Some people will do anything to win. The early days of baseball provide many notable examples. Before stadiums had permanent seats in the outfield, for example, teams were permitted to erect temporary bleachers or simply put up a rope if a large crowd was expected, and any ball hit into that area was ruled a ground-rule double. When Ty Cobb was managing the Tigers and a power-hitting team was visiting, he would have the grounds crew set up temporary bleachers, turning balls that might otherwise have been home runs into ground-rule doubles. And if the crowd wasn’t large enough to justify putting up the seats, Cobb would have the ground crew sit in those bleachers so the umpire would not order them removed.

In Chicago, Cubs’ fans standing behind the outfield rope would push forward toward the…