time-to-time/) [Teejay David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teejay-david/) > [Here is your government at work. A congressman from Colorado said he wants to draft a rule that would make it unethical to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/here-is-your-government-at-work-a-congressman-from-colorado-said-he/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“To keep myself from harming or calling N and to stave off the rage and despair, I focus on my extraordinary son, drink midrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-finnamore/to-keep-myself-from-harming-or-calling-n-and-to-stave-off-the-rage/) [Suzanne Finnamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-finnamore/) > [It's not the cheating. It's the hunger...The hunger for an alternative, and the refusal to accept a life of unhappiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/it-s-not-the-cheating-it-s-the-hunger-the-hunger-for-an-alternative/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [I dont play when it comes to being unfaithful. You cheat, you get no second chance & you lost the best thing that ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-dont-play-when-it-comes-to-being-unfaithful-you-cheat-you-get-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes it's better to shut up and leave me alone then pester me constantly because I am a human and I have feelings too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/sometimes-it-s-better-to-shut-up-and-leave-me-alone-then-pester-me/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [They have no right to complain! If women were cool with knowing their man is cheating on them then they have no right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-williams/they-have-no-right-to-complain-if-women-were-cool-with-knowing-their/) [Eric Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-williams/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [If you leave someone for another person, don't be surprised if that person leaves you for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-leave-someone-for-another-person-don-t-be-surprised-if-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being faithful shouldn't be challenging, cheating should. Too bad its the other way around though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-faithful-shouldn-t-be-challenging-cheating-should-too-bad-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) ## More by Thomas Boswell > [An almost inexorable baseball law: A Red Sox ship with a single leak will always find a way to sink No team is worshipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/an-almost-inexorable-baseball-law-a-red-sox-ship-with-a-single-leak/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [Football is played best full of adrenaline and anger. Moderation seldom finds a place. Almost every act of baseball is a blending of effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/football-is-played-best-full-of-adrenaline-and-anger-moderation/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [Of the big four, the PGA is the most fair and the least fun. Basically, it's just the US Open set up by nice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/of-the-big-four-the-pga-is-the-most-fair-and-the-least-fun-basically/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [Some things cannont possibly happen, because they are both too improbable and too perfect. The U.S. hockey team cannot beat the Russians in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/some-things-cannont-possibly-happen-because-they-are-both-too/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [“What most people want to keep under wraps (from reporters) is trivial: petty jealousies, professional feuds, etc. By contrast, most of the things they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/what-most-people-want-to-keep-under-wraps-from-reporters-is-trivial/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [Conversation is the blood of baseball. It flows through the game, an invigorating system of anecdotes. Ballplayers are tale tellers who have polished their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/conversation-is-the-blood-of-baseball-it-flows-through-the-game-an/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [“Familiarity, and a few dozen cheap flyballs off the Monster, breed contempt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/familiarity-and-a-few-dozen-cheap-flyballs-off-the-monster-breed/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [I think baseball is a great support to people who have emotional voids, gaps, emotional difficulties. That is to say: all of us. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/i-think-baseball-is-a-great-support-to-people-who-have-emotional/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [Baseball is not necessarily an obsessive-compulsive disorder, like washing your hands 100 times a day, but it's beginning to seem that way. We're reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/baseball-is-not-necessarily-an-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-like/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [Born to an age where horror has become commonplace, where tragedy has, by its monotonous repetition, become a parody of sorrow, we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/born-to-an-age-where-horror-has-become-commonplace-where-tragedy-has/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [In and of itself, sports may be trivial, but as a symbol of the American way of life, it has enormous weight. