A question of ethics: Should Pepperdine intentionally lose, ruining UCLA’s NCAA Tournament chances?

Yes

Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy said he can’t even fathom
throwing one of his MPSF playoff matches this weekend, but
don’t blame him if he reconsiders.

Sure, there are ethical issues to losing on purpose. Yes, it
could be a momentum killer for his top-ranked team. But consider
this: Pepperdine hasn’t won a national title in men’s
volleyball in 13 years.

So if Dunphy thinks the Waves can make their path to a
championship easier by losing this weekend and effectively knocking
second-ranked UCLA out of contention for an at-large bid, then
that’s exactly what he should tell his team to do.

Dunphy is saying all the right things: that the only way for the
Waves to guarantee themselves an NCAA Tournament berth is to win
their semifinal match against Cal State Northridge tonight and then
defeat either Long Beach State or UC Santa Barbara in
Saturday’s finals.

But let’s be honest here. The Waves are in, and Dunphy
knows it. Their first-place finish in the regular season in by far
the toughest conference in the nation ensures that.

So why not knock out your top competition for the championship
before the NCAA Tournament even if it means forfeiting the MPSF
title?

There certainly is one good reason for Dunphy not to instruct
his team to lose tonight, but it has nothing to do with ethics. If
he doesn’t think UCLA is his team’s biggest threat
““ and he might not ““ there’s absolutely no reason
for them not to bring home the conference championship on their own
court.

But here’s one good reason for Pepperdine not to do that:
Their lone visit to Pauley Pavilion this season resulted in a 3-0
Bruin victory.

UCLA has not played well lately, losing to Long Beach State and
Cal State Northridge and needing five games to top lowly UC San
Diego. But given another chance on their home court with the NCAA
championship at stake, UCLA might redeem itself.

That’s a chance Pepperdine might not want to take.

Compiled by Jeff Eisenberg, Bruin Sports senior
staff.

No

Sports is about winning. You play to win the game.

Pepperdine men’s volleyball coach Marv Dunphy has been
saying the right things this week, reiterating that his team will
play its hardest and try to win this weekend at the MPSF
Tournament.

Hopefully, he will turn out to be a man of his word. It would be
best if the Waves put out their best effort this weekend. And not
just for UCLA’s sake, but for the sake of the whole
sport.

In theory, he could help his team by intentionally losing
““ Pepperdine has already virtually assured itself of a spot
in the NCAA Championships and a loss would knock out its toughest
competition, UCLA, because only one at-large bid to the NCAA
Championships is given in men’s volleyball.

But sports is about winning.

Intentionally losing would set a dangerous precedent, especially
if Pepperdine went on to win the NCAA Championships.

Teams always copy success ““ and the best teams in the
country intentionally losing every year would really hurt the
sport’s integrity.

Intentionally losing to eliminate your top competition also
hurts the quality of the NCAA Tournament. If the best possible
teams weren’t playing in these nationally televised matches,
it would mean a smaller audience.

Think of the children. Growing up playing sports, children are
taught to always play their hardest. What example would it set if a
team were to intentionally lose?

And think of the fans. There might be some fans at the MPSF
Championships this weekend who have never attended a volleyball
match. What taste would it leave in their mouths if they were to
see a bunch of players trying to lose?

If Pepperdine gives its best effort this weekend and just gets
beaten, that’s fine. But if they rest all of their starters
in the MPSF Championship game or, even worse, intentionally try to
lose while on the court, it would be a travesty to sports.

Compiled by Gilbert Quiñonez, Bruin Sports senior
staff.