Competition is an essential element of athletics. Two or more parties competitively striving for a goal only one can reach is exhilarating for the athletes as well as the spectators. Without competition, sports simply would not be entertaining.

This defining characteristic of athletics, however, is inflating so much in some athletes that their competitive drive is overriding their moral character, resulting in malicious actions against their opponents.

Some athletes are essentially cheating, not with the direct goal of winning, but with the nasty intent to hurt their opponents. These actions are not a result of competitive drive; rather they are senseless acts of malice that have no place in sports.

In the past few weeks, two incidents in college athletics have pointed out this growing issue in high-level sports of all kinds.

First, University of Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes attempted to shove his fingers into the eye sockets of a defenseless opponent. For this, he was suspended only half of a game.

Next, Elizabeth Lambert of the University of New Mexico women’s soccer team carried out repeated acts of aggression against the opposing players. She violently yanked a girl to the ground by her ponytail. She kicked, punched, elbowed and basically attacked many of the Brigham Young University athletes with the clear intention of hurting them. Lambert was suspended indefinitely.

While baring your soul on the table to win is praised at the highest of Americana, examples include the spine-tingling nature of Rudy and Rocky, the Yankee’s Bombers and James Braddock, “The Cinderella Man”, this brand of malice is not respected and frankly not understood.

Beyond being gutless, sad and pitiful, these actions set a terrible example. The rationale: If one of the best players on the top-ranked football team in the nation tries to literally gouge his opponents eyes out, why shouldn’t the 12-year-old linebackers in Pop Warner football do the same?

These athletes walk a fine line between achieving their full athletic potential while not compromising their moral character. As the stakes get higher and higher, this line is being overstepped the wrong way, and the result infringes on fair play and good sportsmanship.

Just win, and we’ll forgive you even for taking steroids. But when the aim of the action is the naked harm of another, completely or mostly unrelated to victory in the game, we have no respect for that, and we shouldn’t have any tolerance for it either.