Of course, there is more phoniness in sports than just claiming innocence. And I'm not even talking about the Redskins pretending that they're a football team. Don't be surprised to see a basketball player go flying across the court after barely being grazed by an opponent. He'll get up lame and wince in pain. Then there is the truly dark and evil form of acting in sports.
Nothing is worse than taking a dive.
That's not a dig at the swim team's expense. It is merely commentary on the greatest crime that an athlete can commit. That and showing up to practice late. But just in case you do get to practice late, you might as well try this. Put your hands up in the air, put on your best puppy dog face, and there's always that chance that the coach will think you made it on time.