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/in-and-of-itself-sports-may-be-trivial-but-as-a-symbol-of-the/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [Baseball is to our everyday experience what poetry often is to common speech — a slightly elevated and concentrated form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/baseball-is-to-our-everyday-experience-what-poetry-often-is-to-common/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [Baseball has traditionally possessed a wonderful lack of seriousness. The game's best player, Babe Ruth, was a Rabelaisian fat man, and its most loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/baseball-has-traditionally-possessed-a-wonderful-lack-of-seriousness/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [Quarterbacks have to ask the crowd to quiet down. Pitchers never do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/quarterbacks-have-to-ask-the-crowd-to-quiet-down-pitchers-never-do/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [Baseball is really two sports -- the summer game and the autumn game. One is the leisurely pastime of our national mythology. The other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/baseball-is-really-two-sports-the-summer-game-and-the-autumn-game-one/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) [Explore all 40 Thomas Boswell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) ## More Baseball quotes > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [When you're in the middle of a pennant race, you can't go up there thinking about home runs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-sosa/when-you-re-in-the-middle-of-a-pennant-race-you-can-t-go-up-there/) [Sammy Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-sosa/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/) [Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/) > [Pitchers pitch differently. Hitters, hardly anyone has the same stance. That's just how it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-zimmerman/pitchers-pitch-differently-hitters-hardly-anyone-has-the-same-stance/) [Ryan Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-zimmerman/) > [Five World Series rings, 3000-plus hits, the fame, the fortune and playing for the second most historic franchise in baseball... These are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/five-world-series-rings-3000-plus-hits-the-fame-the-fortune-and/) [Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/) > [I don't want the electronic strike zone. I like the element of sometimes pitches don't get called. Guys don't receive it well or whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/i-don-t-want-the-electronic-strike-zone-i-like-the-element-of/) [Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/) > [I sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium - at a baseball game - which was crazy; there was, like, 60,000 people there, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/i-sang-the-national-anthem-at-dodger-stadium-at-a-baseball-game-which/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [If I was going to make one rule change, I would bring the DH to the National League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-brett/if-i-was-going-to-make-one-rule-change-i-would-bring-the-dh-to-the/) [George Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-brett/) > [In all honesty, once you become a professional, number one, you're no longer a fan. I don't root for the Dodgers, really. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-scully/in-all-honesty-once-you-become-a-professional-number-one-you-re-no/) [Vin Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-scully/) > [I'll tell you what's helped me my entire life. I look at baseball as a game. It's something where people can go out, enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-caray/i-ll-tell-you-what-s-helped-me-my-entire-life-i-look-at-baseball-as-a/) [Harry Caray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-caray/) > [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [What we should have done is kept the same team that played in the '95 World Series. Those trades (Eddie Murray & Carlos Baerga)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-belle/what-we-should-have-done-is-kept-the-same-team-that-played-in-the-95/) [Albert Belle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-belle/) > [“I can buy baseball cards to view an entire career on the back of a little square of cardboard. But nobody sells major league…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg-jr/i-can-buy-baseball-cards-to-view-an-entire-career-on-the-back-of-a/) [John Ortberg Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg-jr/) > [The wind always seems to blow against catchers when they are running.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/the-wind-always-seems-to-blow-against-catchers-when-they-are-running/) [Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/) [Browse all 7,461 Baseball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Cheating is baseball's oldest profession. No other game is so rich in skullduggery, so suited to it or so proud of it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Boswell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/cheating-is-baseball-s-oldest-profession-no-other-game-is-so-rich-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Baseball" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/cheating-is-baseball-s-oldest-profession-no-other-game-is-so-rich-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_cheating-is-baseball-s-oldest-profession_2897810.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_cheating-is-baseball-s-oldest-profession_2897810.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_cheating-is-baseball-s-oldest-profession_2897810.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Cheating is baseball's oldest profession. No other game is so rich in skullduggery, so suited to it or so…” — Thomas Boswell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Thomas Boswell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Cheating is baseball's oldest profession. No...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/cheating-is-baseball-s-oldest-profession-no-other-game-is-so-rich-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/cheating-is-baseball-s-oldest-profession-no-other-game-is-so-rich-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```